"In June this year, the monthly delivery of the ZEEKR brand exceeded 20,000 units for the first time; In the first half of this year, the ZEEKR brand delivered more than 87,800 units, ranking first among Chinese pure electric brands with a price of more than 200,000 yuan. ”
On July 19, at the launch conference of ZEEKR's new 009, ZEEKR CEO An Conghui revealed the current achievements of ZEEKR.
Especially since 2024, the development of ZEEKR can be said to be advancing at the speed of light:
In the first three weeks of January, ZEEKR's market share surpassed Tesla in Zhejiang, ranking first among China's pure electric brands. This is the first time that a Chinese brand pure electric model has dealt a frontal blow to Tesla.
On March 30, the "Guidelines for the Operation and Management Service of Electric Vehicle Public Charging Stations" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines") drafted by ZEEKR and the Development Research Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation were released.
In May, ZEEKR successfully IPO, setting a record for the shortest time from the establishment of new energy vehicles to IPO; In June, the monthly sales volume of ZEEKR exceeded the 20,000 mark, and as of the end of the month, the cumulative sales of ZEEKR exceeded 280,000, approaching the 300,000 mark.
Among them, the most eye-catching achievement is that ZEEKR won the sales championship of more than 200,000 pure electric models in the first half of 2024. Some people say that "as long as the adjective is added more, anyone can be a champion", but if the adjective does not reduce the difficulty, then this sentence is not accurate. For ZEEKR, this sentence is obviously not true, because there are huge challenges for any piece of 200,000 and high-end pure electric vehicles.
Since its establishment in 2021, ZEEKR has been constantly rising, not only in terms of sales, but also in terms of products and brands. After the press conference, someone mentioned ZEEKR's views on doing hybrid or extended range, and ZEEKR did not rule out such a possibility. But at this stage, ZEEKR's greater ambition is to be the banner bearer of more than 200,000 high-end pure electric brands in China. There are so many new energy brands on the market, and ZEEKR needs to answer a question first, why ZEEKR?
Taking the new 009 as an opportunity, we can sort out a series of strategic logic and playing styles of ZEEKR.
Surprisingly upright Extreme Krypton is a luxurious two-card card
In terms of brand setting, ZEEKR has always conveyed the label of technology ZEEKR. All new brands are inseparable from technology, but each brand has different resources and investments, and the results can vary dramatically.
ZEEKR has two cards in its hand, one is something inherited by ZEEKR based on Geely's 30 years of car manufacturing accumulation and precipitation, which is the foundation of ZEEKR, including safety, handling, quality, etc.; The other is ZEEKR's continuous investment in new technologies, including three electrics, ultra-fast charging and replenishment networks, intelligent technology, etc. If these two things are combined, we call it "keeping the right and surprising", "positive" is consolidating the foundation and cultivating the yuan, and "strange" is continuous innovation.
The case for security is the most typical. MPV is afraid of continuous rear-end collision, ZEEKR 009 uses up to 2000 megapascal high-strength steel, designs double A-pillars, applies the integrated die-casting body to the MPV, and passes the world's only MPV serial rear-end collision test.
In response to the problem that the door is difficult to open after a collision, ZEEKR adopts a triple safety design, with the optimized arrangement of low-voltage batteries in the cabin, millisecond-level automatic unlocking, and dual backup mechanical door locks for the inner and outer doors to ensure that the doors are unlocked in time in the event of a collision.
In terms of acceleration and handling that MPV has the most reason to justify, Zeekr has not compromised. The all-new ZEEKR 009 is upgraded with a high-performance silicon carbide electric drive system, with a horsepower of 788 hp in the dual-motor four-wheel drive version, and it only takes 3.9 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100. In terms of handling, the 100-0km/h braking distance is 36.6 meters, the elk test score is up to 76m/h, the new car adopts the front double wishbone + rear integrated multi-link independent suspension, the whole system is equipped with CCD electromagnetic damping as standard, and the dual-chamber air suspension is upgraded to achieve chassis lifting and intelligent magic carpet function.
According to official statistics, 1,336 of the 2,465 assembly-level components of the new ZEEKR 009 vehicle have been upgraded, and the vehicle upgrade rate is as high as 54%. Behind such a fast update and iteration efficiency is actually the support of ZEEKR's strong system capabilities.
Price is the most intuitive embodiment. The official retail price of the new Zeekr 009 starts at HK$439,000 in Chinese mainland, and the retail price for users in Hong Kong, China starts at HK$755,000 after enjoying the one-for-one subsidy.
The technology and equipment of the new car are being upgraded, but the actual price is even cheaper than the previous generation. MPV is not a volume model, and many parts of the 009 are very scarce, and the price of the new facelifted model has been reduced, which seems to be a bit against the law of business.
An Conghui explained that in addition to the decline in the cost of the core three electrics, there is a more important reason that the scale effect brought by the vast architecture of ZEEKR has reduced the cost.
Under the vast architecture, ZEEKR itself, including Geely Group's brother brands, has a very high component commonality rate, and many core technologies such as motor and electronic control are also fully supported by Geely's Weirui Energy. This is obviously not an advantage that a new force that has just been established for three years can accumulate. An Conghui also revealed this in an interview: "The development of ZEEKR to this day is not the result of the establishment of the ZEEKR brand for three years, but the formation of precipitation, accumulation, mergers and acquisitions, cooperation and continuous investment in the past 30 years since Geely entered the automotive field. ”
The accumulation of Geely Group can only ensure that ZEEKR has better weapons at birth, but it cannot guarantee continuous combat effectiveness and stay on the battlefield, and it also requires ZEEKR itself to have a steady stream of innovation capabilities.
We can see the tip of the iceberg of ZEEKR in technological innovation on ZEEKR 009. Many car companies are not willing to invest too much in pure electric MPV, one of the reasons is the high cost, high risk, once unsuccessful, it takes a lot of time and energy, and it is easy to miss market opportunities. But ZEEKR believes that taking the more difficult path can have greater rewards.
Before the development of 009, ZEEKR made a series of MPV pain points list, including battery life, handling, luxury, and large space, and then broke down the related problems one by one.
The all-new ZEEKR 009 adopts a full-stack 800V high-voltage architecture and is equipped with the latest generation of 5C Kirin batteries. The new ZEEKR 009 equipped with a 108-degree 5C Kirin battery has a range of up to 740 kilometers, which is currently the longest 800V architecture MPV, and it only takes 11 and a half minutes to charge the SoC from 10% to 80%, and the battery life is 500 kilometers in 10 minutes; Equipped with a 140-degree ultra-large capacity Kirin battery, the all-new ZEEKR 009 has a range of 900 kilometers.
Handling is a point that is easy to ignore, in the past, the development logic of MPV was mainly passengers, more inclined to business, which naturally avoided some family users. However, Lin Jinwen, vice president of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology, believes that MPV can please family members and business partners while pleasing oneself, and the MPV category has undergone subversive changes in the new energy era, and ZEEKR 009 should be an all-round excellent student.
In Mobileye's latest generation of intelligent driving solutions, ZEEKR 009 integrates lidar, and the high-speed NZP covers more than 95% of the cities.
Considering the privacy needs of high-end users, ZEEKR 009 has made a lot of attempts in this regard. "Incognito mode" can erase more than 10 private data such as navigation, calls, WiFi and Bluetooth connection records; "Guest Mode" can limit vehicle speed, driving mode and intelligent driving functions, and restrict the use of functions and applications involving personal information. The "Smart Privacy Sound Shield" function isolates the sound from the front and rear rows.
Based on two 8295 cockpit chips, the new ZEEKR 009 is connected to the KR AI large model, so that the ZEEKR smart voice assistant EVA is fully upgraded to AI EVA, which allows the vehicle to have more initiative: when entering the tunnel, it will actively suggest closing the window to open the inner loop, and when going home and parking, it will predict the next day's power in advance based on commuting habits, and take the initiative to remind it to charge in time.
The construction of these core competitiveness makes ZEEKR more confident to deal with the uncertain market impact. For the current abnormal involution of the price war, An Conghui also gave a clear statement, "We do not rely on price to participate in market competition, the most important competitiveness of the ZEEKR brand is to create the ultimate travel experience for users through products and technology, and to fight quality wars, technology wars, as well as brand wars, service wars, and win market competition." ”
The supercharging layout is on par with NIO's battery swap
On May 30, 2024, a plane slowly landed in Beijing, which is the private jet of Elon Musk, the world's richest man. Later, some media broke that Musk was flying on a G700 business jet produced by Gulfstream. This is the world's largest manufacturer of private jets.
And today ZEEKR 009 users will have the possibility to fly on the same brand of private jet as the world's richest man. This comes from a car purchase policy for 009 users. Through cooperation with the best domestic business jet travel platform, including Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault Falcon, and other models, it will provide users with routes covering Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, allowing two people to ride at the same time, all free of charge within one year.
Obviously, in terms of brand building, ZEEKR can be said to have entered the "rich area", especially in the 009 model, ZEEKR has played a combination punch, not only providing 467 different versions, but also a variety of models to choose from. It even set up a Guanghui business department to hunt for the high-end market.
To attack the high-end market, a necessary premise is to do a good job of adequate service guarantee. The soldiers and horses did not move, and the grain and grass went first.
In the first half of this year, the biggest turmoil in the entire industry was that Tesla laid off the supercharging team overnight, and the outside world has different opinions about this, some people believe that this is to give concessions to the upcoming intelligent driving and invest more resources in intelligent driving; Some people also believe that with the gradual improvement of marketization, supercharging has completed its historical mission, and the return on continuous high-cost investment is very low.
As the world's first self-built energy supplement network, Tesla's every move has attracted much attention. Musk's unusual move has made the outside world begin to re-evaluate the value of domestic car companies' layout of energy replenishment networks.
However, in the Chinese market, ZEEKR adheres to two judgments: a good intelligent electric travel experience is strongly related to energy supplement; In the short term, it is impossible to rely on the self-drive of the market to solve these problems. As an OEM, ZEEKR must personally lay out the layout in order to solve the problem of users' mileage anxiety.
There are two benchmark cases on the energy replenishment network of China's smart electric vehicle market, one is NIO's battery swap network, and the other is ZEEKR's supercharging.
Many people only know about NIO's battery swap, but they don't know that ZEEKR also has a very high deterrent effect on the energy replenishment network. ZEEKR stands in a higher dimension than Tesla in supercharging. It is mainly reflected in two aspects, one is technology, ZEEKR proposes the concept of ultra-fast charging; The second is breadth, ZEEKR is a global thinking layout supercharge, and the "1515 convenience store plan" has been proposed through 3 800V.
At the technical level, the peak power of Tesla's V2 charging pile is about 145kW, which belongs to the category of fast charging, and the peak power of the V4 charging pile is 350kW, which belongs to overcharging. The self-built and self-operated energy supplement network of ZEEKR started from the first pile, which was the extreme charging V1 charging pile with a peak power of 360kW, and the subsequent layout of V2 and V3 single-gun peak power reached 600kW and 800kW. According to the "guidelines", it belongs to the category of ultra-fast charging, which is a generation ahead of Tesla in technology.
In the 800V architecture, ZEEKR emphasizes the trinity of vehicle pile network, which must ensure that users can find the pile within 15 minutes and charge it within 15 minutes. As of June 30, ZEEKR has built a total of 515 pole charging stations and 2,731 pole charging piles, ranking first in the industry in the number of 800V ultra-fast charging piles. Among them, the 800 kW fully liquid-cooled V3 charging pile that has been in operation has the world's highest peak power of a single gun, and is the fastest charging pile on the market.
With Hong Kong as a bridgehead, the world will shoot a longer range
Those who do not seek the overall situation are not enough to seek a domain. An Conghui said that when the ZEEKR brand was established, it was defined as a global brand. As a global brand, ZEEKR must be internationalized and globalized, and its products will also enter various market segments around the world.
The choice of the new ZEEKR 009 to be listed in Hong Kong is a very symbolic design, Hong Kong is China's gateway to the world, and as a bridgehead, ZEEKR's anti-aircraft guns can shoot a longer range.
Relevant research data show that the recent purchase of new cars in Hong Kong, the proportion of new energy vehicles has reached more than 70%, the highest time exceeded 85%, whether Hong Kong or Macau, the entire new energy market is developing rapidly, especially the MPV market. In order to gain a firm foothold in the Hong Kong market, ZEEKR has done its homework. Specially developed right-hand drive products, and even application software will be developed and adapted according to the actual situation of local users.
During this time, ZEEKR carried out intensive product launches in Hong Kong. On July 17, the right-hand drive version of ZEEKR X was launched in Hong Kong; Two days later, the all-new 009 right-hand drive version will be available in Hong Kong, with mass deliveries due to the fourth quarter of this year.
Chen Yu, vice president of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology, said: "As of now, we have a store in Hong Kong, which has been in operation for more than two months, and another store will open next week. This store is located at No. 12 Taikoo Bay, with an area of nearly 1,000 square meters, similar to the positioning of the mainland's 'ZEEKR Center', and ZEEKR will lay out 7 stores in Hong Kong in the future, of which 4 are sales stores and 3 are after-sales centers. ”
Before that, ZEEKR needs to do a lot of preparatory work, including overall product planning and technical strength. An Conghui said that ZEEKR already has such conditions, and at present, the development of all new products of ZEEKR is carried out at the left and right helm at the same time, and it is launched simultaneously.
Up to now, ZEEKR has entered nearly 30 international mainstream markets including Sweden, Netherlands, Thailand, Mexico, etc., and plans to expand its business scope to 50 countries and regions around the world by the end of this year, covering Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Australia and other important markets. Among them, the European market will be one of the key expansion areas of ZEEKR, and it is expected to achieve layout in 8 luxury country markets.
The 200,000-level pure electric vehicle is the most fierce and difficult area in China's new energy vehicle market. In the past few years, only Tesla has shown unprecedented dominance in this field, and countless Chinese brands have launched an offensive against Tesla, all of which have ended up in failure. In several battles with Tesla, ZEEKR has made a good start, and China's high-end intelligent pure electric car brands must go abroad and base themselves on the world to achieve greater achievements.