Zeekr X already poaching Volvo EX30 buyers

When Zeekr arrives as an all-new EV-only auto brand in Australia around October, its debut model will be a small luxury electric SUV called the Zeekr X, and it’s already attracting a lot of attention – including from would-be customers of its sister brand Volvo.

Priced from about $60,000, the Zeekr X will be followed in November by the bombastic circa-$150,000-plus Zeekr 009, which is being touted as the world’s fastest people-mover.

Although pre-orders for the Zeekr X won’t officially open until sometime in August, carsales can confirm that dealerships who have signed up to sell Zeekr vehicles have started taking customer deposits for the compact electric SUV – and they’re coming at the expense of its sister model, the new Volvo EX30.

Tipped to be priced similarly to Volvo’s all-new baby SUV at between $60,000 and $70,000, the Zeekr X is based on the same EV platform as the EX30 and carsales understands that some customers who placed orders for the new Volvo EV have since changed their minds and instead paid deposits for the Zeekr X.

Reasons cited by dealers for the switch – after customers physically experienced the EX30 for the first time – relate primarily to two issues: tight passenger and cargo space and a Tesla-style single central multimedia screen.

Liberating more room for occupants and their luggage, the Zeekr X rides on a longer wheelbase than the EX30 (2750mm versus 2650mm) and is also longer overall at 4432mm, making it almost 200mm longer than Volvo’s small EV (4233mm) and closer in size to the mid-size Mazda CX-5 (4550mm) than the small CX-3 (4275mm) SUVs.

Two Zeekr X model grades with two different battery-electric powertrains – single-motor rear-drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive – are expected to form the Aussie range and both of them will come with a larger 14.6-inch central touch-screen alongside a small digital instrument cluster, which is not offered in any Volvo EX30 variant.

Furthermore, the just-launched Zeekr Australia website confirms that top-spec all-wheel drive X variants will feature a massive 24.3-inch panoramic augmented reality head-up display that projects navigation and vehicle data onto the windscreen ahead of the driver.

The EX30, meantime, can only display vehicle speed and battery charge info at the top of its smaller 12.3-inch central touch-screen.

Other features officially confirmed for Aussie vehicles include a 13-speaker Yamaha audio system, a large panoramic glass roof, five exterior colours (white, beige, two greys and a green) and three interior colour schemes, including pink and purple (mulberry and rose).

Given this year’s entire stock allocation of Volvo EX30 vehicles – limited to just 1500 units in total – is already sold out and that many Volvo dealers are also expected to add Zeekr to their portfolios, it’s likely the Zeekr X will find plenty of favour with Aussies who may not be prepared to wait for the pint-size Volvo.

Zeekr Australia’s marketing chief, Andrew Haurissa, said it was too early to talk about exact pricing and wouldn’t be drawn on the names of the two Zeekr X variants headed Down Under, but he did confirm that an “industry standard warranty” would be part of the deal, so expect a warranty of at least five-year/unlimited-km.

“Zeekr X will play in the small SUV segment but I can’t tell you the price just yet because we haven’t finalised that. But the EX30 is a good comparison,” he said, hinting at a circa-$60K opening price.

“It’s the sister brand, it’s based on the same platform and Volvo is a premium brand known for its safety,” he said, indicating that Zeekr may leverage its fellow Geely-owned Swedish brand’s reputation for safety at least.

The Zeekr X will be fitted as standard with seven airbags and it’s understood that its ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) functions – such as lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control – are currently being calibrated on local roads to suit Australian tastes.

The Chinese luxury SUV has been spotted testing on public roads in Victoria this week, following its appearance in Sydney a couple of months ago.

Zeekr will face an uphill battle convincing Aussie buyers it is a genuine luxury car brand to rival the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but Haurissa is confident the upstart Chinese car-maker can gain a solid foothold Down Under.

“From a brand perspective I think we want to be perceived as and play in that luxury car field, given the quality of the product, the finishes and even the performance to a degree.

“We have a 66kWh battery in the Zeekr X and it has rear-wheel and all-wheel drive at 440km and 420km ranges.

“It even has a pet mode where you can leave your pet in the car and it keeps the cabin ventilated and lets passerby know you’ll back soon.

“I think it gives a different offering to the public, so we will attract Volvo owners and I think we can also compete against some of the BMW models,” said the Zeekr exec, singling out the BMW iX1 compact electric SUV – which is priced from just under $80,000 – as another rival.

Full Australian specs have not been detailed, but federal government homologation documents reveal that 200kW/343Nm single-motor RWD versions will come standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, while the 315kW/543Nm dual-motor AWD Zeekr X will ride on 19-inch alloy.

“There are many learnings for us when we launch the brand, but we are on our own trajectory and given that we are a pure EV brand it lets us look at things differently,” said Haurissa.

“I think the Zeekr X will provide a compelling offering.”

Zeekr is one of at least a dozen Chinese challenger brands that plan to launch in Australia over the next 18 months or so.

After its small SUV and people-mover models launch the Zeekr brand here this year, a new mid-size electric SUV dubbed Zeekr 7X is expected to arrive in 2025, followed soon after by another model – possibly the Zeekr 007 mid-size sedan.

That will give the ambitious Chinese brand direct rivals for both the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 – Australia’s two most popular EVs.

For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au