Zeekr hints at electric 911 rival as F/R performance plans emerge

Zeekr has openly declared Porsche as the benchmark for its future high-performance ambitions, with international CEO Mars Chen confirming to carsales the Chinese brand’s F/R division remains active, and that a secret new tyre-shredding model is currently under development. 

Zeekr wants to move further upmarket and according to the company’s international CEO Mars Chen, there’s one brand it increasingly sees as the benchmark. 

“You need to aim at Porsche,” Chen told carsales. 

He made the analogy that if Zeekr’s parent company, Geely, was similar to Volkswagen, then Zeekr’s high performance F/R sub-brand could evolve into a Porsche rival. 

It’s a striking comparison, but one Chen appears comfortable making as Zeekr sharpens its role within Geely’s sprawling automotive empire. 

Chen said there are two distinct paths to building a premium automotive brand in mature markets such as Europe and Australia. 

“So for Zeekr we want to go up. How to go up? Two dimensions, performance or super luxury.” 

The latter is already well underway. 

The Zeekr 8X and 9X luxury SUVs have both been confirmed for Australia and will arrive within the next 12 months or so, giving the brand a pair of large, lavishly equipped flagship models aimed at buyers considering established premium marques. 

But Chen was equally enthusiastic discussing Zeekr’s performance ambitions. 

Like BMW’s M division or Mercedes-AMG, F/R serves as Zeekr’s in-house performance arm, tasked with producing the vehicles designed to elevate the brand’s enthusiast credibility. 

The first major statement came in the form of the Zeekr 001 FR; an ultra-high-performance electric wagon that leverages a quad-motor drivetrain to generate a massive 930kW/1280Nm and rocket from 0-100km/h in 2.4 seconds.  

To harness that level of intensity, the car is fitted with track-ready AP Racing 10-piston front callipers paired with Brembo carbon-ceramic discs.

But that was revealed in late 2023. Since then, activity from Zeekr’s F/R division virtually halted, with Chen acknowledging as much. 

“So this performance direction, yes, I agree that it seems to be slow down after nothing really happened,” he told carsales before grinning... 

“But you know, something is planned. Something is planned.” 

Naturally, that raises questions about what exactly Zeekr could be preparing.

Could it be a halo sports car designed to showcase the company’s technical capabilities? Or perhaps even something positioned as a genuine rival to future electrified sports cars from Porsche and Polestar? 

Chen wouldn’t elaborate on specifics, but he didn’t dismiss the idea either. 

“We need a halo model. But further information, I’m really sorry, I cannot share with you,” he said. 

“I just want you to know the ambition is always there. In Chinese pronunciation or Chinese name, Zeeku, means extreme, ultimate.” 

Those ambitions become even more interesting when viewed through the lens of the upcoming Zeekr 7GT, a model he said could get the F/R treatment. 

“Yes, you are right that, when things change the context, the background changed a little bit,” he said. 

“When Zeekr was founded five years ago, the idea was to be a standalone, to be a comprehensive carmaker. 

“But now, after the one Geely strategy, the position for Zeekr is … to aim at Porsche.” 

Zeekr’s Australian expansion is set to accelerate over the next 12 months with the arrival of larger luxury-focused models, but the bigger intrigue may lie in what comes next for the F/R division. 

Chen was careful not to overstate where Zeekr currently sits in the luxury hierarchy, though he also made clear the company believes it already has the products capable of eventually earning that reputation. 

“We are not a luxury brand yet, we are humble. But also, we have confidence. 

“So … to be a better accepted luxury premium brand, you need to prove yourself. 

“You need to [do this] by entering the area nobody else can do so.” 

For now, exactly what form Zeekr’s future halo car will take remains unknown, but with Porsche now openly identified as the target, expectations around the brand’s future F/R projects have become far more interesting. 

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