Sleek new Zeekr 7GT offers over 400bhp for less than £40k
If you don’t yet know the name Zeekr, you soon will, because this high-end Chinese brand is coming straight for BMW
This is the Zeekr 7GT, a high-performance electric shooting brake with world-class performance, charging and tech. Launching in Europe with prices from under £40,000, it’ll spearhead a whole range of models due in the next year or so.
Zeekr is a brand from the Geely empire, and its cars share many of their underpinnings with sister models from more familiar brands such as Volvo and Polestar. This new 7GT is the latest of its high-spec vehicles, and will compete with models including the forthcoming BMW i3 and Mercedes C-Class with EQ Technology. This sounds ambitious, but the numbers suggest you shouldn’t dismiss it.
The 7GT is based on a new-generation architecture that runs on a high-spec 800V electrical system. There are two battery options available: 75kWh and 100kWh, and both are capable of charging at up to 450kW, if you can find a charger powerful enough. This means it’ll top-up the battery from 10-80 per cent on some models in as little as 13 minutes – significantly faster than anything European brands are currently capable of.
Overseas versions of the 7GT (which is called the 007GT in other markets, but for obvious reasons can’t be called that here due to trademark issues) offer both single and dual-motor options with 416bhp and 637bhp respectively. In the case of the dual-motor version, Zeekr quotes a 3.3-second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 131mph, putting it right at the cutting edge of cars in this class in terms of outright performance.
Take a look inside, and it’s clear that Zeekr has been taking notes on its European rivals, offering a high-quality interior that’s more BMW than smartphone. Yes, there’s still an array of two screens (one 13-inch driver’s display and a much larger central touchscreen), but the cabin in which they’re fitted has been designed to encapsulate the driver. The high centre console, contoured steering wheel and an array of physical controls on both the steering wheel and centre console all look and feel resolved and well constructed.
An example of how focused Zeekr is on cracking into the European market can be seen in something as simple as the body shape, which is an uncommon shooting brake. Other models in the Zeekr line-up take on more traditional saloon or SUV styles, but the 7GT and its unashamed focus on European customers best represent the brand’s ultimate statement of intent.
Zeekr has yet to firmly commit a time to joining the UK market, but with the scale and might of Geely and its subsidiary companies to help it scale up, we suspect the 7GT and other Zeekr models to hit the ground running, as they have in Europe.
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