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High-end NEV market transformed by China's automotive companies

By CAO YINGYING | China Daily | Updated: 2025-07-11 00:00
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As Chinese consumers' expectations for luxury cars evolve in the new energy era and blind faith in foreign brands declines, domestic automakers are making efforts to drive technological breakthroughs, reshaping the global high-end auto market.

Geely's premium NEV brand Zeekr has emerged as a key player in this transformation, with the launch of its Super Hybrid architecture, SEA-S, in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, on Wednesday.

As an offshoot of the Sustainable Experience Architecture, which has powered 1 million vehicles across nine Geely brands over the past five years, SEA-S is the world's first full-stack 900-volt high-voltage hybrid architecture and the first to achieve megawatt-level total electric drive power.

Addressing common pain points in hybrid and range-extended electric vehicles — limited electric range, slow charging, and poor low-battery performance — Zeekr leverages its pure electric technology to break through the 400 V architecture bottleneck via SEA-S.

This advancement is set to revolutionize traditional hybrid experiences, potentially outperforming many pure electric models, according to Zeekr.

The Zeekr 9X flagship SUV is the first car built on SEA-S, which debuted at the Shanghai auto show in April and will start pre-sales at the Chengdu auto show at the end of August.

With three silicon carbide-powered e-motors, the model can deliver a peak output of 1,030 kilowatts and accelerate from 0-100 kilometers per hour in 3.1 seconds.

Thanks to SEA-S's industry-leading layout capabilities, the Zeekr 9X features a 70 kilowatt-hour hybrid battery. Paired with Zeekr's proprietary hybrid thermal management, it delivers a world-leading 380 km pure electric range, over 1,000 km combined range, and a 20-80 percent charge time of just 9 minutes.

Zeekr also revealed its independently developed range extender generator, boasting a peak power of 145 kW. Recharging the battery from 30 percent up to 80 percent capacity takes just 90 minutes.

Safety, a key benchmark of luxury vehicles, remains Zeekr's top priority. The 9X embodies this through upgraded body materials, production processes, safety design, and testing standards.

Additionally, the model features Zeekr's latest G-Pilot H9 driving-assist system for the first time with five lidars and 43 sensors, which is expected to achieve Level 3 driving-assist capabilities.

The car also features an artificially intelligent digital chassis with closed dual-chamber air suspension, dual-valve Continuously-Controlled Damping, and China's first 48 V active stabilizer bar which enables strong all-terrain adaptability.

Lin Jie, senior vice-president of Geely and vice-president of Zeekr, said at on Wednesday that Zeekr is entering the hybrid sector with a flagship model. The 9X aims to compete with luxury models priced above 1 million yuan ($139,320), including renowned brands like Rolls-Royce, Porsche, and Land Rover.

The United States' automotive media InsideEVs hailed the new architecture as a "novel invention". It said that while most manufacturers focus on electrifying internal combustion-oriented platforms, Geely is taking a different approach by integrating petroleum engines into its EV platforms.

Backed by Geely's global resources, Zeekr has expanded its presence to more than 40 countries and regions. In China's Hong Kong, it has achieved the top position in luxury car brand sales. In Central Asia's Kazakhstan, it leads the pure electric brand rankings, while in South America's Brazil, it stands alongside industry giants BMW and Volvo in the high-end pure electric market.

To support its global expansion, Zeekr is building ultrafast charging stations in countries such as Thailand, Australia, and Brazil, while working to establish a comprehensive global service ecosystem that enhances the ownership experience for all customers.

In June, Zeekr reached the milestone of 500,000 unit sales, the fastest in the global luxury pure EV sector in just 44 months. With an average price of 300,000 yuan, a maximum price of nearly 900,000 yuan, and overseas unit prices exceeding 1 million yuan, it holds a leading position in the high-end luxury market and demonstrates high brand strength and market competitiveness.

 

The Zeekr 9X flagship SUV is the first car built on SEA-S, which will start pre-sales at the Chengdu auto show at the end of August. CHINA DAILY

 

 

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