Geely put the blame squarely on inadequate supplies coming from its supplier for its Electronic Stability Program or ESP units. Although Geely did not directly name the affected supplier, it’s believed to be Bosch which is the largest supplier of ESP systems in China’s auto industry.

ESP combines antilock braking and traction control, and can detect vehicle skidding movements while actively counteracting them. It also incorporates functionalities such as hill start assist (lead photo). The system is widely used to improve driver safety and comes standard in Geely’s vehicles.

Despite the month-on-month sales slide, Geely reports that February’s figures are still 2 percent better compared to the same period last year.

In some good news, Geely reports that its export volumes are up 34.5 percent to 9,851 units in February. The Middle East market in particular has been very strong with a 118 percent increase thanks to the strong performance of the Tugella coupe SUV and Coolray sub-compact SUV. Special mention was also given to the Philippines where Geely expects to continue its strong momentum, driven by the Coolray and the newly-launched fourth-generation Emgrand sedan.