Ahead of its launch in Malaysia, the Zeekr X has now made its official debut over in Australia, with the compact EV crossover priced starting from AUD56,900 (approx. RM162k) before on-road costs, reports Drive.
With that starting price, the Zeekr X is AUD2,000 (approx RM5.7k) dearer than the Smart #1 in Australia, but undercuts the Volvo EX30 by AUD3,090 (approx. RM8.8k) – both of which share the same Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform with the Zeekr X, but the latter is the biggest of the lot.
The base rear-wheel drive variant of the Zeekr X in Australia features a single electric motor rated at 272 hp (200 kW) and 343 Nm of torque, powered by a 66 kWh CATL-sourced nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery pack for a rated range of 540 km (Australian ADR81/02 test cycle).
The same powertrain is also used in the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30, but the latter does get a slightly larger battery at 69 kWh, for a rated range of 476 km (WLTP, not directly comparable). The Smart #1 Premium, which uses the same 66 kWh battery pack as the Zeekr, gets 440 km (WLTP).
All three models are also available in all-wheel drive (AWD) guises, featuring the same twin-motor setup making 428 hp (315 kW) and 543 Nm. In this drivetrain configuration, the Zeekr X gets a rated range of 470 km (again, Australian test cycle) from its 66 kWh battery pack; the Smart #1 gets 400 km (WLTP), while the Volvo EX30 boasts 450 km (WLTP) thanks to its larger battery.
Curiously, the Zeekr X’s specifications for the European market lists a 69 kWh battery pack instead of 66 kWh, translating to a driving range of 445 km (WLTP) and 425 km (WLTP) for the single- and dual-motor configurations respectively.
In terms of pricing, the Zeekr X AWD will be sold at AUD64,900 (approx RM184k), which is AUD5,090 (approx RM14k) lower than the equivalent Volvo EX30, and also AUD3,000 (approx RM8.5k) lower than the Smart #1 Brabus in Australia.
Here in Malaysia, the Volvo EX30 – which was just launched here last week! – retails between RM188,888 and RM228,888 on-the-road and without insurance. The Smart #1 meanwhile goes for RM169,000 to RM249,000, after a recent price adjustment in May.
The Zeekr X hasn’t been launched here yet, but has already been confirmed for the Malaysian market, with test mules already spotted carrying out validation tests around Malaysian roads. Will the pricing strategy for the three SEA-based models in Malaysia be similar to that of Australia? Only time will tell, but we probably don’t have to wait for too much longer!
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