Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr began selling a redesigned version of its best-selling 001 on Tuesday with a slew of performance features including an extended driving range and faster charging speed at a cost of RMB 269,000 ($37,364).
Geely Automobile’s Zeekr is strengthening its offerings with an enhanced advanced driver assistance system, or ADAS, which will enable hands-free driving functions on Chinese motorways, in the face of competition from Tesla and home rivals such as Xpeng, Huawei, and Xiaomi.
Why it matters: The new 001 is the latest example of how Chinese automakers are stepping up a months-long price war by offering ever-increasing high-tech, luxury-style features for the same price or less, as the world’s largest EV market consolidates.
- The Zeekr 001’s first full model change in three years, with more than half of the components refreshed or replaced, has pushed costs up by RMB 50,000 per unit, but the company has kept the starting price the same. The automaker cut prices of the model by around 10% from its original price in August 2023. The Zeekr 001 accounted for 60% of the brand’s sales last year.
Range boost: At a press event at Zeekr’s headquarters in Hangzhou, company officials emphasized how the all-new 001 beats rivals with its large battery packs and high-voltage architecture, providing more range and allowing for faster charging.
- Zeekr offers two standard versions of the revamped 001. A rear-wheel drive model is powered by a 100 kilowatt-hour (kWh) Qilin battery pack which provides a driving range of 750 kilometers (466 miles) between charges, while an all-wheel drive variant can reach 675 km on a single charge with 95 kWh Shenxing batteries.
- Both battery types, sourced from CATL, boast an extremely fast charge. Owners can add 525 km of range in 15 minutes with the Qilin batteries which charge at a 4C rate. The latest-gen Shenxing supports vehicles to run 256 km after a five minute charge at a 5C charge rate and needs 30 minutes to go from 10% to 80% at a temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius.
Self-driving improvement: Zeekr integrated the revamp with roof-top lidar as standard, along with high-definition cameras and ultrasonic radar sensors around its perimeter, allowing the vehicle to spot objects 200 meters away, a combination intended to avoid complex situations and possible collisions.
- The sports wagons will feature an upgraded version of a feature called Navigation Zeekr Pilot (NZP), which would take over basically all driving functions on the motorway, such as changing lanes and overtaking cars, according to the company. It is set to be available to drivers in 60 major Chinese cities by March and 90% of the country by June.
- Zeekr expects to start inviting drivers to beta test a more advanced version of the ADAS software by June, allowing them to navigate around complex city streets without moving the steering themselves. The EV maker has embarked on a hiring spree for advanced driving with plans to increase the unit’s headcount from 800 to 2,000 by year-end.
Market outlook: Management expects the all-new Zeekr 001 to contribute at least half of its sales in 2024, with monthly deliveries reaching 10,000 units per month, Jason Lin, a vice president, told reporters on Tuesday. The company will commence delivery on Friday with a goal to deliver 230,000 EVs this year, nearly a 100% increase from last year, Reuters reported.
- The battery EV competes with crossovers and sports sedans such as BYD’s Denza N7, as well as the upcoming Xiaomi SU7. Rivals from BYD to Great Wall Motor have been ramping up efforts to develop self-driving technology, a drive that has been led by Huawei and Xpeng in China.
- Lin was bullish on the firm’s outlook, adding that the company will expand its retail network to 525 shops by year-end, adding 100 or so flagship showrooms in first- and second-tier cities and another 100 smaller ones in lower-tier cities. Zeekr currently has four models on sale, including the cheaper sedan 007, the multi-purpose van 009, and a compact crossover.
READ MORE: Geely to sell its Zeekr electric cars directly to customers
