Given the fact that Ford is in the midst of investing $50 billion in EVs as it aims to build two million units annually by 2026, it’s no surprise that Ford Authority has spotted The Blue Oval testing a wide array of all-electric vehicles made by other manufacturers. Thus far, that list includes the Lucid Air, the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, the Audi Q8 e-tron, the Kia EV6, and the Tesla Model X, to name just a few. Now, Ford Authority has spotted Ford benchmarking something completely different, however – a Chinese EV called the Zeekr 001, which will soon be available in Europe, but isn’t currently sold in the U.S.
While there’s currently no word on whether or not the Zeekr 001 will eventually be sold stateside, it makes sense that Ford would want to take a closer look at it, given the automaker’s presence in China and the fact that it intends to transition its entire passenger vehicle lineup in Europe to EVs by 2030. Zeekr itself isn’t some independent company, however, as it’s actually a Geely product – the same company that has both Volvo and Polestar under its umbrella after purchasing the former from Ford back in 2010.
As for the Zeekr 001, it just received a bit of a refresh earlier this year that gave it an optional, rather massive 140 kWh battery pack and a whopping 641 miles of range – though that number is calculated on China’s generous CLTC cycle, which is even less accurate in the real-world than Europe’s also-optimistic WLTP cycle. Regardless, the Zeekr 001 can also be spec’d with smaller 86 kWh and 100 kWh battery packs that deliver 339 and 460 miles of range, respectively.
Otherwise, the Zeekr 001 remains unchanged from when the model originally debuted in 2021, which means that it touts unique exterior styling coupled with a modern interior packing a 14.7-inch infotainment screen, an 8.8-inch digital gauge cluster, a 5.7-inch rear passenger screen, and available niceties like an air suspension, Nappa leather, and three-zone climate control. In China, the EV retails for $43,500, though it’s unclear how much the shooting brake-style model will sell for when it launches in Europe.
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Comments
So you’re benchmarking a current model so you can bring something out in a couple years at best. So you are a generation behind right out of the gate. Remind me why benchmarking is so great…
No doubt Ford is interested in the battery pack range as compared to North American standards.