Geely’s New EV Brand Zeekr is So Popular it Had to Shut Down Pre-Orders After 2 Months
Earlier this year, Volvo parent company Geely launched a new fully electric car brand Zeekr (in Chinese Ji Ke 极氪). Zeekr will join its siblings Volvo, Lynk & co and Polestar under the leadership of Geely chairman Eric Li. The brand will focus on producing electric cars only, and has announced that it will reveal one new car per year for the next five years. The first one is the Zeekr 001.
Following the 001’s popularity at the Shanghai Auto Show, the brand opened up pre-sale through the brand’s WeChat mini program store and other channels. Last week Zeekr sent out an official account article, saying that demand for the vehicle has surpassed their expectations. In just 60 days, the brand reached its quota, and as of June 15 it has temporarily shut down pre-orders.
About the Zeekr 001
The 001 and its close cousin Lynk & co shares a familiar front fascia. However, the similarity ends from there. The 001 is based on the Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture platform that was specifically designed for the Zeekr brand.
It is good to see Geely choose a wagon version as its flagship model instead of the SUV or sedan form. I have always felt that wagons are the best of both worlds. They provide SUV-like interior space yet retain the fun-to-drive factor of sedans.
The design of the Lynk & co vehicles has proven its popularity among Gen Z buyers in China. With increased performance in comparison to Lynk & co, it’s not hard to predict the Zeekr 001 will be a hot seller among buyers that are looking for performance out of their family hauler.
The top dollar version will be equipped with dual motor which makes it All-wheel Drive and run dry around 435 miles (700km). The combined output of the front and rear axle is 536hp and 517 ft-lbs (700Nm) of torque and can propel the 001 from 0-100kph in 3.8 seconds.
The 001 also incorporated cool features such as “COVID-19” doors that open and close themselves for people who are afraid of touching things. Look ma no germs!
Leveraging D2C Model to Appeal to Younger Consumers
Jokes aside, the Zeekr 001 is a very well packaged electric vehicle, and the company has invested heavily in promoting the brand. The Lynk & co brand is very focused on young consumers, and we’re guessing Zeekr is too. Perhaps the “Z” in Zeekr stands for Generation Z?
To appeal to young consumers, the brand is taking a D2C approach instead of focusing on dealerships.
Geely plans to open two large ‘Zeekr Experience Centers’ and 60 ‘Zeekr Spaces’ in high-traffic and shopping centers across China. There will also be 36 delivery centers and 60 service centers. By 2023 Geely wants to build 20,000 charging stations across China.
As a side note, the brand has already announced it plans to take on the European market as early as next year.
Strong Social Presence for Such a New Brand
Also part of the D2C approach, Zeekr allows consumers to place a down deposit for a vehicle through its WeChat mini program. According to the brand, 310K new accounts were created on the Zeekr WeChat mini program during the first 60 days that the vehicle was available for pre-order.
In addition to a WeChat Official Account and mini program, it also has opened accounts on Weibo, Bilibili, and Douyin. The brand claims to now have over 1 million followers across all social platforms.
Besides official branded content, there are also numerous car review videos from influencers on Douyin and Xiaohongshu.
