Zeekr comes with the very complicated challenge of breaking prejudices. You have reason to believe it

When someone asks me, I am very clear about where I think Chinese brands can hurt Europe: the “cheap” car. I put the latter in quotation marks because it’s not just about cars under 20,000 euros, I also think they have a chance in that type of product that gives a lot for less money than its rivals. Although, in that case, we are already talking about figures close to 50,000 euros.

but there are some nuances here. It is clear to me that the bulk of sales of Chinese manufacturers in these first years They will arrive with models with a combustion engine. Either because they can make volume in markets like Spain, with a high rate of sales of low-end vehicles or because, due to the particularities of the tariffs imposed by the European Union, they offer very competitive cars in the triangle formed by price, equipment and electric range.

Yes, I have more doubts in the electricity market. First, because these cars are subject to tariffs, which makes it difficult for them to compete on price. Secondly, because European manufacturers are starting to get their act together -heh- and the offer in all types of sizes, range and price is already more than interesting. Third, because the more the price of the car rises, I have the feeling that the customer takes less risk and the more he values ​​staying with the “old-fashioned” brands.

Zeekr will play in a very complicated league. And yet, he has reason to think that he can gradually gain ground. We shouldn’t wait an emergence like that of BYD (four of the 10 best-selling electric cars last year in Spain were theirs) or Omoda/Jaecoo, which are building its sales around cars with combustion engines. I think they themselves are aware of them.

But they have the muscle and the product to allow themselves a slow landing but with a view to prospering in the future. “We make exclusivity accessible,” said Lothar Schupet, CEO in Europe, in his presentation.

A good starting range

Zeekr arrives in Spain in the middle of a new expansive wave across Europe. If we have said that our country has been the perfect gateway for manufacturers who fight over price, the case of Zeekr is completely different. The company has been selling its cars for some time in the Nordic countries or the Netherlands, where electric sales are more advanced. Now it is time to make the leap to less consolidated markets, such as Spain.

This has an advantage. The company is already rolling in Europe and has waited until sales have started to pick up more strongly. But they also have other incentives. The range already consists of four cars, of which only one of them will arrive in the coming months. The other three can now be purchased.

This range also touches several styles.

He Zeekr It is a very interesting electric compact. During our contact with the company we had the opportunity to briefly ride it. It is a 4.43 meter car that has three versions. The basic one costs 37,137 euros and has a 49 kWh battery with 272 HP of power. Above there is an intermediate version with 340 HP of power and a 61 kWh battery. The most ambitious reaches 496 HP of power that is combined with a 69 kWh battery. The latter already stretches to 46,242 euros. The first two batteries are LFP and the largest is NCM. The last two steps move between 405 and 415 kilometers of autonomy, which allows you to travel with some peace of mind. The access version is limited to the city with its theoretical 330 kilometers of autonomy

It is an agile car that does not feel as soft or as artificial as many other Chinese cars. It is complemented by an interior feel in the materials that is pleasant in general lines but above all with rear seats and a trunk that make it a very attractive proposal for families who move in an urban environment and who take one or two long getaways throughout the year. Despite its 400 volt architecture, it can go from 10 to 80% in just 18 minutes.

Furthermore, there is something that I really liked about this car and that is its aesthetics. Its design differs from other Chinese cars that may be more similar to each other and this Zeekr X does seem to me to have a clear and defining image by itself.

Above, the Zeekr 7 It is the family model. It is an SUV that is committed to interior spaciousness, especially in the rear seats, and that raises the level in terms of the interior appearance of the materials. It is a car that we were not able to test but it comes with 75 kWh LFP and 100 kWh NCM batteries. ITS 800 volt architecture allows it to go from 10 to 80% charge in 13 minutes and promises 615 kilometers of autonomy in its largest version.

Inside, the Zeekr 7X is also committed to offering the best image in terms of quality perception. It is a car that will arrive loaded with technology with the latest active infotainment system, similar in format to what we see in Tesla. It is a car that starts at 52,500 euros with its single-engine (421 HP) rear-wheel drive version. Above, it combines this motor with the large battery, which would be the most balanced option or the longest autonomy (615 approved kilometers), costing 54,425 euros. The jump to all-wheel drive (two engines totaling 646 HP) means increasing the price to 62,250 euros.

He Zeekr 7GT It is the car that will arrive in a few months. It is a sportier version with a family or style body. shooting brake. However, it will be a car that is slightly lower in price, starting at 45,675 euros in its cheapest option, with a 75 kWh battery and 421 HP of power and reaching 59,235 euros in the most ambitious, with a 100 kWh battery and 646 HP of power with all-wheel drive. Halfway, a 421 HP rear and a large battery can be purchased for 52,890 euros. The latter announces a range of 655 kilometers.

This car will clearly go for a more sporty aesthetic and, personally, I find it more interesting without trying it than the family SUV option since the range of electric cars with a family body is not very wide and the price range by battery size and features seems right to me. Of course, at the moment as we said, we have not tried it.

Both the Zeekr 7X and the 7GT have 800 volt architecture so we are talking about charging times that will range between 13 and 16 minutes to go from 10 to 80% of the battery, according to the company. The peak power is 480 kW when recharging.

Lastly, the Zeekr 001 It is the car that is clearly positioned as the sportiest option so far. This car is available and we have driven it briefly. We have to test it more thoroughly but at first we liked its poise on the open road, its ability to push (especially with the Sport mode activated) that sticks you to the seat and its good soundproofing.

The downside in this case is that it comes with a 400 volt architecture (involves half-hour recharges at 10-80%) which seems to fall a little short for what we are beginning to see in the market and, at least for now, it does not arrive with the latest software update either. Of course, the time we were able to play with it gave us the impression of being a fast system without lags (especially if we take into account that the car was parked in the sun and above 35 degrees) and a priori with a good layout of the menus.

Furthermore, there is a quality leap in the materials used that appear to be of good quality and use an imitation Alcantara upholstery that increases the perception of the interior. There are also daring combinations that are missed in many brands, such as the combination of seats with orange.

In this case, the Zeekr 001 has three versions, all of them with a 100 kWh battery. The cheapest is the one with the most autonomy approved because it remains at 272 HP and is rear-wheel drive. We are talking about 60,175 euros. Above, we make the jump to all-wheel drive with a starting price of 65,175 euros that can increase to 70,050 euros with its most complete package (adds 22-inch wheels, 12-speaker sound system, ventilated seats with massage function and air suspension with continuous corrections). Both have 544 HP of power and range between 585 and 594 kilometers of autonomy.

A long-term bet

In their presentation, Zeekr promised ambitious figures but by no means impossible to meet. They assure that in the remainder of the year they hope to put 600 units of their cars on the market and already make the jump to around 2,500 registrations in 2027 and reach the milestone of 3,000 registrations in 2028.

It is really difficult to assess whether or not these registrations adjust to the reality of our market. Right now there is no signature in Spain of a premium approach that relies solely on fully electric vehicles. Of course, maintaining 3,000 units for its performance in two years does offer an idea that it is a proposal that aims for sustained growth but does not consider breaking the market.

And Zeekr’s commitment can be consolidated in the long term because it is a brand of the Geely Group. This Chinese automobile conglomerate is enormous and this year it has rivaled BYD in sales, given the decline of this company in its local market. Geely owns, among others, Volvo, Polestar, Lynk&Co or Lotus itself and they have in Zeekr a proposal that is committed to premium vehicles with high performance and a sporty character in their image.

The brand was born in 2021 and launched in Europe in 2023 in Sweden. Little by little it has been expanding its horizons to, as we say, go from the most consolidated markets to those most skeptical of the electric car.

The proposal, of course, is highly technological. Their cars promise very advanced automation systems (in china They already have a parking lot where the car searches for parking and parks completely autonomously without anyone inside). These technologies are permeable to all its segments since they are built on the same modular platform designed exclusively for electric motorizations.

During the presentation, the company has focused communication on the advanced nature of its ADAS systems, which in the Zeekr 7X, 7GT and 001 have up to 11 cameras to monitor the environment and a radar. Of course, they all come with adaptive cruise control systems and already have five Euro NCAP stars.

Inside, they are cars where the central screen, up to 16 inches in their largest models, collects all the functions. The panels are of good quality and we have not had any problems when we have moved between them, everything has been precise and the infotainment system has been agile as would be expected in cars of these prices. In addition, the company says it is implementing artificial intelligence to improve voice control systems.

Zeekr arrives with the clear intention of position itself as a premium and electric brand in our country as valid as any of the German ones. At the moment, it has points of sale in the main Spanish cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga. It is about to open another point of sale in Valencia and the roadmap involves continuing to gain presence in new parts of the country, although always with a certain premium and luxury air.

The big dilemma is whether the Spanish market is prepared for its arrival. The cars, at least in this first contact, convince but they move at prices (above 60,000 euros) where starting sales from the German premiums is already starting to be complicated. They will have to do everything they can to break prejudices, which, everything indicates, will be their greatest challenge.

Photos | Xataka

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