Zeekr: A guide to everything you need to know

Zeekr is among the newest brands arriving in Australia, and despite currently selling just two models locally it has plenty to unpack.

A sister brand to the likes of Volvo, Polestar and Geely under the Geely Auto umbrella, Zeekr is setting itself apart by aiming for Australia’s premium electric vehicle (EV) segment – and it’s the first such brand from China to arrive in Australia.

It isn’t concerning itself with pricing or more mainstream Chinese brands like BYD or MG, instead Zeekr wants to work on expanding its home-grown dealer network while improving brand recognition to give it a better chance as a genuine Tesla alternative.

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It has also shown interest in helping to improve the reputation of Chinese cars as a whole, aiming for cars from the country to be perceived as well as those from other countries like Japan.

Despite not having been around for even five years, Zeekr has made it clear it has big ambitions outside of its home country – especially in Australia.

With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about Zeekr.

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What is Zeekr?

Zeekr is a premium electric car brand founded in 2021 and headquartered in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. It’s owned by Geely Automobile, which itself was China’s first privately owned car manufacturer.

As reported by CarNewsChina in 2021, Geely says the Zeekr name “comes from a combination of the term Generation Z and the word ‘geek'”. The brand’s first model was the 001, which launched in April 2021 under the Zeekr brand despite initially being slated as a vehicle for sister brand Lynk & Co.

Sporting a shooting brake body style, the Zeekr 001 is built atop the modular Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) – specifically SEA1 – developed by Zeekr Technology Europe; the brand’s European research and development centre located in Gothenburg, Sweden.

As such, the 001 shares some of its DNA with other Geely products like the Polestar 4 and Lotus Eletre.

Zeekr 001 customer deliveries began in October 2021, and in 2022 – its first full year on sale – it chalked up 71,941 Chinese sales.

2022 saw no new cars go on sale under the Zeekr brand, as it instead ramped up collaborative works with American autonomous driving company Waymo to develop a new self-driving robotaxi; a project announced the year prior.

In November 2022, Zeekr’s first Waymo prototype was unveiled in Los Angeles. Utilising Geely’s SEA-M platform, the Zeekr M-Vision was developed entirely for mass transport including robotaxi services and logistics, and marked a significant departure from Waymo’s fleet of converted Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis still in service today.

Though service-ready Zeekr robotaxis only began testing in mid-2024, the M-Vision served as a showcase of SEA-M’s full capabilities, which would eventually make its way to the road-going Zeekr Mix people mover that debuted in April last year.

Zeekr did unveil one car in 2022 though – the Zeekr 009 – shown online in August of that year before going on sale in early 2023. The 009 is a large electric people mover built using the same SEA1 architecture as the 001 and is closely related to the Volvo EM90.

It was the first Zeekr vehicle to be shown after the brand announced its cooperation with Chinese battery manufacturer CATL in August 2022, making Zeekr the first brand to use CATL’s Qilin long-range batteries in mass-produced models.

The first model to use the Qilin battery was indeed the Zeekr 009, giving it a maximum driving range of 582km in WLTP testing. Its largest battery available is a 140kWh nickel manganese cobalt (Li-NMC) Qilin battery, and it has a maximum power output of 580kW to shift its nearly 3.0-tonne mass.

Gaining CATL tech soon after was the 001, which would eventually go on sale in Europe in 2023. In that year, Zeekr entered the European market in both Sweden and the Netherlands.

Then came the Zeekr X, a small SUV using the same SEA2 architecture as the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30.

It launched in China in April 2023 with one battery but three variants, available with both single-motor, rear-wheel drive or dual-motor, all-wheel drive. Instead of a CATL battery, the Zeekr X and Smart #1 both use components made by VREMT – an EV tech company fully owned by Geely.

The Zeekr X and 009 were the brand’s first cars to be sold in Australia, and arrived locally in late 2024.

Debuting in November 2023 was the Zeekr 007, a D-segment compact executive car available only as a sedan at launch – set to be followed by the hotted-up 007 GT shooting brake later in 2025.

The 007 utilises the SEA-derived PMA2+ platform (or Pure electric Modular Architecture), and while it was one of the first on the platform it was followed by the Smart #5 and Zeekr 7X SUVs in 2024.

Zeekr claims a range of up to 870km on the more lenient CLTC testing cycle, with both lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and Li-NMC batteries available. It’s also sold in both rear- and all-wheel drive configurations.

The next model to go on sale was the aforementioned Zeekr Mix, which was available to purchase immediately after it was revealed in April 2024.

Available with two batteries – a 76kWh Zeekr unit or 102kWh Qilin alternative – the Mix isn’t explicitly classified as a people mover by Zeekr despite its appearance. The brand argues it drives similarly to a crossover SUV and lacks three rows of seating, but it still slots in below the 009 luxury flagship.

The Zeekr Mix is the human-driven version of the CM1e, the culmination of the Zeekr-Waymo robotaxi collaboration unveiled in late 2023.

Zeekr’s newest model is the 7X, which debuted at the Chengdu Auto Show in August 2024. Despite not entering production until September 17, 2024, there were reportedly 58,429 orders placed for the model in just 20 days.

It’s again available with either VREMT or CATL batteries, and is available in both single- and dual-motor configurations.

Soon after in November 2024, the overarching Geely Holding Group underwent a restructuring. In the shift, Geely Holding Group transferred its 11.3 per cent stake in Zeekr to Geely Auto, increasing Geely Auto’s stake in Zeekr to 62.8 per cent.

Zeekr then acquired a 20 per cent stake in Lynk & Co, coinciding with its purchase of Volvo’s 30 per cent stake. It then increased its capital in Lynk & Co to form a 51 per cent majority shareholding in its sister brand, while Geely Auto holds the remaining 49 per cent.

The move reportedly cost Zeekr more than 9.3 billion yuan, or roughly A$2 billion.

Since launching in 2021, Zeekr’s global sales have increased each year. The brand recorded 6007 in 2021, then 71,941 in 2022, 118,685 in 2023, and 222,123 in 2024.

Australian sales figures for the Zeekr X are not yet available, though the brand says it has delivered “nearly 200” vehicles and recorded more than 5000 total expressions of interest as of February 2025. It aims to sell up to 10,000 vehicles in 2026.

Zeekr vehicles are built at three locations under the Geely umbrella across China, which are detailed below:

• Ningbo: Zeekr 001, Zeekr 007, Zeekr 009, Zeekr 7X
• Chengdu: Zeekr X
• Taizhou: Zeekr Mix

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What can you currently buy from Zeekr?

There are only two Zeekr vehicles currently on sale in Australia.

Though both are electric as per Zeekr’s brand description, they don’t have a lot in common.

The Zeekr X, which utilises the SEA2 platform alongside the Volvo EX30 and Smart #1, is available here in either single-motor, rear-wheel drive or dual-motor, all-wheel drive configurations.

Powering both is a 66kWh Li-NMC battery developed through a partnership between CATL and Geely, providing a claimed ADR driving range of 540km or 470km for the RWD and AWD respectively.

Respective outputs are listed at 200kW/343Nm and 315kW/543Nm, with a maximum kerb weight of 1945kg for the AWD.

At 4432mm in length the Zeekr X isn’t huge, though it is still roughly 200mm longer than both the EX30 and Smart #1.

Full Zeekr X price and specs can be found here

In contrast, the Zeekr 009 is a large people mover measuring 5209mm in length. It utilises the SEA1 platform, of which modified versions are also the framework for the Zeekr 001, Polestar 5 and Lotus Eletre.

In Australia the 009 is only available with a 116kWh CATL Li-NMC battery providing up to 582km of WLTP range. Standard is a dual-motor, all-wheel drive setup capable of producing up to 450kW of power and 693Nm of torque – enough to get its 2870kg frame from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds.

Though it’s technically only sold in one variant, the 009 is available with both six- and seven-seat arrangements.

Overseas, the Zeekr 009 is also available in a single-motor, front-wheel drive variant, while two other 108kWh and 140kWh Li-NMC CATL batteries are also offered.

Full Zeekr 009 price and specs can be found here

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Which brands does Zeekr compete against?

In Australia, Zeekr is primarily going up against other Chinese EVs from the likes of BYD, as well as other Geely Auto products from Volvo and the Geely namesake brand.

Though there’s a wider breadth of models available overseas, we’ll only focus on Zeekr’s current lineup available in Australia.

The Zeekr X small SUV is a key rival for cars like the BYD Atto 3 and Volvo EX30 on size alone. While the Atto 3 is significantly cheaper at as little as $39,990 before on-roads, the EX30 is more expensive and starts at $59,990 before on-roads.

Maximum WLTP range for those two SUVs is listed at 420km and 462km respectively, while the Zeekr X has a maximum claimed ADR range of 540km from its base RWD variant. In reality, driving range for the Zeekr X is likely closer to that of the EX30 given both use the same EV platform.

Other Chinese newcomers like the Leapmotor C10, Xpeng G6 and Deepal S07 also come to mind, but they’re all physically larger despite being sold at similar price points.

Zeekr’s most direct rival to those SUVs – and the Tesla Model Y in particular – would be its newest model: the 7X. While not currently on sale in Australia, it’s expected to hit local showrooms in either October or November, 2025.

The Zeekr 009, meanwhile, is an interesting proposition. Being an electric, all-wheel drive premium people mover it has few rivals, and the ones it does have offer slightly different configurations at different prices.

Its most direct rival is therefore the Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer, which is priced at $137,515 before on-roads and matches the 009. The German-branded people mover has a claimed WLTP range of 370km compared to the 009’s 582km, and is only available in front-wheel drive configuration.

There’s also Merc’s more premium EQV300, which offers a lot of the same drivetrain components but costs $162,339 before on-roads and has a WLTP range of around 360km.

Fresh off the presses is also the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, which ranges in price from $87,990 to $109,990 before on-roads. It has a claimed WLTP range of between 422km and 452km depending on the variant, and is available in either single-motor, rear-wheel drive or dual-motor, all-wheel drive configurations.

Other indirect rivals include the Lexus LM people mover priced between $160,272 and $220,272 before on-roads, though there are no electric variants as it’s hybrid-only instead.

At the much cheaper end is the segment-leading Kia Carnival, which costs as much as $76,360 before on-roads with no electric variants – though buyers can choose between petrol, diesel and hybrid options.

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How popular is Zeekr in Australia?

Without detailed sales figures it’s difficult to say, but we can look to the brand’s targets for an idea.

The brand has previously outlined that it hopes to achieve 2500 to 3000 sales in 2025, which would put it above where Cupra sat last year (2339), as well as established brands like Peugeot (1896), Genesis (1400), Jaguar (743) and Alfa Romeo (561).

That would also put it above sister brand Polestar (1713). Its target would largely be pursued by only the Zeekr X and 009, as the late arrival of the 7X means it may not have enough time to make a significant impact.

Even with new models it’s still likely to be a while away from the likes of BYD, which recorded 20,458 sales in 2024.

Additionally, Zeekr has set a loose target of 10,000 sales by 2026, which would be a strong first few years for a brand that arrived at the end of 2024.

As of the start of February 2025, Zeekr says it has more than 5000 total registrations of interest, as well as around 200 total deliveries of the Zeekr X alone.

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What’s next for Zeekr?

Zeekr’s short-term goals in Australia are focused on both expanding its retail network and improving brand recognition.

It has outlined plans to potentially triple the size of its local dealer network, which would assist in its bold ambitions of achieving more than 10,000 sales in just a couple of years.

Its network currently comprises showrooms in Perth and Canberra; temporary showrooms in Melbourne, Sydney and Geelong; plus pop-ups in various shopping centres.

“For this year, our dealership plan is 12-15 around the country. In each big city, like Sydney and Melbourne, at least we are going to have three,” Zeekr International chief marketing officer Frank Li told CarExpert earlier this month.

He also said Australia was one of Zeekr’s “most important markets”, and outlined its commitment to managing its own dealers.

“Currently, even though we’ve entered 40 markets globally, we’ve only set up three national sales companies [where we’ve] set up an entity and also we hired local staff with the office and we are doing marketing, branding, training by ourselves in this market,” he said

“So the only three are Australia, Thailand and Mexico. So that shows our ambition and also our respect to this market, and also we’re really keen to bring the best service and the best user experience to the customers in this market.

“I think that is a very good signal, a very clear signal.

“I’m not saying that for the distributor market that we’re not really keen on working with them, but that definitely shows more confidence when you set up an entity here.”

In any case, Zeekr has the distinction of being the first premium Chinese EV brand in Australia, and that provides both an opportunity to capitalise on an emerging segment along with the threat of slow sales.

It’ll soon bolster its lineup with the addition of the Model Y-rivalling 7X mid-sized SUV, which is slated to arrive here in the final few months of 2025.

That model will be crucial for the brand, especially as fellow premium brands from China like BYD’s Denza and Chery’s Jaecoo gear up to launch in Australia within the next year.

In terms of new models, Zeekr has also outlined it is keen to hear which of its cars Australians want sold here to guide its future plans.

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