Zeekr reveals ‘playful’ new SUV
Zeekr’s head of exterior design explains that the new X was created as a concept car for the road
Zeekr has come over all philosophical with its latest model, the X. “The third-to-last letter in the alphabet, the name for an independent variable, represents infinite inspiration, exploration and imagination,” the brand says.
There is some logic behind this messaging. It is Zeekr’s third car, for a start. And as the brand’s head of exterior design, Jon Rådbrink, tells Car Design News, the X is seen as more of a statement than just another production car. ”Our internal mantra for the X was to create a concept car for the road,” he explains, “something that can stand out in a very saturated market.”
It sits in a saturated market indeed – Zeekr describes it as a premium urban SUV – and so there has been a push to differentiate it from the pack. At 4450mm (L) 1836mm (W) and 1572mm (H) and with a wheelbase of 2750mm, it is about the same size as a Nissan Ariya and slightly smaller than the Toyota bZ4X. As per the initial press release, it ”blends performance, comfort and utility” and is “tailored for multiple scenes of urban life.”
So, how has the team set it apart? At first glance the surfacing is a little more angular than with the 001, with firm lines slashed from the sill into the waistline. The shoulder line also jags upwards into the C-pillar but the panels below that are left clean, with the top half of the doors untouched. In combination, it somehow straddles both minimalist and maximalist design. ”We want the design of each car to be true to its character and the X is our most youthful product. This dynamic treatment to the body side gives the car a more playful look,” says Rådbrink.
The front end is busier and diverges from recent trends for smooth, pebble-like noses. Prominent vents eat into the front mask with dual tiger scratch headlights located higher up on the bonnet. With three cars on sale, we can now see similarities in the light signature across the portfolio, although tweaked slightly for the 001, 009 and now the X. “We are creating a family of individuals,” explains Rådbrink, “and we try to push our form language forward with each new model.”
The exterior is accented by gloss black wheel arch trims and side sills, drawing the eye up and making it looks closer to the ground. This continues at the rear, with a gloss black panel eating into the rear mask and giving the impression of a racing-car style diffuser. Teamed with a gloss black roof, door pillars and wing mirrors, the body appears more compact and more like a small hatchback. Speaking on the black trim, Rådbrink says that it “helps to break up the volumes and create a very striking and sporty exterior without compromising the interior space.”
The design was overseen by Stefan Sielaff, who spoke to us recently about the brand’s expected spin off as an independent company and what that means for his department. In terms of performance, the X is every bit as fast as a sporty EV should be, zipping from 0-100km/h within four seconds; Zeekr attributes this primarily to the SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) that the model is developed on.
We expect more images to be released soon.