Geely’s premium EV brand Zeekr makes Ningbo home

Zeekr, Geely Holding Group’s new pure electric premium brand, has announced the establishment of its global headquarters in the eastern Chinese of Ningbo. The coastal port city is in the same Zhejiang province as Geely’s Hangzhou base, being 150 km to the east.

By establishing its HQ in Ningbo, Zeekr will be at the forefront of Ningbo city’s government plans to upgrade and transform the region’s automotive industry through the introduction of new technologies, which will be used within future connected, smart and intelligent electric vehicles to further promote the high-quality development, transformation and upgrade of the region’s automotive industry, the company said.

Zeekr has already established its pure EV factory in the Ningbo region with production of the brand’s first model, the 001, commencing later this year.

Separately, parent group Geely also signed a wider cooperative agreement with the Ningbo Municipal Government which aims to raise China’s automotive standards, promote the application of technological innovation, accelerate the development of automotive manufacturing supply chain, and promote green mobility within the greater Ningbo region.

Since the launch of Zeekr and the 001 in April, public reception towards the new brand has been “extremely strong” with the “world’s first electric shooting brake” already sold out for this year.

The production version of last year’s Lynk & Co Zero concept, the big EV (4,970 mm long, 1,999 mm wide, 3,005 mm wheelbase) is built on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), specifically the SEA1 platform for D- to F-segment vehicles.

Chinese buyers can choose from two powertrain options, both utilising the same electric motor developing 200 kW (272 PS) and 384 Nm. The single-motor rear-wheel-drive version does 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, while the dual-motor AWD model uses its 400 kW (544 PS) and 768 Nm to complete the century sprint in 3.8 seconds. The latter’s is capable of breaching 200 km/h flat out.

Likewise, there are two battery options for the 001 – 86 kWh and 100 kWh. The former is only available with AWD and delivers a 526 km range on the NEDC cycle. The larger battery is good for 606 km with AWD and 712 km in RWD form.

For charging, the 001 only accepts up to 7 kW of AC power for home charging, although it also supports DC fast charging at a rate of up to 360 kW thanks to its 400-volt architecture. The latter tops up 120 km of range in just five minutes, Zeekr claims. Full details on the impressive-sounding 001 here.

GALLERY: Zeekr 001