Chinese luxury EV brand Zeekr set to launch in Australia
It may sound like a trendy sneaker brand or a fast-fashion label but Chinese car maker Zeekr is targeting the premium EV segment with its upwardly mobile Zeekr X compact electric SUV.
Founded in 2021 and owned by Geely Automobile Holdings, Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding Limited has already entered the European market and has now signalled its intentions for Australia.
There has been little in the way of public announcements leading up to the Australian launch, but specialist motoring media have previously reported that Zeekr will target premium German brands including Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
There’s a strong European flavour to the brand’s corporate communications, including being “built on a decade of European experience”, plus references to a state-of-the-art design centre in Gothenburg, Sweden.
That location provides a further clue to the Zeekr’s DNA, with Swedish brand Volvo these days owned by Geely and the Zeekr X apparently based on the same platform as the Volvo EX30.
In addition to Volvo Cars and Zeekr, which is positioned as the group’s newest luxury EV brand, Geely’s other automotive brands include Geely Auto, Lynk & Co, Geometry, Polestar, Lotus, London Electric Vehicle Company, Farizon Auto, RADAR AUTO, and Cao Mobility.
According to the brand’s website Zeekr stands for ‘Zero, Evolving, Electric and Krypton’, a rare gas that emits light when electrified.
The Zeekr X is described there as a “compact luxury SUV created for the urban lifestyles of today”, with images showing an attractive exterior design featuring modern strip-style LED headlights and taillights, recessed door handles and a floating black roof design.
Dimensionally, the Zeekr X measures 4,432mm long by 1,566mm high and sits on a 2,750mm wheelbase, which makes it slightly smaller than a Tesla Model Y (4,751mm (L) x 1,624 (h) x 2,891mm (wheelbase), and between the size of the larger Toyota RAV4 and the smaller Hyundai Kona.
Inside, occupants are treated to tastefully designed minimalist interior, with large central touchscreen, a smaller digital driver display, plus a 24.3-inch panoramic Augmented Reality Head Up Display.
Functions including music, navigation and cabin temperature can all be controlled by an AI-powered voice assistant.
The specs for the touchscreen read like something out of PC-catalogue, including a “Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, 7nm processors, 16GB of memory and a 128GB of high-speed storage”.
It’s all kept up to date via over-the-air updates
Other notable interior features include ambient lighting that reacts to the rhythm of music from the 13-speaker Yamaha sound system, a panoramic sunroof and breathable microfiber wool headliner.
Standard safety kit for the Zeekr X includes seven airbags with centre-front airbag, plus the latest in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) informed by five high-definition cameras, five millimetre-wave radars and 12 ultrasonic radars.
The Zeekr X hasn’t yet been tested by ANCAP but was awarded a maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating in May 2024.
It's not yet clear whether the new luxury SUV will offer both short-range 2WD and long-range AWD models, but the brand website refers to its AWD model having peak outputs of 315kW/543Nm, driving range of 540km (ADR 81/02) and 0–100km/h acceleration of 3.8secs.
By way of comparison, the Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD boasts 378kW/493Nm, 533km (WLTP) of driving range, and 0–100km/h acceleration in 5.0secs.
The Zeekr X also claims 10–80% peak charging time in 30 minutes on 150kW DC, where the Tesla accommodates more powerful 250kW maximum charging and can add up to 261km in 15 minutes.
The Zeekr X’s AC and DC CC Combo 2 charge port is located on the passenger side rear of the vehicle, which is handy for Australian drivers.
The second Zeekr product expected to be launched in Australia soon after the Zeekr X will be the Zeekr 009, a seven-seat electric Luxury MPV.
An updated version of the right-hand drive Zeekr 009 recently launched in the Hong Kong market equipped with air suspension, a 15-inch OLED screen with 2.5k resolution in the front, and a 17-inch OLED screen with 3k resolution in the back, plus a 30-speaker Yamaha surround sound system.
The top-spec Zeekr 009 features silicon-carbide-powered e-motors and can accelerate from 0–100km/h in 3.9 seconds.
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