Geely's slick EV brand is coming to Europe this year – something else for Tesla to worry about
By John Howell / Tuesday, 3 January 2023 / Loading comments
Here are two separate pieces of news that contain a common thread. And that common thread is EV range. Geely’s Chinese sub-brand Zeekr is launching an updated version of its 001 EV with a helluva big battery. It’s 140kWh. No surprises, then, with a beast of a powerpack like that fitted, the limited-edition Zeekr 001 has a very healthy claimed range: over 1,000km if you want a round number, or more specifically it’s quoting 641 miles. If that stands up to scrutiny (and bear in mind this is the Chinese way of measuring it) then what you’re looking at here is the vehicle with the longest EV range of any production car. At least that’s what ten minutes of internet-based research says.
If you’re not familiar with the 001, it currently comes with a choice of 86kWh and 100kWh batteries, and either a single motor set-up with 272hp or a range-topping dual motor configuration that doubles the power to 544hp. That version hits 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds. At the moment the 001 is sold only in China. It was launched right at the end of 2021, so it’s been out just over a year – and at the last count, the company had sold around 40,000 units in that time. For reference, the Tesla Model Y costs around the same (approximately $40,000) but the US brand has sold around 220,000 Model Ys in China over the same period.
Geely has stated its intention to introduce the Zeekr brand in the US and Europe, and at the launch of its Zeekr 009 MPV last year, An Conghui (Zeekr CEO and president of Geely Holding) said that sales in Europe will kick off in 2023. This push into new markets will coincide with two new models this year – a four-door saloon and a mid-size SUV – and there will be two further (as yet undisclosed) new models in 2024. The full details of its European push haven’t been released yet. We don’t know, for instance, which markets it’s aiming for and whether it’ll be engineering its cars for right-hand drive.
We do know that An has targeted 70,000 sales for Zeekr this year, and looking to the future, he’s targeting up to 650,000 vehicles per year by 2025. Don’t rule out him achieving that, either. You hardly need reminding that Geely is a big player these days, already owning Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Lynk&Co. The manufacturer also has a 50 per cent interest in the Smart brand, and minority interests in Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz.
While its ambition can hardly be questioned, there’s no doubt either that Tesla is the big fish in Zeekr’s pond. Beating the electric range claimed for some of its best-selling models is a big deal if the Chinese brand intends to make a lasting impact on European buyers – especially with established carmakers now picking up the EV gauntlet. Not the ideal day then for the second news item to crop up: South Korea has apparently fined Tesla a wrist-slapping $2.2 million for failing to inform its customers that its cars’ range will be much the reduced in low ambient temperatures.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) deemed that Tesla had exaggerated the “driving ranges of its cars on a single charge, their fuel cost-effectiveness compared to gasoline vehicles as well as the performance of its Superchargers” on its official local website since August 2019. It went on to suggest that the manufacturer’s electric ranges can plunge by up to 50.5 per cent in cold weather. That isn’t an issue limited to Tesla, of course. All EVs offer reduced range performance in cold weather, but the firm’s failure to disclose the information has resulted in the crackdown. Expect the question of range-related buyer expectations to crop up a lot this year, be they long or short.
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