Nio, GS Holdings, Geely - it goes on!

Well positioned

The rapidly growing prosperity in parts of Asia is also changing the food industry significantly. The demand for new concepts in the foodservice and lifestyle sectors is increasing. And this is precisely where the Singapore-based investment Holding Company GS Holdings comes in. GS Holdings separates its business activities into 2 areas. The F&B Business division includes investments as well as the management of restaurants or cafés.

In addition to management, new brands, concepts and franchise models are also developed here. Currently, GS operates three food courts in Bukit Batok and Sungei Kadut Way, a halal restaurant in Singapore and a famous chicken rice restaurant under the brand "Sing Swee Kee". In addition to Swing Swee Kee, the fast-growing "Raffles Coffee" brand is another drawing card in the franchise portfolio.

Two pillars

The second division, BOP, handles branding, operations and services for the F&B and healthcare industries. Here, the subsidiary Wish Hospitality is one of the largest providers in Singapore. In addition to management tasks, its offerings include operational support, recruitment and employee training. The BOP segment has already expanded into the growth markets of Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. GS Holding shares have also been traded in Germany since the beginning of December.

Smart partnership

A great honor for the Chinese electric car maker Geely; none other than the German flagship Daimler has formed a joint venture with the Chinese and moved production of its small car, Smart, to China. Although production has already been switched to electric motors for the Fortwo and Forfour models, the Smart is currently still manufactured with partner Renault in France and Slovenia. From 2022, everything except the design department will move to China.

To the next level

The Smarts produced in China in the future will be based entirely on an electric platform currently under development at Geely. As Smart brand manager Lescow revealed to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the first Chinese model will be a compact SUV. In addition, "various models with different ranges" are to be developed with the Chinese. Lescow also stated that the brand should radiate "more premium" and meet more upscale demands. However, a transition to a luxury brand is not an issue, he said.

Strong outlook

The majority of analysts continue to be optimistic about the share. Macquarie raised its forecasts and increased the price target from HKD 14.5 to HKD 28.4. The rating is now "buy". The reasons include better-than-expected pricing trends, a solid product cycle, including the new generation Boyue and Emgrand, and its rising earnings momentum. In addition, experts generally see a continued substantial increase in demand for electric vehicles. In addition to Geely, the competition is also continuing to expand. For example, Nio plans to target the European market in the second half of 2021 at the latest.

New models from January

To further close in on competitors such as Tesla or Xpeng, Shanghai-based electric carmaker Nio is coming around the corner with a product expansion. The first electric sedan model is to be unveiled on January 9, 2021, Nio Day. The electric sedan is to feature two electric motors on the front and rear axles as already known from earlier press reports. In addition to the sedans, however, the Company says it is also developing other models. Nio plans to launch at least one new model per year. In addition, the use of battery swap stations will be further boosted.