Zeekr has released the first images of its latest new launch, the 9X, which will be the first luxury SUV from Geely’s posh sub-brand.
The company has only sent a few stupid pictures of the car to tease us with a bit of switchgear and watch it parked in a puddle or something, but thankfully Vicky got some proper snaps when she saw the car in Beijing earlier this year.
It’s a plug-in hybrid, albeit with a 55kWh battery that is bigger than you’ll find in most actual electric vehicles these days. The car produces 897hp from its powertrain that includes two electric motors and a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.
Zeekr says that the car uses ‘next-generation’ 900V technology with its electrical system, which is 100V more than anyone else is using so it must be good.
The petrol engine mostly acts as a generator to juice up the massive battery, with the battery good for 137 miles of CLTC range (that’s the Chinese test procedure) that equates to just over 100 miles of WLTP and less than that in real world driving, which shows what a chonker the 9X is.
Fortunately with the fancy 900V tech it’ll get from 10–80% charge in just nine minutes, which isn’t quite on par with BYD’s new Blade tech, but certainly giving it a run for its money. And making the Range Rover Electric look old hat before it’s even gone on sale.
You’ve got 677 litres of boot in the 9X and it’ll tow up to 2,000kg, which is useful. It’ll do 0–62mph in 4.1 seconds, which is a bit bonkers, but it’ll be fun watching everyone throw up in the well appointed captain’s chairs in the back.
Twin 16in 3.5K screens up front make the dashboard look like a finance bro’s home office setup, but we’re sure that the 9X will feel suitably luxurious. Whether you’ll be able to check your stock portfolio or not is another question.
There are six seats inside in 2+2+2 formation, with swanky wood and leather trim about the place that Zeekr reckons is like being in a private jet. Think I'd rather have the jet though.
The sale date of the car is another subject entirely – strap in, I think I’ve got this worked out. The 9X is going on sale in markets where Zeekrs are already on sale, but it won’t be going on sale in markets where Zeekrs aren’t on sale until later. The UK falls in the latter category.
Pre-orders – where the 9X will be on sale – will open in the coming months, with deliveries before the end of the year. No idea what the price is yet, because each market is going to decide itself.
Zeekr is planning to start selling cars in the UK this year, but they won’t be the 9X yet. Zeekr does want to sell the 9X in the UK, but it doesn’t know when yet.
Let's temper our expectations by reading the news from 2024 that Zeekr was going to launch seven new models in the UK by 2026. The 7GT shooting brake is supposed to be the first car we're getting, at some point.
The 9X is already on sale in China though, no worries there – check out Vicky’s drive of the car here.
