While the Shanghai Motor Show is in full swing, as in the heyday of the fire of European shows, Chinese manufacturers have released heavy artillery on the new side. It is particularly in the segment of electric vehicles that the latter are firing on all cylinders, with a number of outings to rival their European competitors.
If the Chinese domestic market is largely dominated by local brands, in particular with BYD, which holds 35% of the market, the new El Dorado is Europe. This is for the most prominent builders”a medium-term objective” — that is to say 2025-2027 — according to Frédéric Euvrard of The Automobilist website.
The hunting break or shooting break Zeekr 001, which should be a hit in Europe. © Zeekr
Besides BYD, Xpeng Motors, NIO, Voyah, Tang, Seres and other Aiways and MG Motor, the next arrival is called Zeekr. It is a premium brand, satellite of the Geely group, owner of Volvo Cars, Polestar, Lotus, Lynk&Co and Smart, for the best known. The gateway to the European continent will be the Netherlands and Sweden, at the end of 2023, before flooding “quickly” the rest of Europe with models “specially designed for European users”.
Zeekr 001 and Zeekr X: a shooting brake and an SUV designed for Europe
The stunning Zeekr 001 shooting break and the Zeekr X urban SUV were both developed at the Global Design Center and European R&D Center based in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Both vehicles are based on the SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform specially dedicated to electric vehicles. Within the Geely group, this platform is already used on the Smart #1 and will be on the next Smart #3, Polestar 4 and Volvo EX20 models.
With its grille resembling the Lynk&Co 01, the Zeekr 001 will offer two motor and battery options. A first engine will display 200 kW (270 hp) and a second 400 kW (544 hp). The maximum speed is 200 km/h. The autonomy will vary according to the battery: 80 or 100 kWh, knowing that in China, the vehicle is equipped – in addition – with a battery with a capacity of 140 kWh. Autonomy is about 600 km (WLTP mixed cycles) with the largest of the batteries available from us.
The high-tech cabin includes an 8.8-inch (22.35 cm diagonal) instrument cluster, a 14.7-inch (37.33 cm diagonal) central touch screen and a 3rd screen for passengers 5.7 inches (14.47 cm diagonal). The audio system is signed Yamaha.
As for the price, it should be beyond the $43,500 offered in China. Last year, 71,941 copies of the Zeekr 001 were sold in the Middle Kingdom.
The Zeekr X urban SUV offers some interesting features. © Zeekr
The Zeekr X urban SUV is yet another “Tesla killer” (the American is definitely rather tough…). It displays lines and a design as daring as the Zeekr 001. It too should be offered with one or two electric motors, whose power will oscillate between 200 and 315 kW (420 hp On the battery side, there is a capacity of 66 kWh (NMC chemistry) for ranges (Chinese CLTC mixed cycles) of 560 km (version with one motor) to 512 km (version with two motors).
To distinguish itself, the Zeekr X has several strings to its bow. Among them are the panoramic roof of more than one square meter, the possibility of configuring the passenger compartment in 4 or 5 places, thus freeing up volume in the trunk up to 1180 liters, unlocking by facial recognition, the screen 14.6-inch sliding touch screen (37.08 cm diagonal), electric seats and ambient lighting (very popular in China).
The question of price remains. In China, the base model (two-wheel drive) is available from €25,157 and €27,810 (starting price) for the four-wheel drive version.
At a press conference last March, An Conghui, the CEO of Zeekr, announced the color: “The brand will launch a new model every six months as part of an expansion plan to reach 650,000 units sold per year by 2025. The brand’s development in Europe by the end of 2023 and the United States in 2024 will contribute to its growth“.
If the manufacturer arrives well in France as planned, it will remain to be seen which distribution channels it will choose. One of its Chinese competitors, BYD, has chosen to go through an agent for the time being and has opened a showroom in Paris. MG has a good head start, with more than 150 points of sale and registrations up 166%.