Zeekr to launch hybrid model in H2 2025 in major strategy shift due to popularity

The battery electric vehicle (BEV) camp is about to lose one more stalwart, with Zeekr confirming it will launch a hybrid model.

Zeekr will launch a flagship SUV (sport utility vehicle) in the second half of 2025, which will be powered by Nvidia's Drive Thor autonomous driving chip and will offer variants featuring a new electric-hybrid powertrain technology.

Andy An, president of Geely Holding Group, CEO of Zeekr, mentioned the plan in Geely Automobile Holdings Limited's 2024 interim results announcement, marking the first time a Zeekr executive has mentioned a timeline for the launch of a hybrid model.

The flagship SUV, which is expected to go on sale in the third quarter of 2025, uses a hybrid technology that combines the advantages of plug-in hybrid and extended-range hybrid technologies, and will be better for users in terms of power, An said.

The system provides the same racking experience as BEVs in extended-range mode, while the engine is engaged to drive the vehicle at highway speeds, thus solving the problem of high fuel consumption of traditional extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) models at highway speeds, according to An.

This means that yet another new Chinese EV maker, which currently only offers BEVs, will start offering hybrid models as they are more popular with local consumers.

Earlier, Avatr Technology, an EV brand backed by Changan Automobile, CATL, and Huawei, launched its extended-range system.

Most of China's earliest EV startups targeted the BEV market in the beginning, but experience over the past few years has shown that consumers prefer hybrids without range anxiety.

Additionally, the huge success of Li Auto in the EREV market is further evidence of the greater acceptance of such models.

New Chinese car makers that originally offered only BEVs, including Leapmotor and Neta Auto, have all begun offering additional EREVs in the past few years, while Nio and Xpeng still offer only BEVs and have previously made it clear that they don't have any plans to launch EREVs.

Zeekr was founded in Mar 2021 and released its first model, the Zeekr 001 shooting brake, in Apr 2021, with deliveries beginning in Oct of the same year.

In addition to the Zeekr 001, Zeekr's current models on sale include the Zeekr 001, Zeekr 007, Zeekr 009, and Zeekr X, all of which are BEVs.

Zeekr has previously raised the possibility of launching hybrid models in the future. Offering hybrid models is not difficult for Zeekr, and it is not ruled out in the future, but for now it remains focused on the BEV segment, An told media including CnEVPost after launching the all-new Zeekr 009 MPV on Jul 19 in Hong Kong.

Zeekr wants to get the luxury pure EV models right first, with the possibility of considering EREVs in the future, he said at the time.