ZEEKR is developing a new mass market SUV to challenge the Tesla Model Y

According to a local media outlet in China, Geely-owned EV brand ZEEKR is quickly following up with an encore to its first mass-market sedan, which debuted last week. According to the report, ZEEKR already has a new mass-market SUV in development, which could arrive as early as next year and offer some competition to Tesla’s’ Model Y – currently the world’s bestselling EV.

ZEEKR is the luxury EV sub-brand of Chinese automotive powerhouse Geely that continues to expand at an impressive rate in China, Europe, and soon, the Middle East. Until last week, ZEEKR was touting a lineup of three EVs developed in a mere two years.

That began with its flagship 001 shooting brake, which recently evolved into a new quad-motor FR version, as well as the 009 multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and its first SUV – called the ZEEKR X. Earlier this month, however, ZEEKR began teasing the 007 – its first-ever sedan and only EV designed for mass-market appeal to date.

That BEV made its official public debut last week at the Guangzhou Auto Show, where we learned it will start at an MSRP of RMB 229,900 ($31,900) and begin deliveries in China this January.

In true ZEEKR fashion, that’s not all. The automaker is already working on a new SUV to soon join the 007 in the global market and just may be taking some cues from Tesla as its next challenger.

A new ZEEKR SUV is already in the works

According to a WeChat post from the AutoPix account out of China, ZEEKR recently held an internal meeting that involved two topics. The first was mass production of the 007 sedan; the second, a new SUV codenamed “CX1E,” expected to begin production by the end of 2024.

The 007 is part of ZEEKR’s current “C” product line of EVs, so the codename for the new SUV makes sense, as we previously reported the codename of the automaker’s first SUV was the “BX1E” before we learned it would, in fact, be called the ZEEKR X.

While AutoPix was originally the only outlet reporting news of a potential C line SUV, Electrek was able to confirm with sources close to the matter – that ZEEKR, in fact, was developing an SUV model that is designed similarly to 007 sedan. The design strategy will be similar to how the Tesla Model Y shares a majority of its design DNA with the Model 3. While those sources who requested to remain anonymous confirmed plans for a second SUV, we were told the exact time frame of its arrival will be decided at a later date.

This move makes a lot of sense as ZEEKR transcends the niche markets of shooting brakes and MPVs and looks to garner a larger piece of the global market with more universally appealing EVs. The 007 is the first step in that process, so a new SUV based upon that design but bigger could fare well from both a production efficiency and customer variety standpoint. It’s certainly working for Tesla with the Model 3 and Model Y.

For now, we will set our sights on the production launch of the 007 sedan, which will, without a doubt, be sold in all of ZEEKR’s current markets and probably more in the future. Given our recent confirmations, we are sure to learn more about ZEEKR’s new SUV plans in 2024 and are looking forward to it.