Zeekr will hold Zeekr Power Day 2023 on December 14, when a new battery product will be unveiled.
(Image credit: Zeekr)
Zeekr is set to unveil its first in-house developed battery, which will soon be used in a production vehicle, amid reports that Nio (NYSE: NIO) is about to spin off its battery business.
Zeekr’s first in-house developed battery is coming, and the first model to carry it will be the Zeekr 007 electric sedan, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Guan Haitao said on Weibo today.
Guan didn’t reveal any more information, but Zeekr announced yesterday that it will be holding a Zeekr Power Day 2023 event on December 14, where a new battery will be announced.
Separately, local media outlet Jiemian reported that Zeekr’s batteries will be mass-produced at the manufacturing site of a company called Jidian in Quzhou, Zhejiang province in eastern China.
The Zeekr 007 was first unveiled at the Guangzhou auto show in late November when it was offered at a pre-sale price of RMB 229,900 ($32,100).
Customers who pay RMB 1,000 to reserve the model prior to its official launch were entitled to a RMB 5,000 discount on their final payment, bringing the model’s actual pre-sale starting price down to RMB 224,900.
On November 27, Zeekr said the Zeekr 007 received more than 25,000 pre-orders within nine days of starting pre-sales.
Zeekr mentioned in a recent poster that the Zeekr 007 will be officially launched in late December.
The Zeekr 007 has single-motor and dual-motor versions, and the power battery is available in lithium ternary and lithium iron phosphate versions, according to a previous regulatory filing.
Battery suppliers for the model include Geely‘s joint venture with CATL, as well as Jidian, mentioned in the Jiemian report, which could be Zeekr’s battery manufacturing arm.
Zeekr was founded in 2021 and currently delivers three models in China, the Zeekr 001, Zeekr 009, and Zeekr X.
The Zeekr 001 is a shooting brake style SUV, the Zeekr 009 is an MPV, and the Zeekr X is a premium compact SUV, all of which are aimed at niche markets.
The Zeekr 007 will be Zeekr’s first model for the mainstream EV market and is expected to support the company’s growth in deliveries.
Zeekr delivered a record 13,104 vehicles in November, bringing January-November deliveries to 105,209, up 73.6 percent year-on-year.
Reuters reported yesterday that Nio plans to spin off its battery manufacturing unit as part of the efforts by the company to turn profitable, reduce costs and improve efficiency.
The spin-off could take place as early as the end of this year, after which the battery unit will seek outside investors and a valuation will be decided at a later date, according to the report.
($1 = RMB 7.1613)
