No, that is not a roman numeral ten. Burgeoning EV automaker ZEEKR has rolled the first models of its new “X” SUV off its assembly lines in China less than two months after its initial launch. The automaker sees the SUV as a competitor to Tesla and premium automakers as it expands outside of China into new markets.
Parent company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd (Geely) announced ZEEKR as a new luxury EV automotive brand in March of 2021. Just over two years later, the EV automaker has already produced 100,000 EVs across two models with a third now joining the party.
It’s all part of an ambitious plan for 2023 that includes a fourth model, a potential IPO, and an expansion into Europe. Thanks to that update, we knew a third model was coming, rumored to be called the 003, but soon learned ZEEKR was in fact calling it the X – it’s first SUV.
By mid-April, ZEEKR officially launched the X SUV in China for under $30,000, sharing intentions to steal some customers away from other EV automakers like Tesla.
ZEEKR X deliveries expected this month, EU to follow
ZEEKR shared news of its speedy production progress via a recent post to its Weibo page, including the featured image above that showcases its assembly line employees gathered around the first build. The post also included the following caption:
The first batch of production vehicles officially rolled off the assembly line for 56 days, from the launch to the assembly line and once again refreshed the speed of ZEEKR.
The automaker shared that the first SUVs assembled will be shipped to company stores in various cities around China, with initial customer deliveries expected to begin by mid-June. It is available in three versions priced between RMB 189,800 ($26,700) and RMB 209,800 ($29,500).
When the X SUV originally launched, ZEEKR shared the June deliveries would kick off in China and soon be followed by Europe, before entering “Asian markets outside of China.” No other specific details were provided, however.
No matter the market, ZEEKR believes its new EV is a premium, affordable compact SUV that will appeal to a wide range of consumers while simultaneously helping propel the company to status as a top three automaker. ZEEKR CEO Any An previously shared that the X SUV will offer premium features like 5G AI, facial recognition, and an optional in-vehicle refrigerator.
With production now underway, ZEEKR intends to make good on its promise to deliver at least 40,000 of the X SUVs this year alone.
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