Australia is one of the most competitive new car markets in the world, and it just got another player.
Zeekr is the newest brand to try and carve a place for itself locally, officially launching in Sydney this week. Part of the portfolio of brands controlled by Chinese giant Geely, Zeekr is an all-electric luxury brand that will compete against the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Geely stablemate, Volvo.
While Zeekr will operate completely separately from its fellow Geely brand, Volvo and Polestar, in Australia, the brand is positioning itself to take advantage of its place within the mutli-national group. It utilises a European design studio in Volvo’s hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden, while also highlighting its Chinese electric vehicle technology.
Zeekr will begin its Australian operation with two models initially – the X small SUV and the 009 people mover. Both are set to hit local roads in October, with the first official deliveries to take place at Sydney’s South by Southwest event.
Zeekr Australia confirmed specifications for the X, which uses the same ‘SAE’ platform as the similarly sized Volvo EX30. There will be two versions available, the X RWD with a 200kW/343Nm motor and the dual-motor AWD which will pack a 315kW/543Nm punch. The X AWD will be able to sprint 0-100km/h in just 3.8 seconds, which is very rapid for a sports car let alone a compact SUV.
Zeekr hasn’t confirmed pricing publicly for the X, but has promised that the RWD will come in “under $60,000” and the X AWD will be “under $70,000” when they first arrive. For context, the Volvo EX30 starts at $59,990 for the single motor variant and $69,990 for the dual-motor Performance Ultra.
While Zeekr is a new name in Australia, it has hired some recogniseable ones to help its global fortunes. Former Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen is the brand’s ‘chief performance advisor’ and current Sauber drive Zhou Guanyu is the company’s ‘chief motorist’.
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