Geely’s ‘other’ Sino-Swede project might be coming, but the likely distributor is being careful with its words.

UNOFFICIAL announcement that Zeekr, another premium electric vehicle brand under the Geely Group umbrella, will come to New Zealand appears to have caught the logical distributor on the hop.

Conjecture that first dibs for representational rights to a premium sector-focused marque are with New Zealand interests that already represent Geely’s internationally better-known assets of Volvo, Polestar and Lotus has yet to fully clarify.

However, it seems news of Zeekr being set to show here from later in the year has caused surprise within the Giltrap Group.

The Auckland-centred mega distributor is the natural conduit for Geely fare, as it represents Polestar and Lotus outright, with Volvo NZ being a joint venture with Fairhall Family Trust. 

Whether Giltrap Group can automatically assume rights to all Geely product has always been unclear. 

Zeekr’s intent to be here was outlined last week by an industry-aligned on-line publication. 

The ‘EVs and Beyond’ website quoted an un-named Zeekr spokesperson as its source, but did not say where that person locates. 

The site says the make will launch in New Zealand at the same time it debuts in Australia; saying the latter action is “anticipated later this year, with the brand actively recruiting in Australia for positions that will cover both markets.”

In response to this, a Giltrap Group spokesman said today: “Giltrap Group proudly represents 18 of the world’s leading automotive brands.

“Our goal is to serve the New Zealand market in the best way possible, and as part of this, we do give consideration to representing new brands.

“Giltrap Group has a solid and positive relationship with Geely Group through Volvo, Lotus and Polestar.”

Zeekr is another of China’s fast-rising brands. It only started up three years ago but now has four models in production.

The latest - the Zeekr 007 sedan, pictured at the top of this story - commenced deliveries last month. It was preceded by the 001 shooting brake of 2021, the 009 in 2022 and the X urban SUV, out last year. The 007 is the most technically-advanced.

The make’s ambition to break into the international scene was made clear last April, with an announcement ahead of an annual auto show in Shanghai citing that it would start its march in the European market but right-hand-drive potentials were also being sought.

The Zeekr cars relate to the Volvo C40 and XC40 Recharge, Polestar 2 and Lotus Electre cars that come to NZ. All are built in China but claim European input. 

That’s also the case with Zeekr’s products and also Lynk and Co, another Geely brand thought to be quietly exploring RHD opportunities in this part of the world, though it has yet to go into full electric cars. It has hybrid and plug-in hybrid technology.

Development and design of Zeekr product was undertaken at Volvo’s base in Gothenburg in Sweden. Also, in addition to the co-sharing of platforms with Volvo and Polestar models - as well as Smart cars, thanks to a tie-up between Geely and Mercedes-Benz.

The 4.8 metre-long 007 is touted as the first electric sedan to adopt an integrated mega-casting rear-end aluminum body.

All Zeekr cars promise at least 600 kilometres’ range. The Zeekr 001 draws from an 86kWh lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) battery cell. Enhanced by a 800 volt electrical system, the standard 007 is cited as having 688 kilometres driving range, as measured by China’s domestic CLTC standard. It can charge 500km of driving range within 15 minutes. 

A long-range version, restricted to the domestic market, has CATL’s 140kWh Qilin battery and can drive 870km between charges. 

In China it has an advanced driving assistant system, only available for use in major Chinese cities. The sensor suite comprises a lidar, 12 high-definition cameras and five millimetre-wave radars.

China’s appetite for electric – aka ‘new energy’ in domestic parlance - cars has been hugely beneficial for Zeekr. The 001 found 93,000 domestic sales in 18 months of sale. 

The addition of the Zeekr 009, which at this point seems set to remain as a purely domestic choice, and Zeekr X are expected to further unlock its growth potential. 

At last year’s Shanghai show, Zeekr said Sweden and the Netherlands were its first export markets, with intent to involve all of western Europe by 2026.

The brand has already built a European team some 1500 people strong with many of the engineers and designers having worked on Geely’s other brands.

In China, Zeekr has built a public charging network – similar to Tesla’s – which is now 396 stations strong and available in 64 cities.

Conjecture about Zeekr comes just a week after Volvo announced  it will no longer provide funding for Polestar as it wants to focus on the production of its own vehicles among other investments. It plans to hand over its 48.3 percent stake to Geely Holdings. 

Volvo says it’ll still collaborate with Polestar on vehicle research and development, manufacturing and after-sales.