While Tesla continues to lower its prices, the Chinese manufacturer Zeekr does not intend to let it happen. The latter announces a drop in the price of its compact SUV X but not only that. Customers will indeed be able to benefit from additional advantages for purchasing a copy.
The electric car market has always been very competitive, but this seems to be accelerating more and more as the years go by. And for good reason, several new manufacturers are arriving, particularly from China. Which does not really please Brussels, which has unveiled a series of measures to slow down their offensive.
A falling price
But this does not seem to be enough, since there are more and more Asian brands, such as MG, Nio and BYD, which has also become the world number one in electric vehicles. The firm even overtook Tesla, which had nevertheless made significant price cuts in recent months. In January 2023, its Model 3 and Model Y had notably lost no less than 13,000 euros. But this was not enough, as the specialists predicted.
Another manufacturer is also launching into the great price war, which should be even more intense in 2024 according to BYD, which will soon launch its new Seal U in Europe. This is Zeekr, a young brand founded in 2021 and which is already present in Europe, in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands but not yet in France at the moment.
The latter notably markets its 001 and its X. And it is precisely this one that interests us at the moment. The latter, which we were able to test a few months earlier, takes the form of a compact SUV, which hunts in the lands of the Renault Megane E-Tech, Volkswagen ID.3 and other MG4s. Based on the SEA platform of the Volvo EX30, it is in the process of lowering its prices as explained by the American site Electrive.
This is what the manufacturer confirms in a press release just published. The car was starting until now from 44,990 euros among our Dutch neighbors and now rises to 42,490 euros, i.e. a drop of 2,500 euros. In Sweden, the SUV was priced at around 48,800 euros, and now costs 46,900 euros, which corresponds to a nice drop of 1,900 euros. Finally, in Germany, the price remains stable, also starting at 44,990 euros.
A complete offer
In addition to lowering the price of its SUV, Zeekr also wants to offer additional benefits to its customers. And this through its new “10 +10 +10” offer. But what is it about? In addition to the 10-year or 200,000 kilometer warranty, the brand’s customers will also be able to benefit from 10 years of services offered as well as 10 years of connectivity included. And this on the Zeekr X and the Zeekr 001.
Be careful, because this offer is not unlimited, since it is only valid for customers who purchase one of these two models between February 6 and April 30. Provided that delivery is made before May 31, 2024. The Zeekr X should arrive in France for the start of the 2024 school year.
For the record, the Zeekr a 66 kWh battery supplied by the Chinese giant CATL offering a range of between 500 and 560 km according to the Chinese CLTC cycle. Which gives approximately 400 to 450 kilometers with European WLTP approval, which is consistent with the expectations of French motorists. Even if this reasoning is erroneous and the car can theoretically go from Paris to Marseille very easily.
Several versions are offered, with powers included between 271 and 428 horsepower, also competing with the Tesla Model Y and the new Peugeot e-3008. The car comes standard with a heat pump as well as V2L bidirectional charging in order to plug electrical devices directly into its socket. Level 2 autonomous driving is also included.