Zeekr

WorldBrand briefing

AI supplement

Original synthesis to sit alongside the encyclopedia article below. Not part of Wikipedia; verify facts on Wikipedia when precision matters.

Zeekr is a premium all-electric vehicle brand under Geely Holding Group, focused on developing high-performance, smart electric cars with global market expansion goals. It was officially launched in March 2021, and quickly established itself as a competitive player in the premium NEV segment through its unique product lineup and user-centric business model.

Key moments

March 2021Zeekr brand officially established
April 2021Unveiled first model Zeekr 001, a premium electric shooting brake
October 2021Began first deliveries of Zeekr 001
November 2021Secured $500 million funding from investors including Intel Capital and CATL
November 2022Launched Zeekr 009, a luxury electric MPV
April 2023Announced European market expansion strategy
May 2024Listed on NYSE with ticker code ZK, setting a record for fastest IPO among new energy vehicle brands
February 2025Merged with Lynk & Co to form Zeekr Technology Group, with over 1.8 million global users

Zeekr competes across multiple premium electric vehicle segments, with distinct rivals for each product line:

Zeekr 001/007: Targets mid-to-large premium electric sedans, competing against Tesla Model 3/Model Y, XPeng P7, Xiaomi SU7, Nio ET5T, and Lynk & Co Z10. It differentiates with larger cargo space and stronger performance credentials.
Zeekr 009: Luxury electric MPV segment, competing against Denza D9 and other high-end multi-purpose EVs.
Zeekr X/7X: Compact and mid-size premium SUVs, competing against BYD Tang EV, XPeng G6, and Tesla Model Y.
High-performance models like 001 FR: Goes head-to-head with performance-focused EVs such as Tesla Plaid series and Avita 11/12.

The brand also faces competition from traditional luxury brands transitioning to EVs, like BMW i-series and Mercedes-EQ models, while leveraging Geely's supply chain advantages to offer better value than overseas premium EV brands.

Competes across sedan, MPV, SUV and performance EV segments
Key rival groups include Tesla, domestic new energy brands, and traditional luxury automakers shifting to electric
Leverages Geely's unified platform and supply chain to balance premium positioning and cost competitiveness
Expanding into European and other overseas markets to diversify revenue beyond China

Zeekr is a young, fast-growing premium all-electric vehicle brand that has quickly established meaningful brand equity under the umbrella of Geely Holding Group. Built from the ground up as a pure EV brand, Zeekr has carved out a competitive position in the crowded global premium new energy vehicle segment by combining Geely's decades of automotive manufacturing expertise, robust supply chain advantages, and a user-centric business model that resonates with modern EV consumers. Its diverse product portfolio, covering sedans, SUVs, luxury MPVs, and high-performance variants, allows it to compete across multiple high-growth premium EV segments, tapping into varied consumer demand and expanding its reach faster than many comparable new EV entrants.

The brand leverages its parent company's technical and financial resources to deliver strong performance and feature sets at more competitive price points than many legacy luxury EV brands, giving it a clear value differentiator in the market. As a pure electric brand, it avoids the legacy identity challenges that face traditional luxury automakers transitioning to EVs, allowing it to build a fresh, tech-forward brand identity that appeals to younger, sustainability-focused buyers. Its explicit global expansion strategy also positions it to grow beyond its home Chinese market into key developed and emerging automotive markets, underpinning strong long-term brand potential.

While Zeekr faces intense competition from established EV players like Tesla and local premium rivals including Nio and XPeng, its rapid sales growth and rising market awareness demonstrate its ability to capture mind share in one of the world's most competitive industries. The brand's focus on performance differentiation, particularly with its high-end 001 FR model, has helped it stand out and gain recognition as a serious contender in the premium performance EV space.

Brand Leadership

Score: 72/100

Zeekr holds clear leadership in the niche luxury electric MPV segment, where its Zeekr 009 model commands a significant market share in China. It competes strongly in mid-sized premium performance EV segments, gaining recognition for its strong value and performance credentials, though it has not yet achieved the dominant market leadership of top global EV brands.

User Interaction

Score: 78/100

Zeekr built its brand around a user-centric business model that encourages direct interaction with customers. It integrates user feedback into product development, delivers regular over-the-air software updates, and fosters active communities through owner events and social media engagement, building strong early loyalty among its customer base.

Growth Momentum

Score: 85/100

Since its official launch in 2021, Zeekr has consistently outperformed sales growth targets, expanding its product lineup from one model to five distinct nameplates in under five years. It has recorded triple-digit year-over-year sales growth through its early operating period, outpacing most new EV entrants and showing strong upward momentum in both sales and brand awareness.

Brand Stability

Score: 68/100

Zeekr benefits from the strong financial and operational stability of its parent company Geely Holding Group, one of the world's largest automotive groups, which provides consistent investment and reliable supply chain support. As a young brand, it has not yet navigated a full automotive industry business cycle, so its long-term brand stability remains unproven, though parent backing mitigates most near-term risks.

Brand Age

Score: 30/100

Zeekr is a very young brand, officially launched only in March 2021. Its youth means it has not yet accumulated the long-term brand equity of older established automotive brands, but it also benefits from a clean, modern pure-electric identity unburdened by legacy internal combustion engine associations.

Industry Profile

Score: 75/100

Zeekr holds a strong profile in the global EV industry, recognized for its innovative product segmentation strategy and its use of Geely's open-source modular EV architecture. Industry analysts frequently cite it as a key competitive threat to established premium EV brands, and its high-performance models have garnered widespread media attention for challenging top-tier performance EV offerings.

Global Expansion

Score: 55/100

Zeekr has an explicit goal of becoming a fully global EV brand, and has begun launching in select European markets as of the mid-2020s, with confirmed plans to expand to North America and Southeast Asia. However, the vast majority of its current sales and brand recognition remain concentrated in its home market of China, so its global brand footprint is still in the early stages of development.

Artificial intelligence can support structured brand value reasoning for Zeekr based on public market data, growth trends, and competitive positioning. All value-related assessments are illustrative only, and do not constitute audited official brand valuation results. To obtain a fully audited, authoritative brand value assessment for Zeekr, contact World Brand Lab directly.

Overview

Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding Limited

native name	极氪
type	Private
industry	Automotive
foundation	March 2021
hq location city	Ningbo, Zhejiang
hq location country	China
key people	An Conghui / Andy An (CEO) Stefan Sielaff (head of design)

revenue	US$7.28 billion (2023)‡R1R‡

operating income	US$-1.15 billion (2023)‡R1R‡

net income	US$-1.16 billion (2023)‡R1R‡

assets	US$3.82 billion (2023)‡R1R‡

equity	US$-1.22 billion (2023)‡R1R‡

num employees	16,645 (2023)‡R1R‡

products	Automobiles Electric vehicles Luxury vehicles

services	Automotive finance Vehicle leasing Vehicle service

subsid	Zeekr Technology Europe Lynk & Co (51%) Viridi E-Mobility Technology (51%)

owner	Geely Auto

website	zeekrgroup.com zeekrglobal.com zeekrlife.com (China)

Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding Limited, trading as Zeekr Group, is a Chinese automobile company. It is wholly owned by Geely Automobile Holdings.

Zeekr was founded in 2021 as a single brand specializing in luxury electric cars. Since February 2025, the entity has become a holding company known as Zeekr Group consisting of two brands following the acquisition of Lynk & Co, another brand under Geely Holding.

The name of the brand is made up of "ZE" which stands for Zero, the starting point of infinite possibilities, "E" which stands for Evolving the Electric Era, and "Kr" which stands for the element Krypton, a rare gas that emits light when electrified.[2]

History

Zeekr was founded in March 2021 as a premium electric mobility brand for battery-powered vehicles by the Geely Group to compete against Nio and Tesla, among others. Its first model, the Zeekr 001 was officially launched in April 2021.[3] The Zeekr models are to be based on the SEA platform presented in autumn 2020.[4] Zeekr started delivering the 001 model in October 2021, a vehicle originally planned to be launched by sister brand Lynk & Co.[5] In 2022, Zeekr delivered 71,941 Zeekr 001 to customers across more than 330 cities in China. Its subsidiary Zeekr Power covers more than 110 cities with over 660 stations.[6]

Zeekr developed Waymo's autonomous robotaxi.[7][8][9] In December 2021, Geely announced that Zeekr would be collaborating with Waymo to develop and provide all-electric, autonomous ride-hailing vehicle for the Waymo One autonomous mobility service in the United States.[10] The vehicle integrated with Waymo's technology was unveiled in Los Angeles in November 2022.[11]

In January 2022, a cooperation between Zeekr and Mobileye was announced to expand their strategic technology partnership with a goal to deliver the world's first consumer autonomous vehicles with L4 capabilities by 2024.[12][13]

In August 2022, Zeekr announced their cooperation with CATL, making them the first brand to use CATL's Qilin long range batteries for global mass production. The Zeekr 001 will be the first model to use the new batteries, enabling them to have a pure electric range exceeding 1000 km.[14]

Zeekr raised US$500 million in its first external fundraising from five investors including Intel Capital, CATL, Bilibili in August 2021. On February 13, 2023, Zeekr is valued at US$13 billion after it raised US$750 million from five investors.[15] In May 2024, Zeekr filed its initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange. Zeekr raised around US$441 million, making it the largest IPO of a Chinese company since 2021.[16]

In August 2024, Zeekr has faced criticism for launching the 2025 model year of the Zeekr 001 in China just six months after releasing the previous version in February 2024. It led to protests among customers who recently purchased the earlier model, as their vehicles have quickly been superseded by a newer version. The 2024 model came equipped with Mobileye chips, which cannot be upgraded to the new Haohan Intelligent Driving 2.0 system from the 2025 model. In response, Zhejiang Geely Holding President and Zeekr CEO An Conghui (Andy An) acknowledged the issue, admitting that the company could have better communicated its product release plans.[17]

According to Reuters and the China Securities Journal, many Zeekr vehicles sold in Xiamen in December 2024 were pre-registered with insurance under Xiamen C&D and its affiliates before being sold to customers, raising questions about the timing of reported sales. While Zeekr recorded 2,737 sales in the city that month—2,508 of which were to companies—only 271 vehicles were registered for license plates, suggesting a discrepancy between reported and actual deliveries.[18]

On 16 June 2025, Zeekr announced that their 500,000th vehicle rolled off the production line, a 009 Brilliant Edition, 44 months after their first vehicle, the 001, rolled off the production line in October 2021.[19]

On 8 August 2025, Zeekr publicly announced its plans for updating its product lineup for the rest of the year, fulfilling its commitment to keeping product update frequency over one year and providing transparency to consumers. The Zeekr X will receive the Golden Battery as an option and minor interior changes before the fourth quarter of 2025. In the fourth quarter, the Zeekr 001 and 7X will be upgraded with Nvidia Thor-U ADAS chips, 900V power electronics, and minor interior and exterior adjustments. The Zeekr 007 will also receive minor interior and exterior adjustments, and Zeekr says all other models will not receive updates in 2025.[20][21]

Restructuring and privatization

In November 2024, the equity structures of Geely Auto, Zeekr, and Lynk & Co were modified in line with Geely Holding Group's restructuring strategy.[22] Geely Holding Group transferred its 11.3% stake in Zeekr Intelligent Technology (Zeekr) to Geely Automobile Holdings (Geely Auto). As a result, Geely Auto's shareholding in Zeekr increased to 62.8%.[23][24] Zeekr subsequently announced its acquisition of a 20% stake in Lynk & Co from Geely Auto for 3.6 billion yuan, along with Volvo Cars’ 30% stake in Lynk & Co for 5.4 billion yuan.[25] This transaction raised Zeekr’s ownership in Lynk & Co to 51%, while the remaining 49% continues to be held by Geely Auto.

Market availability

Zeekr first launched in China and started expanding into Europe. Its first European showroom opened in Stockholm, Sweden in 2023.[34] Sweden, together with the Netherlands, were the first European markets which Zeekr entered in 2023.[35]

In 2024, the brand expanded into Denmark, Germany, France, Norway, Israel, and Australia, and plans to enter the Singapore market by the end of the year.[36][37] It officially entered Thailand in July 2024 by introducing the Zeekr X.[38][39] Zeekr is also set to enter the Brazilian market in September 2024 and is planning to officially launch in South Korea in 2025.

Facility

In 2023, Zeekr had three R&D facilities in China – Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shanghai as well as Zeekr Technology Europe (previously China Euro Vehicle Technology or CEVT) in Gothenburg, Sweden.[44][45] Its global design center is also located in Gothenburg, Sweden.[46] Zeekr's European headquarters and sales office were moved from Gothenburg to Amsterdam due to higher concentration of experienced sales professionals.[47][48]

Zeekr's factory has a manufacturing capacity of up to 300,000 vehicles per year and can be expanded further.[49]

Products

Current Zeekr models

Zeekr 001 (2021–present), full-size shooting brake, BEV
Zeekr 007 (2023–present), mid-size sedan, BEV
Zeekr 007GT (2025–present), shooting brake variant
Zeekr 009 (2023–present), full-size MPV, BEV
Zeekr X (2023–present), compact SUV, BEV
Zeekr 7X (2024–present), mid-size SUV, BEV
Zeekr 8X (2026–present), full-size SUV, PHEV
Zeekr 9X (2025–present), full-size SUV, PHEV

Sales

External links

References

ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Holding Limited - US SEC FORM F-1 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, retrieved 11 May 2024^
Instagram www.instagram.com, retrieved 2025-08-17^
Phate Zhang/CnEVPost. Zeekr aims for 140,000 sales in 2023, to launch 2 new models, CEO says in internal letter