Zeekr confirms three new models for New Zealand, and you can drive them on ice this month

Zeekr has confirmed three new models for New Zealand, with the first arrivals expected by early next year, and you can still book a spot to drive them on ice later this month.

“All three have been confirmed. Configuration regarding battery spec and timing is still being determined, but we’re hoping 9X and GT will be late this year, early next year,” Zeekr brand manager for distributor NordEast, Michael Jones, told us on Saturday morning.

The 8X “is a little bit later, but there are still a lot of moving parts and it’s still very fluid,” he says.

The confirmation firms up a quietly published page on dealer Giltrap’s website naming the 7GT, 8X and 9X as part of the brand’s future local line-up.

While the 7GT is a fully electric grand tourer, the 8X and 9X both use what Zeekr calls Super Hybrid technology, pairing a substantial battery and electric motors with a petrol engine for longer journeys. Zeekr arrived in New Zealand less than a year ago selling only battery electric vehicles, but Jones says the pair still fit the brand’s electrified positioning.

“Electrified is a broad statement removing vehicles such as mild hybrids and ICE. The 8X and 9X still sit within that category because they have the ability to run up to 300km in electric-only mode. For most owners, they would actually be fully electric,” he says.

Fully electric versions could follow. “It’s not imminent, but they do have the ability to develop both vehicles as BEVs in the future,” says Jones.

The 7GT is a low-slung five-seat shooting brake. In Europe, where it went on sale earlier this year, it runs an 800-volt platform with a choice of 75kWh LFP or 100kWh NMC batteries. Rear-drive versions produce 310kW while the flagship all-wheel drive Privilege delivers 475kW, and WLTP range tops out at around 665km. A 10 to 80% charge takes as little as 13 minutes.

Jones expects the wagon to carve out its own space. “It gives us an option for people who don’t want an SUV but want a practical vehicle with unique styling and a distinct driving aspect. We think people who want more practicality will come from sedans, but also from buyers who don’t want SUVs.”

Pricing is not settled, but he points to the brand’s existing midsize SUV as the marker. “We see it sitting around 7X pricing. It’s the same platform and motor configuration as 7X, so it gives buyers the option of the space of an SUV or a more driver-focused wagon, but very similar from a spec and performance point of view.” The 7X currently starts at $69,990.

The 8X is a large luxury SUV positioned (obviously) below the 9X, sold overseas with five or six seats. Chinese pre-sales began in March. The 5.1-metre SUV shares the 9X’s platform and 205kW 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, paired with dual or triple electric motors for combined outputs of up to 1030kW in its most powerful form. Battery options of 55.1kWh and 70kWh deliver an electric-only range of up to 328km on the WLTP cycle, with total range beyond 1000km.

The 9X tops the range. It is a three-row six-seater aimed at the large luxury SUV establishment, pairing the 205kW 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with up to three electric motors on a 900-volt architecture. The triple-motor flagship produces a combined 1030kW and reaches 100km/h in 3.1 seconds, while the 70kWh version of its CATL battery is claimed as the biggest fitted to any production hybrid and supports a 20 to 80% charge in around nine minutes.

Jones is unambiguous about where the flagship is aimed. “It’s definitely moving into more premium luxury territory and really has Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Range Rover firmly in its sights. When you see and feel and sit in the car, you really understand where the product positioning is going.”

Towing figures for the big SUV are still being finalised, with a tow bar in development and testing to Australian Design Rules underway.

Final New Zealand pricing and specifications remain to be confirmed, with interested buyers able to register for updates through the Giltrap Zeekr dealerships in Grey Lynn and Wairau Valley.

Drive them before they arrive

All three will run at the Zeekr On Ice event at the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds near Queenstown this month, the first event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

One detail for those attending: the event cars are left-hand drive. “They haven’t started production of right-hand drive yet,” says Jones.

Tickets are still available, priced at $5500 per driver. That covers a full day driving the future line-up alongside the current 7X and X on snow and ice circuits, coaching from professional instructors, two nights at Millbrook Resort, premium hospitality and a helicopter flight off the mountain. Spectator packages start at $1500, and flights to Queenstown are not included.

Two session cycles are on offer, running 19 to 21 and 20 to 22 August, with the first showing 10 driver places remaining at the time of writing. Bookings are through the Zeekr On Ice website.

We’ll bring you a full report from the driver’s seat soon.