Zeekr 001: Discover this Chinese car soon available in Europe

The Zeekr 001 is another Chinese alternative to the Tesla Model 3. A welcome competition, which will soon expand to Europe.

Yet another “Chinese Tesla Model 3”! Zeekr has just announced to the Chinese press its intention to enter Europe, in addition to the United States as announced the previous week, starting early 2023. It aims for 100,000 exports by 2025.

This announcement is an opportunity to discover this brand and its only model, a sedan directly competing with the Tesla Model 3.

Zeekr is one of the many brands under the Geely group, the leading player in the Chinese automotive market, which also owns Volvo, Polestar, and Lynk & Co. Launched at the end of 2021, the brand plans a range of 7 models by 2025, but it currently only markets the Zeekr 001, which it hopes to deliver 70,000 units of this year.

Also read: Nio ET5: The Chinese Tesla Model 3 promises record autonomy

How does the Zeekr 001 fare?

The Zeekr 001 is a high-end D-segment sedan, rivaling the Tesla Model 3. Measuring 4.97 x 1.99 x 1.56 meters, it is slightly larger than the American, which measures 4.67 x 2.09 x 1.44 meters.

It features an 800 V battery from the Chinese manufacturer CATL, with 86 or 100 kWh, and one or two Nidec electric motors of 200 kW (272 hp) and 384 Nm. Three configurations are offered:

• 86 kWh all-wheel drive, NEDC range of 526 km
• 100 kWh front-wheel drive, NEDC range of 712 km
• 100 kWh all-wheel drive, NEDC range of 606 km
  Versions with two motors accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds, while single-motor version does it in 6.9 seconds.

In addition to offering considerable ranges (even if the NEDC standard is more optimistic than the new WLTP standard), it can recharge up to 360 kW, going from 10 to 80% in 30 minutes.

Technology

Inside, there’s a large horizontal screen with an interface openly inspired by Tesla’s. But unlike the Model 3, the Zeekr 001 features a digital instrument cluster behind the screen.

The vehicle finally promises good Level 2 autonomous driving (adaptive cruise control + lane centering), and Zeekr has recently partnered with Mobileye (an Intel subsidiary), with the ambition to surpass Tesla in Level 4 autonomous driving.

This Zeekr 001 is sold in China at prices ranging from 280,000 to 360,000 yuan (€38,000 to €50,000).

Also read: Autonomous car: Will Geely outpace Tesla?