Zeekr car brand coming to the UK next year with high-tech luxury

New European-designed, Chinese-made car company set to rival Audi, BMW and Mercedes

New luxury brand Zeekr has confirmed that it will be selling its first cars in the UK from next year. The brand is expected to start with electric models but plug-in hybrids are likely to come to the UK, too.

Zeekr is part of the giant Chinese Geely Group, which also owns Volvo, Lotus, Polestar and LEVC, and makes London’s black taxis. However, although Zeekr is headquartered in Hangzhou, China, its models are designed and engineered in Gothenburg, Sweden, where the brand’s head of design, former Bentley chief designer Stefan Sielaff, is based.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent at the Shanghai Motor Show, Zeekr Europe CEO Lothar Schupet said: “We are in discussion with dealer groups to enter the UK. We have initiated already the ride and drive development, which is not very complex as we have launched in Australia and Malaysia where we have already right and drive products.

“Our plan is to be live in the UK early next year and we’re trying to accelerate as much as we can.”

Lothar describes the UK as “very important – one of the most important markets in Europe” and is likely to launch with the Zeekr 7X, unsurprisingly a rival for the big-selling Tesla Model Y.

We’ve driven the Zeekr 7X and were hugely impressed, especially with the quality inside. That’s just as well given the brand’s positioning. “Zeekr is a new electric brand with cutting edge technology in the luxury segment,” said Lothar. In our view, the 7X certainly feels more Audi than Tesla.

The giant Zeekr 9X plug-in hybrid SUV is set to rival Range Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce (Steve Fowler)

“We are within that positioning differentiating by really taking care of innovations,” Lothar continued. “We’re looking at the customer needs in terms of what is the new luxury, how you feel, how you are as a consumer. And we’re really looking into what they need to move to electric mobility.

“We always have this statement: we want to accelerate the shift to electric mobility because Europe is changing and the world's changing.”

Zeekr isn’t alone in launching a Tesla Model Y rival, with BYD, Xpeng, Changan Deepal and others all targeting the world’s best-selling car. So what is Zeekr’s point of difference?

“We believe we have two main big points,” said Lothar. “First of all, we have the power of the giant because of the Geely group in the background. So, we have access to all the partner suppliers, innovation development, the entire platforms we have been developing, financial substance and so on.

“Our statement is always that we have the power of a giant with a European soul – and that makes us really unique. We are not just exporting cars here from China to Europe, we have heavily invested with Zeekr in Europe.

“We have an R&D centre, Zika Technology Europe, which [has been] sitting in Europe for 12 years already developing electric cars in Gothenburg. And there we are developing cars in Europe for Europe; we understand the customer, we are behind it. This is also an agile entity living in a software defined vehicle mode in terms of iteration in the development process. We have a very close relationship with our customers [with them] giving feedback immediately, and this is also integrated into the development process.”

While Lothar counts Audi, BMW and Mercedes as its main competitors, Geely also has Volvo in its family at a very similar price point – and Zeekrs could well be sold out of Volvo dealers in the UK, as they are elsewhere. “We see not a lot of overlapping with Volvo,” said Lothar, “Volvo's more on the safety and traditional side; we are on the technology progressive side.

“That's why our dealers are multi-brand dealers often with Volvo, Polestar and us in one location and we see no big cannibalisation.”

Pricewise, Zeekr will sit just below its German rivals and offer more kit for the cash, including advanced 800-volt technology for fast charging, as Lothar explained: “When you look into the list price, we are slightly lower than the premium manufacturers to get on the shopping list. We don't have the brand heritage, we don't deny that, and we need to build it up. When you then compare spec we offer even more – and a ten-year warranty.”

“One differentiator is the 800-volt technology where we are the fastest charging car right now – we are very proud of that. We have announced 13 minutes from 10 to 80 per cent charge, which we tested now in public charging in Gothenburg. The maximum charging speed is 480kW of that car.”

While Zeekr has focused mainly on all-electric cars, Lothar revealed that plug-in hybrids are also a possibility for Europe and the UK. “Our super hybrid technology is also under investigation for Europe,” he said. “Super hybrid technology is unique – we are the only one who provides full battery electric vehicle specs in terms of battery, which has full capability to be used for long ranges. But we have the range extender as a plug-in hybrid to increase it. Plus, we can have driving experience enhancements through having the combustion engine to help in terms of power and the drive.”

Zeekr unveiled its first model with the super hybrid technology in Shanghai: the Zeekr 9X, a bold-looking full-size SUV set to rival the Range Rover, Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan when it goes on sale in China. The 9X features a large battery said to be capable of 236 miles, with a 2.0-litre petrol engine alongside it. Despite the 9X’s size and weight, it’s still capable of getting from 0-60mph in three seconds, while charging is just as fast – the 9X is said to be compatible with the next generation of 1.3MW super-fast chargers, too.

The Zeekr 9X was unveiled in China by Stefan Sielaff, who said: “For Zeekr, the whole brand is lifting upwards very fast now into much more luxurious cars. We call this Powerful Elegance in the 9X.

“Zeekr is the combination of design and technology, but the technology in this car is really a statement. That's first and foremost what you can't get in Europe in this league.”

Although Sielaff admitted that China was a priority for the 9X rather than Europe, he did admit that he’d like it to put in an appearance in the UK. “I would love to see it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed,” he told The Independent.