Zeekr to enter six European countries this year, says CEO

Zeekr, the premium electric arm of Geely Holding Group, is scheduled to make inroads into six European countries by the end of this year, said CEO An Conghui.

The destinations include Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany, said An at the China EV100 Forum held from Friday to Sunday at the Diaoyutai Statehouse in Beijing.

He said Europe is Geely Holding Group's second "home market", where it has natural advantages in coordination. In Europe, Geely owns companies including Volvo, Polestar and Lotus.

Besides European economies, Zeekr will be available in 38 markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East this year, said An.

An, also president of Geely Holding Group, said the group aspires to "become Volkswagen AG in the era of new energy vehicles" because of its capabilities in global synergies.

Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, owns a large collection of brands ranging from affordable Seat and Skoda up to Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini.

Among Chinese carmakers, Geely ranks No 1 in terms of globalization with a big number of brands across the globe, from its namesake Geely, Lynk & Co and Zeekr to Lotus, Polestar and Volvo.

In 2023, Geely Holding Group sold 2.79 million vehicles globally, of which 980,000 units were new energy ones.