Zeekr 003: New Chinese electric city SUV previewed

One of the newest car brands owned by Chinese auto giant Geely has previewed its smallest model yet. It’s unlikely to come to Australia – but its twin under the skin, the Volvo EX30, is expected to reach local showrooms.

Electric-car brand Zeekr – created by Chinese car giant Geely, which also owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and more – has previewed its third production model ahead of a formal unveiling at the Shanghai motor show in April 2023.

The new model – previewed in photos of a camouflaged prototype – is not expected to come to Australia.

Although the Zeekr name has been trademarked in Australia, the company has not yet announced any plans to sell cars locall.

It is the twin under the skin to the upcoming Volvo EX30 city SUV, which is due in Australian showrooms by the end of this year, pending any delays.

Insiders at Zeekr’s Chinese headquarters in China say the new model is due to receive the 003 name – which fits alongside the Zeekr 001 liftback-style sedan, and Zeekr 009 multi-seat people mover.

The Zeekr 003 is based on parent company Geely’s Scalable Electric Architecture (SEA) electric-car platform, shared with the Zeekr 001 and 009, Volvo EX30, and the Smart #1 city SUV, alongside which the Zeekr 003 has been developed and will be produced.

Little information has been divulged about what will power the Zeekr 003, though Drive understands it will be sold with a choice of single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive systems developing between 200kW and 315kW, depending on the model.

The car is slated to have been styled in Gothenburg, Sweden by an in-house team led by Geely design director Stefan Sielaff – a 30-year car design veteran, formerly of Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

Included are thin LED driving lights integrated neatly with the bonnet, and horizontally-mounted headlamps below.

The side of the new Zeekr model receives large wheelhouses with deep crease lines within the surrounding bodywork, conventional rear-view mirrors, flush door handles, a wide C-pillar treatment and sloping roofline.

Distinctive horizontal tail-lamps with simple LED graphics housed at the base of the window are seen at the rear, with red reflector units below. The rear window wiper is short – possibly one of the smallest ever fitted to a modern production car.

Dimensions of the new model have not yet been divulged, though expect a car similar in size to the new Smart #1, which runs to 4270mm in length, 1820mm in width and 1640mm in height.

In its first full year of operation in 2022, Zeekr sold 72,000 cars – but the company is aiming to sell 140,000 cars this year, and expand into global markets such as Europe and North America.

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