Wikipedia

Zeekr

Chinese high-end EV brand

Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding Limited, trading as Zeekr (Chinese: 极氪; pinyin: Jí kè; literally: "extreme krypton") is a Chinese publicly listed automobile company and brand owned by Geely Automobile Holdings. Founded in 2021, it specializes in premium electric cars. Zeekr products are built on the EV-focused Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform.

Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding Limited
Native name
极氪
Company typePublic
NYSE: ZK
IndustryAutomotive
Founded2021; 3 years ago (2021)
Headquarters
Ningbo, Zhejiang
,
China
Key people
  • An Conghui (CEO)
Products
Services
RevenueIncrease US$7.28 billion (2023)[1]
Increase US$-1.15 billion (2023)[1]
Increase US$-1.16 billion (2023)[1]
Total assetsIncrease US$3.82 billion (2023)[1]
Total equityIncrease US$-1.22 billion (2023)[1]
Owner
Number of employees
16,645 (2023)[1]
Subsidiaries
Website

The name of the brand is made up of the letter 'Z' from 'Generation Z', and the term geek.[2]

History

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In the first half of March 2021, Chinese Li Shufu, president of the Chinese company Geely, announced the launch of the new Zeekr brand.[3] Its goal was to offer technically advanced, luxury electric cars, constituting a more expensive alternative to other Geely brands focused on electric vehicles, such as Polestar. Zeekr's key rival was the American Tesla.[4] Just over 2 weeks after announcing the creation of the Zeekr brand, in the last days of March 2021, preliminary information about the first Zeekr car was presented – a large shooting brake called Zeekr 001.[5] Originally developed for related brand Lynk & Co, finally joined the offer of the group's new brand Geely.[6]

The world premiere of the Zeekr brand together with the public presentation of the 001 model took place at the car fair in Shanghai in the second half of April 2021.[7] At the same time, it was announced that after the market debut on the domestic Chinese market in October 2021, Zeekr 001 will also be available in Europe.[8] In November 2022, the European debut of the Zeekr brand was officially announced with the 001 model for 2023.[9]

The development of the Zeekr model range was announced by the result of cooperation with the American startup Waymo, presented in the last days of 2021, Zeekr Waymo Concept autonomous taxi prototype.[10] In August 2022, the second production model of the Chinese company was officially presented, electric luxury minivan Zeekr 009.[11] Its production started in January 2023,[12] right after which the company presented another model. The third solution connected was the Zeekr X crossover connection, to the main one with its help when planning to expand the business to the European market.[13] In April 2023, the Zeekr production volume exceeded 100,000 cars after less than a year and a half of market presence.[14] In May of the same year, the Chinese company presented a special, the top version of the shooting brake 001 called "WE" with a large, 140-kWh battery with a record-breaking, range by the standards of the time. The new generation Qilin 3.0 battery was provided by the domestic company CATL, offering an average range of approximately 1,032 kilometers in mixed mode according to the CLTC measurement procedure.[15]

In August 2023, the first batch of models intended for the European market left the company's Chinese plants in the form of a batch of the flagship 001.[16] November of the same year, Zeekr presented its fourth production model, this time in the form of a mid-size limousine Zeekr 007 positioned below the flagship 001. The vehicle has also adopted a new styling language, with plans for global expansion, following the example of other products in the company's range.[17] In March 2024, the company's next, fifth car was premiered - a medium-sized van Zeekr Mix.[18]

Products

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Current models

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Upcoming models

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  • Zeekr codename "CM1e", an autonomous vehicle for Waymo.[19]
  • Zeekr codename "CX1E" (in-development as of 2023), compact SUV and a direct competitor to Tesla Model Y[20][21][22]

Concept models

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M-Vision is built on SEA-M architecture to showcase the architecture's fundamental features such as expansive interior, open seat choice, and placement option, no B-pillar, and robust electrical/electronic (E/E) backbone supporting autonomous drive and connected devices. M-Vision is a base model that can be developed for a range of future mobility products including robotaxis, multi-purpose vehicles, and logistics vehicles.[23]

  •  
    Zeekr M-Vision
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Holding Limited - US SEC FORM F-1". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Mark Andrews (29 December 2021). "Zeekr 001 exclusive first test drive". carnewschina.com. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "Geely Will Launch Zeekr, A Premium EV Brand Aiming For Tesla". Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "China's Geely Plans New Electric-Car Brand to Take On Tesla". Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "Geely ZEEKR's first production model named ZEEKR 001". Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "Zeekr 001 is just a Lynk & Co". Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Zeekr 001 first model". Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Le propriétaire de Volvo dévoile une électrique haut de gamme" (in French). Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Geely's Zeekr plans EV sales in Europe in 2023". Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "Waymo Teams With China's Zeekr EV Brand For Autonomous Cars". Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "Chiński Zeekr 009 – zaskakuje lustrzanym grillem i jest niezwykły pod każdym względem" (in Polish). Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Zeekr 009 Rolled off Production Line, Set for Delivery". Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Zeekr X bierze na celownik Europę. Ma sporo wspólnego z Izerą" (in Polish). Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  14. ↑ "ZEEKR builds 100,000th EV in just 18 months, gaining steam ahead of launch into Europe". Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  15. ↑ "With a range exceeding 1,000km, Zeekr 001 started delivering the new version equipped with CATL Qilin batteries". Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  16. ↑ "ZEEKR's first shipment of 001 EV exports sets sail for Europe". Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "Elektryczny Zeekr 007. Będzie hit?" (in Polish). Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "Zeekr MIX MPV official images revealed in China". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  19. ↑ Lorio, Joe (1 November 2023). "Zeekr CM1e Seeks to Be Waymo's Next Robo-Taxi". Car and Driver. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  20. ↑ Kang/CnEVPost, Lei (22 November 2023). "Zeekr reportedly to start mass production of new SUV to take on Tesla Model Y in late 2024". CnEVPost. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  21. ↑ Doll, Scooter (22 November 2023). "Zeekr is developing a new mass market SUV to challenge the Tesla Model Y". Electrek. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  22. ↑ McDee, Max (4 January 2024). "First photos of the new Zeekr CX1E emerge". ArenaEV.com. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  23. ↑ "ZEEKR'S SEA-M ARCHITECTURE IS THE NEW ANSWER TO FUTURE MOBILITY". IoT Automotive News. Retrieved 3 March 2023.

Other websites

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zeekr vehicles.
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