2025 Zeekr 009 people-mover targets Lexus LM on price

Chinese luxury EV brand Zeekr is planning to shake up the high-end people-mover segment when it launches the 2025 Zeekr 009 in Australia late this year, pitching the all-electric MPV as the quickest and most luxurious in class – but with a competitive price tag.

The Zeekr 009 might still carry a $150,000 (plus on-road costs) opening price, and sail beyond $200K with its top-spec model, but Zeekr CEO Andy An – who is also head of Geely Auto, which includes Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and a raft of other lesser-known brands – is confident it will appeal to well-heeled families, executives and transport services Down Under.

“It is the Rolls-Royce of MPVs,” An declared at the 009’s debut in right-hand drive guise in Hong Kong.

“It is the world’s fastest-accelerating MPV,” he added, referencing the flagship dual-motor variant that pumps out 580kW/810Nm and can reach 100km/h from standstill in a claimed 3.9sec, which should get the school run sorted quick-smart.

“We want to compete with the world’s auto giants and we want to not only lead in China, but also across the world and set a new [MPV] benchmark.”

That includes packing in a massive 140kWh battery good for a claimed 900km range, based on the Chinese-market CLTC test cycle.

Local pricing and specifications haven’t been confirmed for the 5.2-metre-long luxo-barge, but carsales understands top-spec models could be priced in excess of $200,000, while entry-level vehicles will start at around $150,000 before ORCs, mirroring the pricing of the Lexus LM hybrid.

Despite the hefty prices, the EV brand has already notched up more than 3000 pre-orders for the new model overseas, which is a heavily upgraded version of the original 009 launched in China in late 2022.

However, Australian sales expectations are modest.

“It’s a niche product for Australia at the moment so we’re not looking at selling hundreds of units per year,” said Zeekr Australia and New Zealand’s head of marketing, Andrew Haurissa.

“There is a market for luxury MPVs, we just haven’t seen one at this price range.

“What’s exciting is that it has a level of luxury that’s never been seen before in MPV, but also a level of speed and an incredibly high cruising range as well.”

Hyper-luxury people-movers are hugely popular in Asia but it’s not clear who exactly is going to buy the 2025 Zeekr 009 in Australia.

According to Haurissa, the company will start with private buyers.

“There will be multiple avenues for us to market this vehicle, but first and foremost we’ll go retail, looking at real retail customers, knowing very well there will be appetite for this among select groups,” he said.

“Then we’ll see where that that brings us. There is a retail bias for us but corporate limos and so on will come into play as well.”

Andy An added that celebrities, pop stars and CEOs have accounted for more than 75 per cent of buyers in China thus far and that the Zeekr 009 is the “number-one MPV choice for successful people today”.

He said current owners also have Mercedes-Maybach and Range Rovers in their garages.

Beyond its incendiary pace, some of the mind-melting features of the 2025 Zeekr 009 include a 30-speaker 3000W Yamaha audio system with speakers built into the head restraints, underneath the soft Nappa leather seat upholstery.

Three different seating configurations are available (catering for four, six or seven occupants), all of which feature a pair of second-row captain’s chairs with at least 16-way power-adjustment, heating, cooling, massaging and even vibrating elements that combine with a fold-out 17-inch 3K OLED digital screen and audio system to deliver eight different guided meditation courses to improve passenger wellness.

It’s not clear which versions are coming to Australia yet, but Haurissa said “we will be looking at more than one model variant” – including the six- and seven-seat versions.

He added that the four-seater is unlikely to be available at launch, but said the ultra-luxury ‘Glory’ version that features lie-flat first-class rear seats could be an option at a later date.

Zeekr has clearly left no stone unturned in its pursuit of a first-class experience in the 009; other notable features include fold-out tray tables, a massive panoramic glass roof, special eye protection interior lighting and a foot wellness system that has various foot heater settings.

Digital touch-screens are also embedded in both power-operated sliding side doors that act as climate control panels, while a bar fridge that runs off the 140kWh battery (even when the vehicle is turned off) has a UV sterilisation function and is billed as the only intelligent constant-temperature fridge offered in the car industry.

A special non-tracer mode all but disconnects the vehicle from the grid to ensure ultra-secure communications while a ‘sound shield’ between the cockpit and passenger cabin ensures that drivers won’t overhear conversations either.

Built-in artificial intelligence with a unique LLM (large language model) has been added to the facelifted 009 that connects to most vehicle systems, providing AI-powered voice commands for pretty much anything you can think of.

One example given saw verbal requests for a three-day road trip with stops along the way including “good food events”, plus movies and songs to match, followed by occupants asking the car to “turn on the AC, change the fridge temp and turn on seat massage and the TV”.

Not surprisingly, there’s virtually no physical buttons or dials in the cockpit of the 2025 Zeekr 009, but it does come with three large digital displays, including a massive 36-inch augmented reality (AR) head-up display (HUD) and a 15-inch OLED central touch-screen.

A special magic carpet ride system scans the road in front of the vehicle and can adjust the adaptive dampers and adjustable air suspension to deliver super-smooth ride comfort.

The 009 will be available in both single- and dual-motor configuration, and three battery sizes are compatible with the car – 108kWh and 116kWh, below the range-topping 140kWh pack that’s slated for Australia.

“That’s what we were looking at, the 140kWh 800-volt version,” said Haurissa.

“But we’re still working through configurations and will confirm details in due course.”

In China, the 140kWh battery pack can be added for the equivalent of $10,000 on lower-spec model grades. It is supplied by Chinese battery giant CATL and the 009’s 800-volt electrical architecture allows for a class-leading 600kW charging bandwidth.

Using an ultra-fast DC charger, Zeekr claims it can add 500km of range in just 10 minutes.

The vehicle’s dimensions are 5217mm long, 2024mm wide and 1812mm tall, with a 3205mm wheelbase, and along with its lashings of luxury, it’s also claimed to be the safest MPV on the market – despite only seven airbags fitted across the cabin.

Zeekr says the 009 is the only MPV certified with front and rear collision tests and showed a crash test where the vehicle drove at 60km/h into the rear of a stationary truck, then was soon after rear-ended by another SUV at 50km/h, with all doors on the vehicle opening normally after the crash.

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