Zeekr is another string in Geely’s bow, an upmarket brand aimed squarely at European customers who might otherwise have aligned themselves with the continent’s many homegrown auto makers. Started just five years ago, the brand stewardship is overseen by VP of design Stefan Sielaff, an RCA-trained German automotive designer best known for his long stint at Audi, where he headed up Audi Design, as well as six years as Design Director at sister company Bentley Motors.
Zeekr 001
Thoroughly au fait with the ethos and aspiration of the premium and luxury buyer, Sielaff relished the blank slate offered by Zeekr. Currently the European portfolio consists of four cars, the compact X SUV, the 001 Shooting Brake, the 7X SUV and the new 7GT, crossover. Currently EV-only in Europe, the company is debating expanding the range with a couple of larger and more luxurious hybrid SUV models that are currently only sold in China.
Zeekr design studio, Gothenburg
Wallpaper* spoke to Stefan Sielaff about the brand’s origin story and ambitions the future.
Zeekr 7X
Wallpaper*: Where does Zeekr sit in the European market?
Stefan Sielaff: We started the brand five years ago – I had the chance to build the brand and design philosophy from scratch. Zeekr started as a pure EV brand to compete with Tesla in China, and we’re now into the third phase of products there, post EVs towards NEVs (New Energy Vehicles). We’re also moving massively into the luxury market with the 8X and 9X SUVs and 009 MPV.
Zeekr 001
W*: How is China shaping the perception of luxury cars?
SS: China is moving away from European brands and German brands in particular. Consumers are now proud to go to a Chinese brand. In Europe, Zeekr is a little bit behind [this shift] – our dealerships in Germany only just opened. For now, we are mainly focused on the 001, 7X and 7GT models.
W*: So what defines Chinese luxury?
SS: First and foremost, don’t expect that Chinese luxury is about having some kind of details or bits and pieces that look Chinese. Zeekr is not about being superficially Chinese – we’re pretty much global, That was our approach from the beginning. One example [of the Chinese approach] is our 9X. This is a Range Rover-sized SUV. It has three rows of seats and you can turn the second row around 180-degrees for a conference-style layout. This is pretty rare in Europe – I think customers here will appreciate this.
Zeekr 7X SUV
W*: How do you feel the Zeekr name will take root in new markets?
SS: I studied at the RCA and spent six years at Bentley, so I know the market. The UK has a very strong car tradition – so it will take time, maybe five years. It’s not only selling the cars - it’s about having a partnership with the customer. Our marketing and sales are done out of Amsterdam, so have a European approach. But we’re also active in 40 emerging markets around the world.
W*: How will Zeekr expand beyond pure EVs?
SS: The pluralism of what can be done in terms of technology and layout is so huge in China. I have to admire the Chinese engineering because it doesn’t stop. There is not really one [drive train] technology that specifically supports a certain protocol. We would always deliver more hybrids into an SUV form because of the scale.
The new Zeekr X
W*: Is all the design based out of the studio in Gothenburg?
SS: I think it helps credibility by having a design studio in Sweden. We’re not a satellite studio – we actually re-established a design studio in Shanghai two years ago. There are around three hundred OEMs and start-ups making cars in China and not all of those will be able to survive. It’s the same in Europe – only the fittest will survive. So you’ve got to really make a case to stand out. And have a portfolio that people want to move between and grow up with.
W*: What are the defining qualities of Zeekr design?
SS: We don’t have a ‘Russian doll’ approach where every product in the portfolio looks the same. The cars have individual characters as well as some consistent elements, like the grill. We have a very clean, very reduced shape language that makes a quiet statement without over-decoration. Inside, it’s a bit more solid. We have exquisite materials and partnerships with Bridge of Weir leather and Swarovski – it’s quiet unusual for a Chinese OEM to look at suppliers in Europe.
W*: What about the reliance on screens? Will you have more physical switches.
SS: We have an HMI/digital design department here in the design studio. There are switches, like the hot keys and centre console. I mean, what is better than a window switch? On the door, close to the window – this is something that has been there for generations. To have to fiddle around the display on the third submenu – this is definitely not happening as long as I am involved.
The dashboard of the Zeekr 7GT
But it is a little bit related to the demands of the customers in different markets. Chinese customers use the interiors very, very differently to Europeans. The layout of the digital infrastructure is almost the number one selling point for the customer, not the exterior.
The exterior has to be good, of course, but the number one reason why they buy a car is digital infrastructure and interaction with media. In Chinese cities, autonomous driving is used quite a lot already, so there is more chance to use digital media. If this is done well, especially for younger customer groups in Europe, it will become a factor as digital natives are going to ask for it.
Zeekr 7GT