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<\/a><\/p>\nCHENGDU, China (Reuters) -Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr on Wednesday launched a compact, all-electric sport utility vehicle, as it targeted a premium market in China that has been dominated by German automakers.<\/p>\n
The Geely-owned brand said it also planned to offer the SUV-styled Zeekr X and its Zeekr 001 EV sedan in Western Europe without saying when that would be.<\/p>\n
With a starting price of 189,800 yuan ($27,615.31) in China, the Zeekr X offers features such as facial recognition to unlock the car and an option for an in-vehicle refrigerator, Chief Executive Andy An told an event in China’s southwestern city of Chengdu. <\/p>\n
The company will start delivering the Zeekr X in China from June with a target of delivering 40,000 this year, An said.<\/p>\n
Zeekr’s event to launch the new model took place ahead of the Auto Shanghai show, scheduled for April 18-27, where automakers such as Chinese brand Nio and Germany’s BMW are expected to show off their latest models. <\/p>\n
An said Zeekr would provide more details on its strategy for overseas sales then. After Europe, Zeekr will target Asian markets outside China, An said without providing details.<\/p>\n
The Geely-owned EV maker has jointly developed a small EV for use as a robotaxi in partnership with Alphabet’s self-driving technology unit Waymo.<\/p>\n
An said Zeekr had no current plan to sell its EVs directly to U.S. consumers.<\/p>\n
EV makers such as Zeekr and Nio have taken market share from German automakers such as Mercedes Benz and BMW in China by launching EV models more quickly. <\/p>\n
In also targeting Europe, Zeekr joins a range of Chinese automakers that are selling or planning to deliver EVs for that market, including BYD, Xpeng and SAIC’s MG brand.<\/p>\n
French auto consultancy Inovev estimates Chinese brands will represent up to 20% of EVs sold in Europe by 2030.<\/p>\n
Pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars, accounted for 44% of first-quarter sales of premium cars in China, data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show. <\/p>\n
While Geely founder Eric Li has ambitions for Zeekr, it lags EV peers in China. <\/p>\n
It sold 15,234 of its two existing models – the 001 sedan and the 009 multi-purpose vehicle – in the first quarter, accounting for just 2% of China’s battery electric vehicle sales. By comparison, Nio sold 31,041 vehicles in the same period while Tesla sold 137,429.<\/p>\n
Zeekr aims to double annual sales in 2023 to about 140,000 vehicles. <\/p>\n
($1 = 6.8730 Chinese yuan renminbi)<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Zoey Zhang and Brenda Goh; Editing by David Goodman, Barbara Lewis and Bill Berkrot)<\/p>\n
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