ZEEKR: A First-Hand Experience With China's New EV Powerhouse
ZEEKR: A First-Hand Experience With China's New EV Powerhouse
Hands-On with the ZEEKR 001 and 009 at Monticello Motor Club
Last week, I had a special opportunity to visit the Monticello Motor Club in New York to try out the ZEEKR 001 and 009. ZEEKR is a new EV brand from China. They are not yet available for sale in the U.S., but are on an IPO roadshow and have brought a few of their vehicles over. I had done number of these events at Rivian, but this was my first time attending as a member of the "Media." It’s pretty cool experiencing the other perspective.
There were also writers from a number of other prominent automotive publications. I suspect they weren’t as familiar with the brand as I was going in. I’m genuinely curious what they would write.
ZEEKR’s Brand Story
The event itself started with a short presentation from Giovanni Lanfranchi, the new CEO of ZEEKR Technology Europe (previously CEVT), headquartered in Sweden. Previously, he was the CPO of Here Technology, a mapping and location data provider to automotive OEMs.
The presentation itself was pretty high level and went through ZEEKR’s brand history and some of its accomplishments to date. Below are some key highlights:
ZEEKR is a premium EV brand incubated under Geely. Geely also owns well-known brands such as Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, and Smart.
The company is very young, having just launched in March 2021. Over the past 2.5 years, they have sold and delivered over 150,000 vehicles. For a new brand, this is very impressive. It took NIO almost 4 years to get to that point. Rivian, after 2 full years of production, will have produced just half that amount (~75,000 units).
They currently have 3 products, the 001, 009, and X. The 001 is a sports wagon/shooting brake. The 009 is an luxury MPV and the X is a compact SUV. Unfortunately, the ZEEKR X wasn’t available at the event this time around.
As an independent entity within the Geely group, ZEEKR believes it can leverage the parent company's supply chain and engineering expertise while maintaining the agility and investment strategies of a startup in the fast evolving EV market.
ZEEKR vehicles utilize Geely's SEA platform, with batteries supplied by CATL and Viridi, a company in which ZEEKR has a 51% equity stake.
The 001 will come with multiple battery pack sizes. The 100 kWh has a WLTP range of 385 miles. Its 140 kWh variant has a CLTC range of 641 miles (1032 km). Real world tested range was reported to be about 536 miles, courtesy of Jaime Kimi. With this kind of range, you can essentially drive from LA to Vegas, then back to LA on a single charge.
Like Tesla, the ZEEKR 009 is also using single piece casting (i.e. “Giga-press”) for its rear structure. This process helped ZEEKR eliminate over 200 welds during manufacturing.
ZEEKR 009 Rear Casting Having achieved some initial success in China, they are now turning their attention abroad. Before end of 2023, they will open their first European markets in Stockholm and Amsterdam. In Netherland, the starting price for a ZEEKR 001 is 59,490 EUR, which is about the same price as a Audi Q4 e-tron or Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor.
Europe is the second largest EV market after China. EV penetration have grown 10x in the past 5 years (1.2% → 10.4%) and projected to reach 30% penetration (25% CAGR) by end of 2027.
Internationally, they will go to market using a direct sales approach instead of leveraging a dealer network. The primary motivation behind this decision is to provide a consistent and strong brand experience.
On the commercial side, ZEEKR is partnering with Waymo to build their next-generation of autonomous vehicles. The first prototype is slated to be delivered to Waymo for testing before end of year.
Driving Impression
The highlight of the event was for sure the test drive at the track. We got the experience both the ZEEKR 001 and 009.
ZEEKR 001
The 001 was the vehicle I was most excited about. Naturally, I paid the most attention to. While it’s ZEEKR’s first production vehicle, it doesn’t feel like an immature product at all. The panel gaps were even and build quality looked great.
The interior itself is modern, but not minimalistic like a Tesla. While I wouldn’t call the materials used in the 001 luxurious, they definitely feel premium. The cockpit layout is similar to that of a Model S. While I didn’t get much time to play with the infotainment, but the basic control and menu layout definitely took a lot of inspiration from Tesla.
The vehicle is also larger than I expected in person. There are plenty of leg room in the backseats. It also has a sizable trunk in the rear. Massive brownie points for everyday practicality.
On the track, the vehicle accelerated and handled well. Claimed 0-60 time is 3.8 seconds, which felt about right. The vehicle’s top speed is electronically limited to 200 KPH (125 MPH). On the back straight of the track, I was able to hit that top speed comfortably.
The handling around high speed corners was also impressive. The car was stable throughout. The long wheelbase definitely helped in this regard (It’s 2 inches longer than a Panamera and 6 inches longer than BMW i4). The air suspension also absorbed bumps extremely well.
On the flip side, getting it around tight hairpins was a bit more challenging. The car tended to understeer at low and mid-speed corners. On tight corners, you definitely could feel the heavy weight of the 100 kWh battery pack underneath. The car weights 5100 lbs! The Model S comes in about 400 lbs lighter.
The driving instructor later told me that to help the vehicle rotate, he sometimes lifts off the accelerator during mid-corner to help induce oversteer. Wished I had an extra couple laps to try that out…maybe next time.
The brakes on the 001 was felt good. It can stop this 5000+ lbs lump of metal from 60-0 in just 113 feet (same as a Lucid Air). More impressive is the fact that it can supposedly do this 12 times back to back without degradation. During my stint on the track, I felt the brakes were linear and was able to complete my laps without any real brake fade.
The steering was precise as well, but around this race track, I wished the steering ratio was a bit quicker & feedback a little more communicative.
I also didn’t like the constant warning and beeping from the car during the drive. This is apparently something that the Chinese market prefers, but I personally find quite intrusive. Hopefully, they can make some changes to that before delivering the European version.
Overall, the ZEEKR 001 is what I would consider an all-rounder vehicle. The car has good interior space and uses premium materials; it’s sporty but still comfortable; the infotainment system seems solid as well. I don’t think it’s the best in any specific category, but the combined package is extremely compelling.
In my discussion with management, the brands that ZEEKR draws the most customers from are Mercedes, BMW and Audi in China.
In the US, the closest comparison in the EV segment is probably the Tesla Model Y Performance and Polestar 2 Performance. Having driven all of them before, I think the 001 can more than hold its own against those 2.
ZEEKR 009
The 009 is ZEEKR’s pure electric MPV. It’s currently the best selling BEV in the MPV segment within China. To be honest, the 009’s exterior is a bit of an acquired taste and not really for me. When I first saw it in person, the massive chrome grill in the front reminded me of Lil Jon’s teeth in a rap video. It’s just a little too much bling for me.
However, I absolutely loved the inside of the vehicle. The back seats were beautifully appointed and cushy, kind of like sitting in First Class on an airline. The drive itself was also surprisingly sporty for an MPV, but the racetrack is definitely not where it belongs.
It’s also not an MPV for family either, at least by western standard where mom and dad typically sit in in the front, and kids sit in the second row. In the 009, the second row is where you want to be. It’s a vehicle meant to be chauffeured in. If they do decide to bring it to the U.S. one day, I can see it becoming a popular choice for Limo or Uber Lux drivers.
ZEEKR Waymo Robotaxi
There was also another special guest at the event, Waymo’s next generation robotaxi, built by ZEEKR. Eric, its chief engineer, spent a good amount of time walking through the vehicle and its design with us. It’s completely designed from the ground up to be a L4 robotaxi & bespoked to Waymo. ZEEKR manufactures the vehicle itself, and will ship it to the US. Waymo will then do the final assembly and calibration of its sensor suite before deploying it to the fleet.
The exterior design itself is quirky. The interior is functional and roomy, though it does sacrifice some storage space in the back. There is no steering wheel in this example, but ZEEKR said that depending on regulatory approval, the final version may still be fitted with a steering wheel.
The first prototype will supposedly be shipped to the US before end of the year, however there is not yet a timetable for when it’ll be introduced into commercial use.
In conclusion…
There was a lot to take in at the event. When I took time to reflect at the end of the day at my hotel, I found myself really impressed with ZEEKR’s overall strategy, design and engineering. If ZEEKR’s came to the US today, It has the potential to become the #3 selling EV brand behind Tesla and Rivian. Its products are that good. Their supply chain advantage is also quite real. However, geopolitics likely makes market entry into US impossible in the short term.
Europe as a whole is just as big as the US market, but vehicle preference and taste there are very different. For example, it’ll be quite difficult to park the 001 or 009 in the streets of Paris. This is likely where the ZEEKR X comes in (unfortunately I did not get a chance to drive it this time around).
After driving its 2 vehicles, I can see why in just 2 short years, ZEEKR have established themselves as a premier EV brand in China’s premium segment.
Of course, there is still a long road ahead for ZEEKR to realize its vision as a global top 3 EV brand. The transition to sustainable transportation is a marathon, not a sprint. Without a doubt though, they are off to a stellar start. I can’t wait to see what comes next for the brand.