Geely today adds another brand into its long list of automotive portfolio. Zeekr, as it is called, will target the premium electric vehicle (EV) segment that has foreign brands such as Tesla, Audi, Polestar and Volkswagen.
How does one pronounce the name? According to the Chinese characters, the name Zeekr is written as ‘Ji Ke’ (极氪), and as such, it looks like the brand will be pronounced as ‘zeeker’ or seeker that begins with ‘Z’.
Zeekr vehicles will be built on Geely Holding Group’s open-sourced Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) and will include its own battery technologies, management system, motor technologies and EV supply chain support. Last week, Geely was reported to be investing over USD4.6 billion into an EV battery plant with Farasis Energy.
The first vehicle bearing the Zeekr brand is expected to be delivered by the third quarter of this year, and the company is planning an aggressive product offensive of a new EV model each year in the coming five years.
Products will be made available in China at the initial phase, with plans to export should the demand build up. So far, only Lynk & Co is made available out of China, with the establishment of two dealerships in Europe. The soon-to-be-launched Lynk & Co Zero sedan will be the first vehicle to be built on the SEA EV platform.
Zeekr Company Limited will be jointly owned by Geely Automobile Holdings with 51% ownership while the remaining 49% by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH). Both parties have also agreed to inject 2 billion Yuan (RM1.264 billion) in capital into the new company.
Other EV models under the Geely Holding Group include Volvo, Polestar, Lynk & Co, Geometry and Lotus Cars with the Evija EV. More details on Zeekr is expected to be announced at the upcoming Shanghai Motor Show 2021 slated for late April.
Note: Main image is a Geely Preface Concept
