Premium EV brand Zeekr, from Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, is another Chinese car brand expanding into Europe.
Its 001 sedan and Zeekr X SUV will arrive in Sweden and the Netherlands from the fourth-quarter, with more countries to follow, according to a company statement Tuesday.
Zeekr has recruited 24-year Lexus veteran Spiros Fotinos to spearhead the effort, with the car brand’s European headquarters to be based in Amsterdam, it said.
“The growth opportunity in Europe is in those first time premium EV buyers” and that is who Zeekr’s main target customers are, Fotinos said in an interview at the Shanghai auto show.
However, unlike China, mature car buyers in Europe care more about the residual value of a car, so Zeekr is working to identify key configurations that can keep a car’s residual value, he added.