Australia could get a monster plug-in hybrid SUV with more than 1000kW, while promising more than 1000km of driving range.
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Zeekr is looking to expand its existing electric-only model lineup in Australia, shortlisting multiple new and yet-to-be-released SUVs planned for its home market of China, promising huge power outputs from plug-in hybrid technology.
As the brand looks to grow its sales volume in Australia, local managing director Frank Li identified a new range of plug-in hybrid SUVs as being an attractive avenue for growth.
“The Zeekr X and 009, the product itself is quite competitive, but the segment is quite niche in Australia,” Li said.
“In the Zeekr brand we have 10 models right now. We definitely will bring something new in the future, but that is still under consideration.
“We find a lot of potential in the Australian market especially for plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
"Since we have launched our first PHEV model in China – the 9X – we are going to launch another model in China called the 8X."
While technical details of the Zeekr 8X are currently scant before its reveal, the 5.2-metre-long 9X is set to open for pre-orders in China in August before reaching showrooms by the end of September.
The Zeekr 9X PHEV combines a 205kW 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine with three silicon-carbide electric motors, according to Car News China. The 9X PHEV gets a 70kWh battery, very large for a plug-in hybrid.
Chinese specifications list a hybrid driving range of 1000km, a power output of 1030kW, and a blistering claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.1 seconds.
Zeekr’s current sales performance in the Australian market is soft after the brand arrived at the end of 2024, registering fewer than 500 total deliveries in the first half of 2025.
The Zeekr X clocked up 384 deliveries in the first half of 2025, while the 009 accounted for 66 sales in that same period.
However, Li hopes the introduction of the 7X medium SUV – which is priced from $57,900 plus on-road costs – will give a solid boost to Zeekr’s sales numbers, and push it beyond 5000 annual deliveries in the medium term.
“We’ve had a very good start. 400 or 500 per month is a number that is reachable,” Li told Drive.
“The 7X brings us the biggest potential, and the Australian market is a very important market for us, as usual.”
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Sam Purcell has been writing about cars, four-wheel driving and camping since 2013, and obsessed with anything that goes brum-brum longer than he can remember. Sam joined the team at CarAdvice/Drive as the off-road Editor in 2018, after cutting his teeth at Unsealed 4X4 and Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures. Off-road writer of the Year, Winner - Sam Purcell
