Zeekr X, the small electric crossover that shares its underpinnings with the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30, went into production at the company’s manufacturing facility in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China.
The Zeekr X was previewed in February and an official market launch followed in April. Now, just two months later, the small battery-powered Chinese crossover is already rolling off the assembly line, with deliveries set to start later this month on the Chinese market.
Based on Geely’s Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA), the same that underpins the recently revealed Volvo EX30 and also the Smart #1 crossover, the Zeekr X has a starting price of just $27,6000 (189,800 yuan) in base rear-wheel-drive trim that offers 200 kW (268 horsepower).
An all-wheel drive variant that starts at $30,500 (209,800 yuan) is also available, and this one comes with a dual-motor setup that makes 315 kW (422 hp) and 400 pound-feet (543 Newton-meters) of torque, enabling a 0 to 62 miles per hour (0-100 kilometers per hour) sprint in just 3.7 seconds.
Both versions draw power from a 66-kilowatt-hour battery pack with Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) chemistry, with the automaker claiming the RWD model can cover up to 348 miles (560 km) on a single charge, while the AWD model can go up to 318 miles (512 km) between charges – both values calculated on China’s CLTC.
Gallery: 2023 Zeekr X
Zeekr aims to deliver no less than 40,000 units of the X this year to stores across China. A European debut is “expected in due course,” but it remains to be seen how parent company Geely will position the Zeekr X and Volvo EX30 on the Old Continent, considering both models are premium offerings that start under $35,000.
Zeekr was established in 2021 and sold 71,941 vehicles last year on the Chinese market. Besides the X, it also manufactures the 001 wagon and the 009 MPV, none of which are sold in Europe or the United States. However, this will change starting next year, when the Geely-owned brand plans to enter the Old Continent and aims to increase its sales volume to 650,000 units worldwide by 2025.
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