Geely-backed Zeekr Group said on Thursday that its deliveries increased 1.5% sequentially in April to 41,316 vehicles. Deliveries of the Zeekr brand fell 11% from a year ago to 13,727 vehicles.
The recently integrated Lynk & Co brand, which also sells petrol models, delivered 27,589 vehicles in April, up from 25,293 units delivered in March. According to the company, 56.3% of those were either fully electric or hybrid vehicles.
In a research note published on Wednesday, Deutsche Bank’s analyst Wang Bi had expected Zeekr Group to report 38,300 vehicles sold in April.
Over the last few weeks, sales of Zeekr vehicles have been rebounding after the usual slowdown at the beginning of each quarter. Between April 21 and 27, the brand sold 3,500 vehicles in China, up nearly 30% from the previous week.
Zeekr 9X SUV
The luxury brand debuted the Zeekr 9X SUV, its first hybrid model, at the Shanghai Auto Show last week.
The premium brand is positioning itself as a competitor to Rolls-Royce and Maybach, with VP of Global Design Stefan Sielaff describing the 9X as the first model to move the brand in that direction.
The SUV features a CATL’s battery which provides a range of over 380km (240 miles) — “the longest among hybrid SUVs globally,” the brand claimed in a statement. The model is equipped with five LiDAR sensors for advanced L3 (Level 3) driving capabilities.
Zeekr announced that the 9X is set to launch globally in the third quarter, when “V4 ultra-fast chargers with peak charging power of up to 1.3 MW” are launched.
During last week’s Auto Show, Zeekr Europe CEO Lothar Schupet told the Independent that the brand is preparing to launch in the UK “early next year,” a process that is “not very complex” it is already in right-hand drive markets in the Pacific.
Lynk & Co SUV
Lynk & Co — which was previously under the Geely Group umbrella and is now detained by Zeekr — launched on Monday its flagship model, the Lynk & Co 900. The brand said it secured 10,000 orders within one hour.
The model starts at 309,900 yuan ($42,600) — lower than the pre-sale price announced a month ago of 330,000 yuan ($45,400), in which the model had recorded over 40,000 pre-orders, according to the Group.
The SUV is available in four variants, two of which are powered by CATL‘s batteries. The SUV is 5,240 mm long, 1,999 wide and 1,810 mm high, with a wheelbase of 3,160 mm — the brand’s largest vehicle yet.
Sales Target
The company is targeting group-wide sales of 710,000 vehicles in 2025, representing a 40% increase from last year.
In the first four months of the year, the Group reached 21.9% of its annual target with 155,327 units delivered. The Zeekr brand aims to contribute 320,000 units to that goal. As of the end of the first quarter, it had sold 51,130 vehicles, which represents 16% of the guidance.
