Stefan Sielaff: "Personality is returning to design"

There is an air of Sino-Scandi fusion about upstart carmaker Zeekr, an almost unavoidable result of a Chinese brand designing its cars exclusively out of Gothenburg. (Editor’s note: there is now a Shanghai studio set to enter the mix – more to come on that soon.)

On one hand, there are minimalist, well-trimmed interiors with muted tones of grey, cream and green that are typical of homes, restaurants and hotels in this part of the world. On the other, there is the ability to play cat and dog noises via the exterior speakers, sync music to a choregraphed light sequence, and a cute whale emblem hidden away in the corner of the windscreen – quirky elements brought in for a younger Chinese market.

It is indeed a playful brand that is looking to balance the aspirations of a younger audience but also the comfort and quality expected by a more mature driver. In its marketing material, Zeekr even describes one half of its key market as “young old” – those that are near retirement age and have disposable income, free time to explore and remain on trend.

In charge of design is Stefan Sielaff, a long-time Volkswagen Group designer who clearly has not lost any of his appetite to get hands on, describing his role as very much still “pure design” despite the obvious managerial duties that come with the gig.

Zeekr aims to stand out from the crowd (and indeed from its close siblings at Lynk & CO) and as such the exterior design is far from conservative. “A concept car for the road” is the marketing line, although Sielaff softens this slightly by pointing out that – given the infancy of the brand – every Zeekr has felt like a concept car in a way.

Indeed, this new brand – just two years old – is in the process of stepping out on its own. However, as conversations during CDN’s visit to Stockholm illustrated, Zeekr still bears a close resemblance to Lynk & CO. This will change in coming years – a gradual process that cannot be completed overnight. But how far has its latest model, the X, moved the needle in this respect. Are we starting to see that progression yet?

“Not quite,” he concedes. “But I think our next products will do much more. I think we need to reflect on how we can transport this attitude of luxury to our products even more. With the Zeekr X we are targeting urban customers who are looking for something unexpected, something unorthodox. But looking into the future, we can separate the two brands more strongly and take the next step.”

Good strides have been made in the interior, he adds, which in the X certainly feels more independent and already more distinct from other brands (let alone Lynk & CO.) “The exterior design language can be more connected with this human-centric approach we want to fulfil with the brand. We see that in the interior already, but we need to see it more in the exterior.”

Vegan leather is draped over most surfaces in top trim level, while the entry level trim gets an attractive speckled fabric. It is spacious, comfortable and bright thanks to the panoramic sunroof, designed to prevent harmful UV rays making their way into the cabin. The touchscreen is responsive and clear, although a little laggy in pre-production guise. We are told that cars built for the Chinese market have the option of a sliding screen, a gimmick which drivers in other markets will not be getting to experience any time soon.

The exterior design is busy but not eccentric to the point where fit, finish and perceived quality are questioned. The design team worked closely with their colleagues in engineering and manufacturing to maximise the likelihood of neat shutlines and flush panels. Complex body creases that rise diagonally from the A pillar, for example, are not only aesthetic but improve structural rigidity.

“Stronger lines can be a good thing as it can bring stiffness into the panels, so there was not really any drama around that. But because you see quite a lot of shut lines on the exterior, particularly on the rear, achieving top quality in terms of tolerances was more the challenge,” says Sielaff from the driver’s seat of the Zeekr X. “But our Chinese colleagues in manufacturing really take this challenge on. They say, ‘Ok, it’s not ideal, but let’s make the next step happen and make it as precise as possible. I come from more of the old school perspective where you can only realise the design idea when the execution is top quality. This is about the factory being able to deliver. When you look at the 001 or X, it is obvious that this is the case.”

As Sielaff told us back in December 2022, the challenge for a new brand is establishing a following. This can be done quite easily by creating a familiar look that carries across multiple models – a small, medium and large with near-identical design cues. But rather than going down the Russian doll route, each Zeekr model will have its own personality. “We are focussing very much on unique design statements and the products will differentiate through the design language.”

This will be true even down to the light signatures, he assures us, which today have become one of the key identifiers of a brand both at a distance and close up. “We will have a stronger focus on personality, with unique characters,” he says. “Not everyone is identical in a family but there are certain elements that make clear they are related. The counter question is ’how will the brand be visible’ if we do this, but we have some trumps in the pack to be able to do this. We can talk about this in future.”

Though compact SUV by name, the silhouette of the X is almost a traditional hatchback, albeit sitting a little higher, and carries similar proportions to competitors like the Volvo XC40, Mercedes EQA and all-new Smart #3. Despite the unrelenting trend towards ‘CUVs’ of this ilk, Sielaff expects to see typologies evolve in coming years.

“We have heard in recent years that all cars are starting to look the same, but this strong personality is coming back with some OEMs. If you look at some producers like Hyundai and Kia, for example, they are doing quite unique product personalities that have character. This is fantastic with my point of view, you want unique designs – why should we always do everything we are told?”

Sielaff admits that he is very much detail-oriented. This shines through from earlier conversations around design, but also quite literally from his steel Chopard Mille Miglia wristwatch. In the Zeekr X, the interior is generally clutter free and minimalistic, with practically all controls handled via the touchscreen. Buttons, knobs and dials that do remain become far more significant, he explains, and require real care – right down to their weight, movement, texture and even temperature.

“I’d personally like to push this approach even further with our next products,” says Sielaff. “Paying attention to details like the illumination, or patterns but also the precision of the product is part of the luxury philosophy. It’s not about overdecorating, you just ensure that hardware has a genuine haptic feel that signals this is not just a painted plastic part and instead something that has been created with precision.”