Carmaker Geely enters China’s packed electric-vehicle arena with the long-range Zeekr 001

The carmaking giant has entered the fray against Tesla by launching an EV it describes as a vehicle to excite rather than commute in

Conventional carmakers are upping the ante in EVs and mounting a challenge to Tesla, says Yale Zhang, managing director of Automotive Foresight

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A Zeekr 001 car on display at Geely’s factory y in Hangzhou Bay, China. Photo: Daniel Ren

Published: 10:49pm, 15 Apr 2021Updated: 12:38am, 16 Apr 2021

Zhejiang Geely Holding, one of China’s biggest carmakers and the owner of Sweden’s Volvo Cars, has entered the fray against Tesla by launching an electric car it describes as a vehicle to excite rather than commute in.

The Zeekr 001 car, a four-door sedan with a driving range of 700km (435 miles), is priced at 281,000 yuan (US$43,098), a little higher than the Shanghai-made Tesla Model 3’s starting price of 249,900 yuan.

It will offer air suspension that automatically adjusts ground clearance, and frameless automatic doors that open when a passenger approaches, and close behind them.

“The Zeekr brand is here to succeed in the premium EV [electric vehicle] segment,” said Geely president An Conghui, who is also chief executive of Zeekr Technology, at a launch ceremony on Thursday.

He said it took the carmaker five years to create the new Zeekr brand. It will compete in a fast-changing car market where electrification and digitalisation are the keys to the future of mobility.

“We have the best resources of a car company behind us, including an established supply chain and a wide industrial footprint that is ready to begin producing vehicles.”

Designed in Sweden at Geely Design Gothenburg, the Zeekr 001 will use facial recognition to adjust the car’s settings to the personal preferences of who ever is approaching. Over-the-air updates will be conducted at least once a quarter for the lifetime of the car.

“The Zeekr car is big and spacious, and that will help it attract Chinese drivers,” said Yale Zhang, managing director of Automotive Foresight, an industry researcher in Shanghai. “Conventional carmakers are now upping the ante in EVs and mounting a challenge to Tesla and other leading EV start-ups.”