Zeekr wants to release a supercar and an even more luxurious crossover

The premium electric brand Zeekr is preparing an attack on the upper segment: the brand’s plans include a new flagship crossover, off-road vehicles and a truly sports supercar.

Zeekr sets its sights on the top of the premium segment

The premium brand Zeekr, part of the Geely group, is preparing the next step in the development of its model line. In an interview with CarExpert, the company's vice president, Mars Chen, said that the brand wants to “raise the brand higher” and plans to release more expensive and status models - including a new flagship crossover and a supercar, which he directly called a real sports car.

According to the top manager, Zeekr has two key strategic lines: ultra-luxury flagships and high-performance models. The brand intends to compete not only with the usual electric premium brands, but also with traditional manufacturers of powerful SUVs and sports cars, securing its role as an “electric Porsche” within the Geely group.

New luxury crossover and tough SUVs

One of the areas of development is the production of premium off-road vehicles with powerful power plants. Mars Chen noted that Zeekr is looking at the segment of high-performance SUVs and crossovers, which could be an alternative to models such as the Land Rover Defender Octa and Mercedes‑AMG G 63.

The Zeekr representative did not name specific indices of future “hard” SUVs, but confirmed that among the new products already in preparation, the four-seat version of the large hybrid flagship Zeekr 9X stands out, which will receive the traditional designation Grand for the brand - by analogy with the 009 Grand minivan. This car is designed to become an ultra-luxury crossover with separate second-row seats, the most advanced electronics and an emphasis on the comfort of rear passengers.

No “junior” models: status is more important than volume

Mars Chen separately emphasized that Zeekr does not plan to enter a more mainstream segment and make models more compact than the existing 7X. According to him, the brand has no plans for the conventional “5X” or “6X”, that is, for classic compact city crossovers that could blur the premium image.

Within the Geely concern, Zeekr should play the same role as Porsche within the Volkswagen Group: to be the flagship in terms of emotions, dynamics and level of technology, and not in terms of sales volume. This means maintaining a focus on larger and more expensive models - crossovers, liftbacks, minivans and future sports cars.

Sports sedans and supercars: the second “pillar” of strategy

The second key area is sports sedans and supercars. Mars Chen confirmed that Zeekr is considering releasing a “sedan sporty performance, even sports car” - that is, we are not just talking about fast versions of existing models, but about specialized, truly driver's cars.

What the first Zeekr supercar will be is still unknown: the vice president did not reveal the body format, power, or type of power plant. However, the Geely ecosystem already has technological foundations - from powerful electric platforms to experience in creating three-motor power plants on production models (for example, 8X FR). This gives reason to expect dynamics at the level of acceleration to 100 km/h in 2-3 seconds, in order to compete with future supercars of Chinese brands.

Competitors: Lynk&Co, BYD FangChengBao and others

The context also suggests that Zeekr will not stay away from the race for the title of the first “mass” Chinese supercar. Sister brand Lynk&Co has already shown a prototype of a luxury grand tourer in Beijing with acceleration dynamics of about 2 seconds to 100 km/h, demonstrating what performance is becoming the norm for electric and hybrid sports cars. At the same time, BYD is preparing to launch its own supercar: the FangChengBao Formula X concept with a three-engine 1000 hp unit. should go into production next year.

Against this background, Zeekr’s plans logically fit into the overall picture: premium Chinese brands are rapidly entering the big league, offering not only practical crossovers, but also fashion flagships and supercars. For the market, this means that in the coming years, owners of Chinese passenger cars will be able to choose not only between “family” EVs and hybrids, but also between ultra-luxury SUVs and truly fast sports models.