Zeekr has confirmed the European and Belgian launch of the 9X, a 5.24-meter luxury SUV that marks a major change of direction for the Geely-owned brand.

Until now, Zeekr has presented itself in Europe as an electric-only premium brand. Its new flagship is a plug-in hybrid combining a 55.1 kWh battery, two electric motors, and a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine used as a generator.

One highly equipped version

Europe initially gets one version, the six-seat 9X Ultra AWD. Zeekr quotes 660 kW (897 hp) and 935 Nm, sufficient for 0 to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 240 km/h.

Its 900-volt system should recharge the battery from 10 to 80% in 9.5 minutes. Preliminary figures indicate an electric range of around 179 km and a total range of 737 km.

Those figures have not been homologated. Zeekr estimates electric consumption at 28.5 kWh/100 km and fuel consumption with a depleted battery at 8.9 liters/100 km.

The provisional 77 g/km CO2 figure assumes that most journeys are electric. In Belgian use, operational emissions could remain around 80 to 100 g/km for an owner who charges daily, but rise to 120 to 140 g/km with an equal mix of electric and petrol driving. Without regular charging, tailpipe emissions would exceed 200 g/km.

Less extreme than in China

The European 9X is powerful, but China gets more choices. Buyers can select five or six seats, 55- or 70-kWh batteries, and dual-motor or tri-motor drivetrains. The Hyper and Obsidian Black versions produce 1,030 kW, or 1,381 hp, and reach 100 km/h in around 3.1 seconds.

Europe instead receives a specification close to the Chinese six-seat Ultra with the smaller battery. It also misses, for now, the new five-seat executive model, which replaces the third row with a two-seat lounge offering up to 1.4 meters of legroom and raises luggage capacity from 677 to 1,082 liters.

Europe’s driver-assistance package also appears more conservative. Zeekr confirms lidar, Highway Navigation Assist, and Remote Parking Assist, but not the Chinese H9 system, five-lidar setup, or Level 3 capability. It will initially operate as a supervised Level 2 vehicle.

The Audi Q9 arrives at the same moment

The timing puts the 9X directly opposite the new Audi Q9 in size, price, and luxury positioning, although their powertrains differ fundamentally.

The Zeekr is a 897 hp plug-in hybrid with around 179 km of provisional electric range, while the Q9 initially launches in Belgium with mild-hybrid V6 diesel engines in 245 hp and 299 hp.

The Q9 offers seven seats as standard or six as an option, with air suspension, automatic doors, and individual electric seats in the second row. In Belgium, it launches with 245 hp and 299 hp 3.0-liter V6 diesel engines. Prices start at €110,900, with deliveries due in Q4 2026.

Audi relies on brand strength, residual values, and an established service network. Zeekr counters with almost three times the power of the 299 hp Q9, a large plug-in battery, and more extravagant equipment.

The Zeekr 9X Ultra counters with air suspension, massaging and ventilated seats, a 32-speaker Naim audio system, a refrigerator, twin 16-inch OLED displays, a 47-inch head-up display, and a 17-inch ceiling-mounted screen.

Chinese prices cannot be converted directly. The equivalent six-seat Ultra with the 55 kWh battery costs 485,900 yuan in China, while certification, transport, VAT, warranties, and dealer margins will add considerably.

Based on Zeekr’s European price ladder and rivals including the Audi Q9, BMW X7, Mercedes GLS, and Range Rover, a Belgian starting price between €115,000 and €125,000 appears realistic. Around €119,900 is the most plausible estimate.

That would make the 9X highly competitive on equipment, but Belgium presents an additional obstacle. Expensive premium SUVs are heavily driven by the company-car market, where a plug-in hybrid is generally less attractive than a battery-electric model.

The provisional 77 g/km figure also lies just above the 75 g/km threshold used in Belgium’s revised treatment of certain new-generation PHEVs.

Lockout raises ownership questions

The European announcement comes shortly after a Chinese 9X owner highlighted the risks of increasingly software-controlled cars. During a trip from China into Kazakhstan, the vehicle’s cross-border protection system restricted navigation, the electronic glovebox, and the fuel filler door for more than 30 hours.

Zeekr said the measure was intended to prevent theft, smuggling, and unauthorized exports, and stressed that propulsion and braking remained operational.

The company apologized and promised an unlocking code and an over-the-air switch to disable the system, which should eventually be off by default.

Such a border lockout should be far less likely in an officially imported Belgian car configured for European travel. EU consumer rules would also make it difficult to defend arbitrary restrictions on essential functions.

However, Zeekr has not clarified whether European cars use the same mechanism, what happens outside supported markets, or whether essential functions remain accessible during connectivity or backend failures.

The 9X, therefore, arrives as both Zeekr’s most ambitious European product and a test of how far buyers are willing to trust a young, highly connected Chinese-Swedish luxury brand.

At an estimated €120,000, it would offer far more power and equipment than Audi’s new Q9 for only a modest premium. Whether that compensates for weaker residual values and a smaller service network, and for Belgian PHEV taxation, remains to be seen.