Zeekr X News

Geely has announced it plans to double exports as part of a recent earnings call as it seeks aggressive global growth to escape the perils of an extremely competitive Chinese domestic marketLi Shufu, the chairman of Geely Group, which also controls Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Lynk & Co and Zeekr, said the company would achieve these goals not through increased Chinese domestic production, but by increased global production.He said this was because “the world is undergoing a historic shift toward de-globalisation”, in reference to an increase in tariffs across the world that are restricting global trade.Geely Group plans to export 920,000 vehicles for the next financial year, which is more than double the amount of units it shipped last year, as reported by Nikkei Asia.To combat the rise of global tariffs, the company plans to build more cars in Europe, including at a Ford plant in Spain, and at existing Volvo factories, rather than expand production capacity at home.In addition, the company has expanded closer to Australia, including knockdown assembly in Indonesia, a plan to build Zeekrs at Proton facilities in Malaysia, and is said to be in talks to follow its rivals GWM and Chery in setting up manufacturing in Thailand.“De-globalisation” is a major problem for Chinese automakers, which are increasingly seeking higher profits in global markets to escape razor thin margins and shrinking sales in the hyper-competitive Chinese domestic market.Zeekr in particular has been an overperformer for Geely, significantly raising the average sale price of their vehicles. The company said in its most recent financial results that the 9X had become the best-selling car above the equivalent of $100,000 in China, and the brand had nearly doubled volume year-on-year.Australia is perhaps the ideal model for the Chinese giant’s growth aspirations, with both Geely and Zeekr experiencing explosive growth over the past year.Despite a slowly-but-surely new model approach compared to rivals like BYD and Chery, Geely is up over 500 per cent year-on-year and has already surpassed Volkswagen and Honda to become nearly on-par with once-favourites like Subaru and Nissan.Its model range thus far only consists of the EX5 and the related Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid mid-sizers, as well as the new EX2 hatchback. The company will launch the Camry-rivalling Emgrand sedan and a larger SUV in 2027.Zeekr will also expand on its model range, adding the much-hyped 8X large SUV and 9X flagship, both with plug-in hybrid power over the course of 2027. The 7GT electric wagon will be added before the end of 2026. All are expected to add significant volume for the brand.Geely will need to double its volume to challenge its best-selling Chinese rivals in Australia. Chery and MG that have each sold nearly 30,000 vehicles so far in 2026, as well as GWM that has sold over 30,000 units and BYD has crested the 60,000 unit mark, but it is tracking ahead of other new rivals like GAC, XPeng and Omaoda Jaecoo.One thing is clear though. With relatively high margins, success in challenging established players, and a solid array of new products due over the next year, we’ll be seeing a lot more Geelys and Zeekrs on Australian roads.

The Zeekr 7X's smashing start to Australian life has been well-documented, but its smaller X sibling has not had the same attention.A tepid sales response following the small electric SUV’s initial launch in 2024 prompted the branch to slash thousands off the price for its updated model in 2026. It appears this price cut has done the trick for Zeekr, with the brand announcing it has received more than 1200 orders in the car’s first six weeks of being on offer. This contrasts the just 665 units of the previous model being sold across the whole of 2025. The brand ditched the $49,990 (before on-road costs ) price for the rear-wheel drive and $62,990 for the all-wheel drive.The RWD model is now offered from $48,900, drive-away, while AWD pricing starts at $57,900, also drive-away. Cheaper pricing means the X comes in under rivals like the BMW iX1 and Volvo EX30.The X also received a suite of upgrades for its new model. Updates to the RWD battery means it can now DC charge at 230kW, juicing up from 10 to 80 per cent in 18 minutes.Power increased by 50kW on both models.The single motor in RWD now produces 250kW and 343Nm, while the dual motors in the AWD produce 365kW and 573Nm. There was also a standard equipment buff for the RWD, including heated front and rear seats, as well as a premium Yamaha surround sound system. The X’s recent success adds to the high-flying 7X that has seen sales skyrocket, making it one of the best-selling EVs in the country. The brand will be eager to avoid the order backlog that occurred when the 7X first landed in Australia.It said orders are expected to be fulfilled swiftly this time around. “For customers considering making the switch, delivery timelines are already proving encouraging, with some orders expected to be fulfilled in as little as two months,” Zeekr Australia Managing Director Frank Li said. The Geely sub-brand will continue its methodical approach to model launches Down Under.The 7GT wagon, as well as the 8X and 9X large SUVs are all expected to launch within the next 18 months. 

Chinese cars have entered “uncharted territory”, according to Vice President of Geely Group Li Chuanhai.Chuanhai explained that as Chinese automakers became global entities, they could no longer rely on challenging the status quo of so-called legacy brands, but would have to innovate on their own if they want to move the industry forward.“Franky, the Chinese automotive industry has reached its current position by standing on the shoulders of giants in the century-old automotive industry,” he said.“But now that we’re taking the lead, we have entered uncharted territory. How do we innovate in uncharted territory? I think our logic for innovation needs to change."He said Geely was well positioned to provide multiple power options, such as as petrol, hybrid and EV, across many markets, but there would still be the need to innovate further in the future.“Geely adheres to its energy diversification strategy. Our Thor hybrid, SEA EV, i-HEV, and green methanol developed over 20 years have created a complete ecosystem covering pure electric, hybrid, range extender, methanol, and charging/battery swapping. We’ve successfully explored every path to provide global users with more choices,” he said.Chuanhai outlined some investments Geely was making including collaborations with “more than 50 universities on basic research”. He said this “may not yield immediate returns” for the group, but that innovation required “adequate resource investment, effective ecosystem collaboration, and sufficient talent density”.Chuanhai earmarked the success of its premium Zeekr arm as evidence Geely had moved beyond its challenger status.“We don't have the time to build the brand story that century-old established brands have accumulated over time,” he said.“New energy and intelligent technologies have brought us opportunities for brand advancement. However, we also believe that the foundation for brand advancement lies in safety, chassis and powertrain—areas that best reflect our core professional capabilities."He said the brand is aiming for Volvo’s ultimate safety, Lotus’ ultimate handling and Horse Powertrain’s ultimate performance.He said the 750,000 units Zeekr has delivered in its short existence have an average selling price of more than the equivalent of $62,000, comparatively very high for a Chinese brand, with the national average being a little over half that ($35,000).“The essence of Chinese automotive globalisation is not about low prices and high volume, but about being rooted in technology and driven by brands, ultimately moving from simply selling cars to defining the future of automobiles,” he said.“We hope that Geely's experience can serve as a model for Chinese automakers going global, and we believe that China's automotive industry is fully capable of winning respect and establishing a firm foothold in the world.”Next for Geely in Australia will be its EX2 fully electric hatchback, which will be followed by the Emgrand EM-i plug-in hybrid sedan. Zeekr will launch its flagship 9X plug-in hybrid large SUV before the end of the year, alongside the 7GT fully-electric performance wagon.In 2027, the much-hyped 8X large five-seat hybrid SUV will arrive, with Geely also plotting a yet-to-be confirmed three-row hybrid SUV offering.

Vice President of Zeekr Group Mars Chen explained what the Chinese luxury brand’s ultimate objective is.Some of its Chinese rivals frequently cite the huge and lucrative US market as the ultimate aspiration, Zeekr’s goal is somehow both more subtle and loftier at the same time.“We are not a ‘real’ luxury brand yet, right?” Chen said. “We’re still only five years old.”“I think it’s to be the top premium choice, with or without a battery,” he said.“In the end, it’s if people don’t mention whether it’s an EV or it’s a hybrid. You need a nice, expensive, fancy car? Zeekr is a brand you absolutely must check. It’s one you cannot avoid.”Chen wasn’t so keen on factoring the US into Zeekr’s immediate plans for the future."With the US market, if you take out pick-ups, then the passenger car market is not that big. It is a big cake, but still, without that cake we’d like to make a very nice meal,” said Chen.Chen said the brand was discussing the potential of a ute or pick-up truck to add to Zeekr’s expanding range of headline-grabbing models.Interestingly one factor which the brand was considering is how tightly contested the segment was becoming, with seemingly every Chinese automaker scrabbling to release a “box-style” hybrid off-roader.Chen said a potential for a ute or US-style pick-up truck is just a discussion for now.“We want to re-define every single segment. Once we identify the segment, Zeekr will check how disruptive we can be if we enter. We have the curiosity to do it, but it’s not a concrete thing.”“If we cannot create enough differentiation, of course we won’t just follow or replicate ,” he said.Chen said Zeekr’s strategy is to focus on just a few consolidated models, rather than cars that are “customised just for one country. Even just China”.“If we want to be in that segment, we have to be a global brand.”Zeekr’s model range as it stands is limited to the X small SUV, 009 People Mover, 7X mid-size SUV, 007 and 7GT sedan and wagon pair, as well as the incoming 8X large SUV and 9X flagship.For the Australian market, the brand has shot from relative obscurity in its first year on the market to a front runner in the EV space, thanks to the arrival of its extremely competitive 7X mid-sizer.The model has gone on to become the fourth-best-selling electric vehicle in the country, racking up 973 units to the end of April, trailing only the Tesla Model Y, BYD Sealion 7 and Geely EX5 in that order.The 9X and 8X large SUVs which are set to follow in the next 12 months will shift the brand to plug-in hybrid territory and have already created quite some hype in the market, despite asking prices looking like they’ll start well and truly in premium territory.

A new electric car price war is forming.Chinese brand Zeekr is the latest carmaker to slash the price of one of its EVs.In the past week BMW has taken $8000 off the price of its iX1 and iX2 electric SUVs, and Volvo has also stripped out big dollars from its EX30 and EX40 compact electric SUVs.Now the Zeekr X small SUV starts at $48,900, drive-away, for the single motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) versions and $57,900 drive-away for the dual motor all-wheel drive (AWD) grade, and is due to land in showrooms at the end of next month.It is now cheaper than rivals such as the Lexus UXe, Mercedes-Benz EQ and Volvo EX30.That represents a massive saving from the previous $49,990 and $62,990 price tags, both before on-road costs.Zeekr hasn’t taken items out or reduced features to cut the price, quite the opposite, instead the X SUV has received a range of upgrades.Headlining the changes are updates to the base version’s ‘Golden Brick’ battery, which now allows a max DC charging rate of 230kW. This reduces the 10 to 80 per cent charging time to just 18 minutes.The all-wheel drive version maintains the same battery, which can only max charge at 150kW.Both cars also score a 50kW boost to their electric motors with what is claimed to be best-in-class acceleration figures of 5.6 seconds for the rear-drive version, or 3.7 seconds for the all-wheel drive version.The RWD version gets new heated first and second row seats, refreshed steering wheel controls and a 13-speaker Yamaha surround sound system.There is also upgraded safety tech across the range.

Zeekr’s new model roll-out for 2026 and 2027 has kicked off with a refreshed version of its X small SUV.The X arrived in 2024, but didn’t make as much of an impact as Zeekr perhaps hoped, with buyers looking for a more mid-sized rival to the Tesla Model Y, which has since eventuated with the arrival of the 7X.Now though, Zeekr has made key improvements to the X range to help bolster its chances in an extremely competitive luxury small SUV space.Still starting under $50,000 for the base rear-drive version, the X scores a range of upgrades including new heated first and second row seats, refreshed steerin gwheel controls, and a 13-speaker Yamaha surround sound system.In addition, the range has been updated to include the latest version of the brand’s active safety suite, which includes five cameras, five radars and 12 ultra-sonic sensors, which also allows the car to be able to auto-park.Aesthetically the new X isn’t much of a facelift from the outside, but it does score an overhauled interior, with a new and more luxurious bridge-style console replacing the floating console from the outgoing car.The biggest improvement to the base rear-drive variant is the upgrade to Zeekr’s signature “Golden Battery”, which allows up to 230kW DC fast charging and reduces the quoted 10 - 80 per cent charge time to just 18 minutes.Meanwhile the top-spec all-wheel drive version of the car scores message functions for the front seats, and an onboard fridge. It is also able to be chosen in a new Khaki Green Matte and Onyx Black colour schemes, with new 20-inch wheel designs and the option to add automatic doors.The all-wheel drive variant carries over its previous battery, meaning it has a lower DC fast charge speed of 150kW allowing a 10 - 80 per cent charge in a less impressive 30 minutes.Both cars also score a 50kW boost to their electric motors with what is claimed to be best-in-class acceleration figures of 5.6 seconds for the rear-drive version, or 3.7 seconds for the all-wheel drive version.Zeekr will look to capitalise on its incoming product portfolio to boost its sales in Australia. Thus far the new 7X mid-sizer has more than doubled the brand’s footprint in our market, and the next new model could be the much-hyped 8X plug-in hybrid luxury large SUV which just launched in China.The brand has also earmarked the 7GT Euro-style wagon, possibly as soon as the end of this year, with the 9X flagship SUV due in 2027.As for the existing line-up, the 009 people mover will see the addition of its flagship variant in China, dubbed the 009 Grand, as a fully electric rival to the top-spec Lexus LM. It scores just four seats with a VIP-transport-style rear seat and huge entertainment screen mounted on a bulkhead between the front and rear seating positions.Stay tuned for more on Zeekr’s refreshed line-up later in the year, and for the international debut of the 8X at the Beijing Motor Show in late April.

Zeekr has confirmed its future plans in Australia, outlining an expanded catalogue of hyped-up models, and updated versions of its current cars by 2027.The brand’s local Managing Director Frank Li said Zeekr would have several models coming this year and next year.Read on to see what they are.2026 Zeekr X faceliftThe Zeekr X, which the brand originally launched with in Australia in late 2024, will receive a major update.While the brand no doubt had big hopes for the small SUV as a more keenly priced and tech-heavy alternative to the Volvo EX30 it shares a platform, sales so far have been lacklustre. An update due this year will seek to make the model an even more attractive proposition, according to Mr Li.“We will have the Zeekr X facelift, which will come in the first half of this year. It will score some very good improvements when it comes to battery and interior features, as well as new colours,” he said.An update to the X already exists in China. While it looks identical from the outside, it features an overhauled interior, with a more practical and contemporary raised console design, as well as new seat and door trims. Interestingly the Chinese market model also features fold-up rear seats similar to Honda’s “Magic seat” set-up it uses in the HR-V to transform the second row into a second cargo space.Stay tuned for more details on which features might make it to the Australian market soon.2026 Zeekr 009 GrandThe X won’t be the only current model in the Zeekr line-up to receive an upgrade, with the 009 luxury electric people mover slated to receive a range-topping flagship variant.“In the second half of the year, we will be welcoming a very luxurious model, the 009 four-seater.”“In China this is called the 009 Grand and it will have even better features than the current car,” Li said.The 009 Grand takes aim at the likes of the Lexus LM as an ultra high-end people transporter. With only four seats, the 009 feautres a similar high-end set-up to the top-spec LM, with a giant entertainment screen bulkhead separating the front seats from the rear.It also scores gold badgework in its Chinese home market, with gigantic chrome-style wheels. Whether this fully electric model will undercut the hybrid LM Ultra Luxury’s $223,520 price-tag remains to be seen.2027 Zeekr 8XWhen queried on the topic of future models, Mr Li told CarsGuide: “Three models will be coming across next year, 7GT, 9X, and 8X, but we haven’t had final date for which one will come first, or in which month or what quarter.” he said.This is the big exciting news. While some were probably hoping for the much-hyped new hybrid and electric models to arrive sooner to bolster Zeekr’s range, the confirmation that they will be joining the right-hand drive arsenal alongside the 7X as global models is big.The just-launched-in-China 8X is perhaps the most hyped of the options. A new rival to the likes of the Range Rover Sport, Audi Q6, and Lexus RX, the 8X large SUV looks set to offer buyers a larger format of the same luxury and value on offer in the 7X, but this time with a plug-in hybrid twist.It’s no average plug-in hybrid either, combining a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine (205kW) paired with electric motors, producing a combined 660kW in dual-motor form, or 1080kW in top-spec tri-motor form, allowing a 0-100km/h sprint time in as low as 3.7 seconds. On top of that, it has the option of two EV-sized batteries, either 55.1kWh or 70kWh with a 900-volt architecture the brand says can charge from 10 - 80 per cent in just 9 minutes on a charger capable of outputting the right speed. Total EV range sits at 256km or 328km according to chinese specs depending on battery size, with combined range landing at 1416km to the same measuring standard.2027 Zeekr 9XThe 9X is also on Mr Li’s hit list for models aiming at our market. This flagship three-row SUV measures in at 5239mm and over two meters wide, making it a similar size to the Audi Q7, Mercedes-Benz GLS, BMW X7, and full-size Range Rover.It offers much of the same style as the 8X, but with a larger, boxier, and more chrome-embossed overall design.It is offered only in an ultra-luxurious six-seat layout for the Chinese market, with the second row ‘captain’s chairs’ able to fully recline and even fully rotate to face the rear seats.It also shares its peak powertrain with the 8X, offering a 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid system with a peak output of 1030kW, mated to a 70kWh battery with a 9 minute charging time and 1250km of combined driving range.Even the most affordable version of the 9X in China costs the equivalent of A$100,000, giving this monster SUV a real shot of being the most expensive Chinese car on sale in Australia when it arrives in 2027.2027 Zeekr 7GTThe Zeekr 7GT has already been shown in Australia (albeit in left-hand drive form) at several EV shows around the country as the brand’s potential next model, although Li’s comments suggest it may now arrive after either the 8X or 9X depending on what HQ back in China decides.Regardless, the 7GT is an unusual and exciting proposition by a Chinese automaker, offering a Euro-styled go-fast wagon in pure electric form.Offering an 800-volt battery, up to 825km of driving range (according to the lenient CTLC cycle on the biggest 100kWh battery pack), and a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 2.95 seconds, the 7GT looks to give some of the European performance metal in our market a run for their money.Like other Zeekr models, expect luxury trims on the inside, swish software and cabin tech, and either a rear-drive 310kW variant, or a 475kW AWD variant.Other performance enhancements include an air suspension system and adaptive damping.Interestingly, the brand has had less to say on the 7GT’s sedan variant (dubbed the 007 in its Chinese home market), making the potentially wagon-only line-up a bit of a statement in the Australian market.

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