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Zeekr back-pedals as electric car-only brand overseas, joining the likes of Chinese EV brands Xpeng and Nio in planning to introduce hybrid cars: Report

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2025 Zeekr 7X
Samuel Irvine
Cadet Journalist
15 Nov 2024
3 min read

Geely’s premium car brand Zeekr will reportedly launch its first hybrid model in China next year at the Shanghai auto show.

According to CarNewsChina, Zeekr, which still markets itself as a "pure electric vehicle brand" on its global website, will introduce a hybrid powertrain to accommodate for a new line of larger SUVs and people movers in its native China, such as a hybrid variant of the Zeekr 7X.

It follows a previous announcement from Zeekr’s global boss, Andy An, who reportedly announced that the brand was looking at adopting hybrid powertrains at a company earnings call in August.

A month later, spy shots of a Zeekr 001 hybrid under production testing in China were leaked.

Zeekr isn't the first Chinese EV brand to back-pedal on plans to go EV-only, with Xpeng and Nio also reportedly planning to commence production on hybrid vehicles.

At this stage, Zeekr plans to remain EV-only in Australia, with deliveries of the brand’s battery-electric SUV, the X, and the 009 people mover set to commence from the end of this year and early 2025, respectively.

2025 Zeekr X
2025 Zeekr X

However, Zeekr’s Managing Director in Australia, Connal Yan, told CarsGuide at the Mobility Live exhibition in Melbourne last month that the brand could quickly offer alternative powertrain options should the local market demand it.

“It’s very demand driven. If the market tells us that ‘hey, you need something different’, I think we have the capability to provide that in a fairly short amount of time,” Yan said.

Sales of hybrid vehicles in Australia continue to grow exponentially as buyers increasingly look to hybrids as a transition technology, particularly as concerns around EV resale value and driving range persist.

2025 Zeekr 009
2025 Zeekr 009

Since October last year, hybrid (including plug-in hybrid) sales have nearly doubled, rising by 85 per cent to 161,644 sales this year to date for a 15.7 per cent share of the new-car market.

While EV sales continue to rise, albeit slower than they were 12 months ago, new-car sales of EVs accounted for just less than a tenth of the new-car market to October at 9.7 per cent.

Samuel Irvine
Cadet Journalist
Since visiting car shows at Melbourne Exhibition Centre with his Dad and older brother as a little boy, Samuel knew that his love of cars would be unwavering. But it wasn’t until embarking on a journalism masters degree two years ago that he saw cars as a legitimate career path. Now, Samuel is CarsGuide’s first Cadet Journalist. He comes to CarsGuide with an eagerness to report on a rapidly advancing automotive industry, and a passion to communicate the stories car buyers need to know most.
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