Luxury marque heads Down Under

The Zeekr X has been previewed at an event in Sydney. The compact lifestyle vehicle will be the first of two models launched in Australia this year with the other being the 009, a pure-electric luxury MPV.

To meet the growing demand for electric mobility, the luxury marque has established a subsidiary across the ditch and is adopting a franchise dealership distribution model.

The X, pictured, will be available for pre-order in September. The official launch of Zeekr’s models will take place in October with deliveries to follow shortly thereafter.

Connal Yan, managing director of Zeekr Australia, says: “Expansion into the Australian market brings our innovative and cutting-edge EVs to a new audience.”

The brand, which is owned by Geely Holding, which has its headquarters in Zhejiang, China. 

Geely’s portfolio of brands includes Geely Auto, Lynk & Co, Zeekr, Volvo Cars, Polestar, Lotus Cars, London Electric Vehicle Company, Cao Cao Mobility and aerospace tech company Geespace. 

Built on Zeekr’s sustainable experience architecture, the X is compact on the outside and spacious inside. It uses the brand’s proprietary electric motor and battery technology to deliver long range, high efficiency and performance. 

X models have a 66kWh lithium-ion battery, which can deliver up to 540km of range in the single motor, rear-wheel-drive standard model. 

The intelligent, 5G-enabled digital cockpit boasts cutting-edge technology, connected features and intuitive controls to offer a “truly immersive user experience”.

At its core is a Qualcomm 8155 chip, which offers all the processing power for super-fast responses and exceptional functionality, while over-the-air software updates ensure the system is always up to date and will improve over time as new features become available.