Geely intends to establish Zeekr as a global brand with the launch of the 001 EV in Europe next year, as per InsideEVs. At the end of November 2022, the Geely-owned premium EV brand is anticipated to release a formal and comprehensive announcement.
Zeekr’s plans for the European market
The plans were announced at the Chinese debut of the new Zeekr 009 electric minivan last week by Zeekr CEO An Conghui. For those unaware, he is also the president of Geely Holding and chairman of Geely Auto.
Next year, Zeekr will begin selling the 001 liftbacks in a few European markets, per the executive.
Furthermore, Zeekr reportedly intends to offer a new four-door sedan and midsize SUV in the continent, as per the sources at Geely’s headquarters in Hangzhou, cited by Autocar. These vehicles are said to be designed to adhere to European safety standards.
Apart from that, two more Zeekr models are also reported to launch in 2024. However, there is currently no information available on them. In the next two years, the EV brand stated it would increase its Chinese lineup to at least six vehicles.
As for the specifics. the European markets that Zeekr plans to enter are not yet known. There is also no information about the automaker’s intentions to make right-hand-drive variants of its vehicles available for the UK and other right-hand-drive markets in Europe.
Nonetheless, Zeekr’s parent company Geely plans to list it on the stock market independently. Geely Holding’s request to float Zeekr on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was approved on October 31. However, the timing’s specifics have not been confirmed yet.
About Zeekr
In 2021, Zeekr was founded. It is also worth noting that before the 009 minivans were introduced, it only offered the 001 liftback model. Notably, in October, 10,109 units of the $41,000 EV were sold in China.
However, according to its CEO, Zeekr still strives to achieve 70,000 sales this year. He added that the company continues to work toward its original goal of selling up to 650,000 automobiles annually by 2025.
Apart from Zeekr, Geely Holding and Geely Auto own numerous brands. It includes Volvo Cars, Polestar, Lotus, Lynk & Co., Geometry, Proton, LEVC, and more. Additionally, Geely owns a minority investment in Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz while controlling 50% of Smart.
