After the British journalist Greg Kable published the first images of the Zeekr 01, we were unsure if the brand was for real or just an April Fool’s prank. Fully Charged got to drive the prototype at the Ningbo International Circuit in China and confirmed the 01 is a badge-engineered Lynk & Co, but not the 02. It is actually the Zero Concept. What the YouTube channel could not explain is why.
According to Geely, the idea with Zeekr was to create a premium electric car brand. Elliot Richards states the car has no plastics, just leather, Alcantara, and natural materials. The standard wheels are 21-inch units, and you can order 22-in rims instead. The car even has automatic doors, which open and close with simple commands. Yet, why Geely didn’t decide to sell it like another Lynk & Co instead of creating a new brand is a complete mystery.
Richards seemed very impressed with the hot hatchback built over the SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture). The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.88 seconds and can recover 120 km of range in only 5 minutes of charging. Although it was raining, he had a lot of fun driving the machine.
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The video helped answer many questions about the car, mainly about how it feels to drive it. Some others Geely had already answered, such as when the first deliveries will happen and where. Zeekr’s main target is the Chinese market, where it will be called Ji Ke. The first vehicles will meet their buyers in the third quarter of 2021.
Concerning sales abroad, Geely only said it would “explore export opportunities,” which means that is not the company’s priority for its new premium brand. We’ll probably see the 01 as a Lynk & Co vehicle in European markets such as Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, and Sweden. Clients in these markets would call it a Lynk & Co anyway.