5 Minutes
Zeekr is finally taking its biggest SUV beyond China, and the timetable is now on the table. The Zeekr 9X, the brand’s range-topping electrified SUV, will begin its global rollout in June 2026, with the first stop set to be the Middle East. Central Asia follows in the third quarter, while Europe is penciled in for the fourth quarter of 2026.
The plan was confirmed by Geely Auto Group CEO Gan Jiayue, and it gives one of China’s fastest-rising premium EV brands a much clearer international roadmap. For European buyers watching the premium SUV market evolve at speed, this matters. The 9X is not a niche experiment. It is a large, high-end model designed to make noise in a segment dominated by established luxury names.
And Zeekr is not stopping there. The Zeekr 8X is next in line for overseas expansion, with rollout expected to begin in late 2026 and continue into the first quarter of 2027. In other words, this is not a one-car export push. It looks more like the beginning of a broader premium offensive.
Not just another flagship
The numbers around the 9X help explain why Geely is moving quickly. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, Zeekr delivered 22,000 units of the 9X. Since its launch in September 2025, cumulative deliveries have already moved past 50,000 units. For a model sitting at the upper end of the market, that is a serious start.
In China, the Zeekr 9X sits in the large SUV class with pricing above €61,800, while the average transaction price is around €65,500 based on current conversion rates from yuan. That places it firmly in premium territory, exactly where Zeekr wants to be as it builds its image overseas.
Under the skin, the 9X uses a full-size plug-in hybrid setup based on Geely’s SEA-derived architecture. The headline figure is hard to ignore: up to 1,030 kW of total output from a tri-motor system paired with a turbocharged engine. Combined driving range is quoted at roughly 1,250 km under CLTC testing. Real-world figures will naturally differ, especially once the car reaches regions using WLTP or other local standards, but the message is obvious. This SUV was engineered to be fast, long-legged, and impossible to overlook.
It also marks an important shift for the brand. Zeekr built its name on battery-electric models, but the 9X opens the door to plug-in hybrids as part of a wider product strategy. That could prove particularly useful in export markets where charging infrastructure still varies widely from country to country.
The 8X is waiting in the wings
If the 9X is the statement piece, the 8X could become the model that broadens Zeekr’s reach. Earlier disclosures suggest the 8X will also target the high-performance end of the market, using a tri-motor hybrid system with 1,381 hp and a claimed 0 to 100 km/h time of just 2.96 seconds.
Pricing in China puts the Zeekr 8X between about €44,100 and €52,700, with limited-time pricing starting near €40,800 at current exchange rates. That gives it a different angle from the 9X. Still premium, still fast, but potentially more accessible for buyers who want flagship-style performance without stepping all the way into the top bracket.
The wider context matters too. Geely is pushing harder overseas, targeting 640,000 international sales in 2026, and Zeekr is expected to play a key role in the group’s premium ambitions. The 9X has already been linked with additional markets such as Australia, where launches are expected between late 2026 and early 2027.
Back home, Zeekr’s momentum is still building. According to China EV DataTracker, the brand posted 59,466 domestic sales in the first quarter of 2026, up 48.3 percent year on year. Quarterly volume slipped 15.5 percent from the previous quarter, but market share still rose to 1.4 percent, compared with 0.8 percent a year earlier.
That is the bigger picture here. Zeekr is no longer behaving like a promising newcomer testing foreign waters. With the 9X leading the charge and the 8X close behind, the brand is setting itself up as a serious global player in the premium electrified SUV space. Europe may have to wait until late 2026, but the message is already clear: Zeekr is coming with ambition, horsepower, and no intention of arriving quietly.
Comments
mechbyte
Bold plan. But is that 1,250 km CLTC only? WLTP numbers will tell. Also can Zeekr carry premium buyers vs BMW/Audi? price and service matter more than specs.
v8rider
Whoa a 1,030 kW tri-motor SUV? that's insane. Europe in for a real shock, if it actually matches those claims. PHEV move sounds smart given patchy chargers, but I'm skeptical.
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