Premium SUV by Zeekr takes aim at German rivals

Zeekr, the premium electric marque of Geely, launched a compact SUV on Wednesday in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, aiming to challenge German carmakers BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

The electric Zeekr X comes in three variants at prices starting from 189,800 yuan ($27,600), with a maximum range of 560 kilometers.

The model can generate a maximum output of 315 kilowatts and a top torque of 543 Newton meters. Its acceleration from 0-100 kilometers per hour takes 3.7 seconds.

In pursuit of purer styling, the Zeekr X adopts a frameless door design, frameless electric rearview mirrors and a hidden electric charging port cover. It also allows the locking and unlocking of the vehicle through facial recognition.

The carmaker found that the use of rear space in the compact models is less than 11 percent. To improve this, the Zeekr X allows the rear seats to be folded up for pets or a wardrobe. The SUV also features a 5.7-liter refrigerator.

An Conghui, CEO of Zeekr, said the company's flagship 001 four-door coupe is the sales champion of pure electric vehicles priced more than 300,000 yuan among Chinese brands and its second model, the 009, became the sales champion of luxury MPVs priced above 500,000 yuan within three months of its launch.