ZEEKR 009

Zeekr is a relatively new brand in Singapore, launched just last year. It was recently fully acquired by Geely, a major Chinese automaker that also owns Volvo and Lotus.

- KENNY YEO

Electric vehicles lend themselves well to certain types of cars. MPVs are one of them. I'll list some reasons why. Electric powertrains are incredibly quiet and smooth - qualities that are important for any car that seeks to prioritise comfort. The way they deliver maximum torque so quickly and effortlessly is also helpful because MPVs are big and heavy – and get heavier still when fully loaded with passengers.

It's for these reasons that I'm most keen to experience the Zeekr 009, which, on paper, seems to have all the qualities to make it the perfect MPV.

If the name Zeekr is unfamiliar to you, it's probably because the brand only launched in Singapore last year. The origins of the name are pretty interesting, and I'll leave it to you to go to the company's website to find out for yourself, but the thing to know is that Zeekr was very recently fully acquired by Geely, one of China's largest automakers, which also happens to own Volvo and Lotus. The 009 is a humongous 3-row MPV. It's over 5.2 metres long and over 2 metres wide. And at over 1.8 metres tall, most people can't see it over. Needless to say, it cuts an imposing figure on the road. Naturally, parking spaces will be tight. But thanks to its army of sensors and cameras, it's unlikely you'll be hitting anything. The styling is interesting, particularly in front. Zeekr calls it an “intelligent front grille”, and I suppose it is because the headlights are cleverly integrated into an elaborate arrangement of slants and grills. There's a slight whiff of Rolls-Royce Cullinan about it. Though the headlamps look inadequate, I can confirm they are nuclear. I had to use the high-beam once to caution a wayward car ahead of me one night, and I must have momentarily turned night into day.