Zeekr gunning for Tesla’s spot at the top
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Zeekr wants to be the second-biggest player in Australia’s premium EV space – behind Tesla – by the end of next year, toppling luxury giants BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in the process.
Speaking to carsales at the local media launch of the Model Y-baiting 7X medium SUV, Zeekr Australia managing director Frank Li said the brand still had a “long way to go” in its establishment here, but that wouldn’t get in the way of success.
“We have bigger ambition … we look much more highly on the customer’s satisfaction rather than the numbers,” he said.
“We are not a brand that’s chasing numbers that much – we recognise ourselves as a premium segment [player], so firstly we will be taking care of our customer’s satisfaction rather than trying to get as much [volume] as we can.
“But every brand wants big volume so of course we have our target ambition; we are aiming to become [one of] the top two best-selling premium EV brands, including Tesla.”
With more than 2000 Aussies having already pre-ordered a 7X – weeks ahead of the first local media drives and demonstrators arriving – it’s fair to say the new model has already done more than good job injecting fresh volume into the brand.
Until now, its local product portfolio comprised the X compact SUV (527 units sold this year ending August) and 009 luxury MPV (83 units).
Pricing in China starts at the equivalent of $44,000 for the cheapest 06 and climbs as high as $90,000 for the most expensive 11 and 12.
The arrival of Avatr in Australia is to be expected as Changan has been steadily adding export markets since 2024.
As part of a wider entry into Europe, Avatr intends to launch in the UK by the end of 2025 with the BMW X5-sized 11 SUV, which will be built in a new factory in Thailand.
The 12 sedan and 07 SUV will also be assembled in Thailand from knockdown kits.
This surely makes all these cars logical candidates for Australian sale.
Li revealed Zeekr would release one new model each year as of 2025 and said he planned to have between 20 and 25 dealerships online by the end of 2026 compared to the current 12.
He also said plug-in hybrids could feature as part of the eventual line-up, as well as a couple of models pinched from Lynk & Co – which Zeekr owns.
“We are considering some single models, like Lynk & Co 08, but maybe not the brand itself,” he said.
For anyone scratching their heads, the Lynk & Co 08 is a plug-in hybrid medium SUV that would sit beneath the 7X in Zeekr’s portfolio and tap into Australia’s almost insatiable appetite for hybrids at the moment.
The other vehicle under consideration for local showrooms is the upcoming Zeekr 8X which would do largely the same thing, albeit above the 7X both in size and price, and with the option of a full battery-electric system.
This article originally appeared on carsales.com.au
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