Chinese premium EV brand Zeekr has appointed Dieter Hannes as Country Manager for Belgium and Luxembourg, effective 12 August. His arrival marks a new phase for the Geely-owned brand, shifting up one gear.
After spending its first months building a dealer network and making itself known, Zeekr now has to convert that footprint into meaningful fleet and retail volumes.
Hannes brings more than a decade of Belgian automotive experience. He started at KPMG as an auditor and management consultant before moving to D’Ieteren, where he became Business Manager and later District Manager for Audi Belgium.
In October 2024, he joined Astara Western Europe as Country Manager for KGM Benelux, overseeing the former SsangYong brand in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
That last assignment for Hannes is particularly relevant. Under Hannes, KGM expanded its Belgian dealer network and reported 80% sales growth in the first quarter of 2026. His approach focused heavily on established local dealers, exactly the strategy Zeekr has also chosen for Belgium.
Familiar face waiting
There will also be a familiar face waiting for Hannes at Zeekr. Marketing & PR Lead Thomas De Meuter was Audi Belgium’s long-serving PR manager at D’Ieteren, meaning the pair already worked together when Hannes was Audi District Manager.
De Meuter later moved to Inchcape, where he helped build BYD’s profile in Belgium before joining Zeekr. In that sense, Zeekr is increasingly staffing its Belgian operation with people who know both the established premium market and the rise of Chinese brands.
From launch mode to volume
Hannes is not simply replacing Jens Van Humbeeck, who led Zeekr’s Belgian market entry. Van Humbeeck, previously Head of Belgium, remains with the company as Head of Retail.
He helped build the Belgian organization from scratch and expand the network across the country. Hannes now takes responsibility for the broader commercial operation, including brand development, sales, network growth and the planned launch in Luxembourg.
That division suggests that Zeekr is moving from start-up mode into a more mature phase. The Belgian launch in late 2025 was quick, but volumes remain modest.
According to Febiac, 586 Zeekrs were registered during the first seven months of 2026, including 102 in July. That gives the brand a market share of 0.23%.
More ambition than market reality
Zeekr’s declared targets sit considerably higher. European CEO Lothar Schupet has openly named Audi, BMW and Mercedes as its main competitors in the Belgian B2B market.
For now, that is more ambition than market reality. BMW registered 28,290 cars in Belgium during the first seven months of 2026, Mercedes 18,045 and Audi 16,632, compared with just 586 Zeekrs. The comparison is not entirely like-for-like, as Zeekr sells only EVs, but it illustrates the mountain still to climb.
Before taking on the German establishment, however, Zeekr also has to win the battle among Chinese challengers. BYD has already registered 4,725 cars in Belgium this year, and XPeng has registered 1,306.
The latter is perhaps Zeekr’s most direct Chinese rival today, with a similar technology-led, upmarket EV positioning. Nio targets much the same premium customer but remains marginal in Belgium with only 38 registrations.
And another threat is arriving from above: BYD is rolling out its premium Denza brand in Europe specifically to challenge companies such as BMW and Mercedes.
Belgium could nevertheless suit Zeekr particularly well. Company cars dominate the electric market, making leasing rates, residual values, service coverage and total cost of ownership at least as important as the showroom price. Zeekr has already been building relationships with fleet and leasing companies, including BNP Paribas and Arval.
Netherlands shows what is possible
Across the border, Zeekr already has a longer track record. The Netherlands was one of its first important European markets and today has around 3,800 Zeekrs on the road.
The 7X has already become the largest model in the Dutch fleet with roughly 1,475 cars, ahead of the 001 with around 1,193 and the X with 842. The recently launched 7GT is already approaching 300 registrations. The figures are based on live RDW registration data.
That changing model mix matters. The 7X attacks the heart of the European electric family-car market, where it faces cars such as the Tesla Model Y, BMW iX3, Audi Q6 e-tron, Volvo’s electric SUVs and XPeng G6.
The new 7GT gives Zeekr something less common: an electric shooting brake with up to 655 km of WLTP range and an 800-volt architecture capable of charging from 10% to 80% in as little as 13 minutes.
Widening its European footprint
Zeekr is simultaneously widening its European footprint. Its presence now stretches from Scandinavia and the Benelux to Germany, Switzerland, southern Europe and several eastern European markets.
The European range has grown from the X and 001 to the 7X and 7GT, while the 897-hp 9X flagship takes the brand another step upward into the luxury segment.
Behind that expansion sits Geely’s considerable industrial and technological scale, but European success is far from guaranteed. Zeekr has the performance, charging speeds and equipment to challenge established premium manufacturers, but it still needs brand recognition, strong residual values and customer confidence to turn those advantages into volume.
That is where Hannes comes in. His Audi and D’Ieteren background gives him experience in the traditional premium and dealer world, while KGM taught him how to grow a less familiar Asian brand. The first phase put Zeekr on the Belgian map. His job is to make sure people start buying it.
