Zeekr 007: the new mid-size saloon from the Chinese manufacturer

Zeekr, the new brand created just over two years ago by the Chinese automotive giant Geely, has just presented at the Guangzhou Auto Show its new electric saloon 007, with which it wants to compete on price with rivals of the calibre of the Tesla Model 3. With the 007, there will be four models making up Zeekr’s range of electric vehicles on the Chinese market; each of them in a different segment.

The Zeekr 007 is a saloon 4.87 metres long that will be available in two versions: one with a single electric motor on the rear axle delivering 310 kW of power, and the other with dual electric motors and all-wheel drive that will offer 475 kW of power. Customers will also be able to choose between two different battery packs, the capacities of which are unknown, but according to the manufacturer they will allow the 007 to travel between 688 and 870 km on a single charge, always under the excessively optimistic Chinese CLTC homologation cycle.

All versions of the 007 will feature an 800 V architecture and will debut the new PMA2+ platform, developed jointly by Geely and Volvo. This detail is important, since the brand’s previous electric models all use the SEA platform of the Geely Group. The manufacturer also claims that at a fast charging point the 007 is capable of increasing the vehicle’s range by just over 600 km in only 15 minutes.

Nor does it fall behind in technology

During its presentation, the Chinese manufacturer wanted to highlight the vehicle’s intelligent capabilities. To develop them, the 007 will fit a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 and two Nvidia Orin chips, along with multiple sensors including a LiDAR, 12 HD cameras, 5 millimetre-wave radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors.

Zeekr has already begun accepting reservations for the 007 on the Chinese market. There its price will start at 229,900 yuan, which works out to roughly 29 thousand euros. To boost reservations, Zeekr has announced that everyone who secures one by paying the 1,000 yuan deposit will subsequently receive a 5,000 yuan reduction on the final price of the vehicle. A commercial strategy that appears to have worked, since within just three hours of reservations opening the company recorded more than 10,000. If everything goes according to plan, Zeekr intends to make the first deliveries in January of next year, 2024.