Ongoing tensions between American and Chinese car industries continue to simmer, with carmakers from the nations now taking shots at each other online.
CnEVPost reports Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Zeekr last week launched the 2025 edition of its 007 sedan and 001 shooting brake, bringing upgrades to the two models which only launched earlier this year.
Its decision to update its vehicles so soon after launch led to backlash from existing owners, claiming their car’s value has declined – leading to some reportedly turning up to Zeekr’s headquarters to demand compensation.
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Zeekr 007
In a bid to capitalise on the negative attention, the Chinese division of US carmaker Cadillac uploaded a now-deleted post on social media platform Weibo, claiming Zeekr was selling three generations of model in the same year.
The poster then claimed its Optiq electric SUV will retain 80 per cent of its value after three years, before saying “Zeeker replacemnet [sic]”.
This seemed to light a match under Zeekr vice president Zhu Ling, who pulled no punches in his response to Cadillac’s posts.
“The electric age, the rise of China, the glory of Detroit is no more,” Mr Ling reportedly wrote on Weibo.
Zeekr 001
“It’s faster than you, it’s smarter than you, it’s younger than you, and it’s more affordable than you.
“Time doesn’t go back, history doesn’t go back, see you in my mirror.”
Cadillac is one of a handful of General Motors on sale in China, along with Chevrolet, Buick, Baojung and Wuling, the latter two of which are joint ventures.
The two brands will also compete against each other in Australia within the next year, as Zeekr plans to bring its X crossover, 7X SUV and 009 to the local market, while Cadillac is due to return with its Lyriq SUV.
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