ZEEKR 7X

Yet another electric SUV moseys over from China – but this is a fancy one

- VICKY PARROTT

Here we are again, then. Zeekr is the latest Chinese marque planning to elbow its way into the UK car market. Owned by Geely (and therefore sharing an overlord with Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Smart), Zeekr was established in 2021 in its domestic market, chiefly as a Tesla rival.

Zeekr is already well entrenched in EV-dominated European markets including Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands and is making inroads into France and Denmark, and its global expansion will continue with the introduction of the 7X to the UK next year.

The 7X is a large electric SUV that sits on a version of the SEA platform that underpins the Polestar 4 and Smart #5. At just under 4.8 metres long, it's comparable to cars like the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y.

Although UK specs and pricing haven't been confirmed, we would expect that the Core model, with its 71kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery and WLTP range of 298 miles, will start at roughly £45,000. The Long Range version will get the same rear-wheel-drive setup but with a 94kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery for 382 miles of range for around £50,000.

We drove the top-spec Privilege, which gets the same 94kWh battery but uses a dual-motor powertrain with an eye-roll inducing output of 637bhp. It's good for a WLTP range of 337 miles, while pricing is likely to be around £55,000.