All-electric brand Zeekr confirms plug-in hybrid top model

Zeekr, Geely’s luxury electric car spin-off, has announced it will introduce a hybrid flagship to its line-up starting next year. Zeekr CEO Andy An confirmed the shift to combustion engine technology. It’s a watershed decision as the brand’s focus has been exclusively on battery electric vehicles until now.

The trend of hybridized drivelines gaining more momentum over battery-powered cars is also spreading among Chinese EV start-ups. BYD was the first to respond to the slump in electric car sales when Stella Li told the media that the hybrid line-up would cover the hurdles of BEV adoption in Europe. Zeekr, which launched European operations last year in dedicated countries, is jumping on the plug-in hybrid bandwagon.

Minimize consumption

Preliminary details on the PHEV model have also been released. It will be a flagship SUV, set to debut in the second half of 2025. Technology-wise, the model will be equipped with a revolutionary driveline blending the traits of a battery-powered, hybrid, and range extender vehicle to push the boundaries of fuel consumption under higher load circumstances. Zeekr’s supposed competitor to the BYD Yangwang U8 or BMW XM will minimize consumption at highway speeds, for example.

The system should most likely be able to intelligently match the different operation modes with the most suited driving scenario. As part of the large Geely group, Zeekr could have gone shopping within the range of brands for its driveline but ventures along its own path to highlight its role as a technology pioneer within the group.

This role is further advocated by the Nvidia Drive Thor autonomous driving chip, which will debut in the new model. This ground-breaking computer centralizes the different functions for automated driving, parking, assistance, and so on on a single chip to enhance efficiency and costs. However, it can run different operating systems simultaneously.

Battery-powered option remains

The hitherto unnamed flagship model will join the 001, 007, 009, and X (only the first and the latter are available in Europe). It will also be offered as a fully electric model in addition to the hybrid driveline.

The decision to introduce a hybrid model is not entirely unexpected, given the broader dynamics in the automotive market. While many of China’s early EV start-ups initially targeted the BEV market, consumer preferences have shifted, with hybrids gaining popularity due to their extended range and flexibility worldwide.

Zeekr’s announcement followed an earnings call. With its mother company, Geely, which posted a record profit and deliveries (13.5 billion euros from 955.730 deliveries during the first half of the year), Zeekr registered encouraging growth. Sales nearly doubled during the second quarter of the year. Zeekr is still making losses, which show a decreasing trend (10.7%).

Driven by a weakening Chinese market and EU import tariffs, the brand seeks to shift production abroad. The strategy is to expand the existing plant network from the group (of which Volvo Ghent is part) rather than build a new site.