Among the Chinese groups that plan to expand throughout Europe, one of the most widely accepted is Geely. The parent company that owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Lynk & Co has managed to position itself in several market niches, focusing on high performance, comfort and new ownership models, such as subscription.
In part, its success is due to the fact that it has well-known names in the Old Continent, as well as its ability to acquire talent who knows how this market works. Examples are clear in its latest brand, Zeekr.
In it, its chief designer, Stefan Sielaff, comes directly from the Volkswagen Group, where he worked at Bentley and Audi. CEO Spiros Fotinos spent 25 years designing the Toyota range’s move to hybridization after the arrival of the Prius.
In addition, Geely follows an interesting and unusual strategy when it comes to financing the growth of its business. Instead of depending solely on operating results, it has focused on listing its brands on the stock market, as was seen with Volvo or Polestar. Zeekr will do the same in the future.
In addition, it also has territorial expansion as one of its priorities. In the next 36 months, the manufacturer intends to launch seven new models on the market and increase its markets beyond Sweden and Holland, the only two places in which it is present at the moment.
Fotinos confirmed that it would be carried out “in blocks”, starting with the Nordic countries and continuing through Central Europe in Belgium, Germany and France. Once they are established in 2024, Spain, Italy and Portugal will be reached the following year “to give time for southern Europe to advance in electrification.”
The two models that Zeekr currently has are the 001, a five-door sedan, and the euros and a range of 445 kilometers approved in the WLTP cycle.
Both models have had, according to the brand, a positive reception and deliveries will begin in the coming months. A high-performance version of the 001 has also been manufactured, called FR, which has more than 1,200 horsepower and a range of more than 1,000 kilometers thanks to the CATL Qilin battery. Only 99 units will be manufactured.
Looking at the production vehicles, it’s impossible not to think that their rivals are openly Elon Musk’s brand. This is particularly true in the
In the case of the 001, it is a model that has sporty behavior and enviable smoothness in operation. The difference in the multimedia system between both cars is notable, with a much more evident modernization in the X, which came a year after the first. This only highlights the Geely group’s ability to improve and learn.
To know the behavior of the Zeekr X, we will have to wait until October 5.
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