Zeekr 8X: the 1400 cv plug-in hybrid SUV with 900 V architecture

Zeekr does not want to be "just another Chinese brand". The company is close to launching in Portugal and presents itself as Geely’s technology-and-luxury arm (the group that owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus). In its home market, the plan is to lead the premium end of the market rather than chase the lowest price.

At the Beijing Motor Show it put forward a very tangible statement of intent: the 8X, a large plug-in hybrid SUV measuring more than five metres in length. And that is not the end of it. Alongside the 9X - the brand’s other SUV built on the same underpinnings, but bigger and with three rows of seats - it also claims the title of the world’s most powerful SUV.

More powerful than a Ferrari F80

What sets the Zeekr 8X apart is its output: 1400 cv or 1030 kW. No SUV has ever offered that level of power. To reach it, Zeekr pairs a 2.0-litre turbo engine producing 279 cv with three electric motors: one at the front delivering 290 kW (394 cv) and two at the rear, each rated at 370 kW (503 cv). That totals 200 cv more than a Ferrari F80 and enables this enormous, heavy SUV (2,8 tonnes) to hit 100 km/h in under three seconds (2,96s, to be precise).

Is it excessive? Possibly. Anyone wanting a less extreme version can choose the Zeekr 8X with two electric motors instead. It drops one of the rear motors, taking combined maximum power down to a still very substantial 660 kW (897 cv). It remains quick, completing the 0–100 km/h run in 3,7s.

900 V architecture

Even though it is a plug-in hybrid, its electrical system outclasses many fully electric models. While 800 V is increasingly becoming the new benchmark in Europe’s premium segment, the Zeekr 8X goes further with 900 V - a figure that is starting to become the new "normal" at the very top end of the Chinese market.

Built on the SEA-S Super Hybrid platform (an evolution of the Geely Group’s Sustainable Experience Architecture), the Zeekr 8X uses its 900 V set-up to raise battery charge from 20% to 80% in just nine minutes. And the battery packs are genuinely large, matching - or even exceeding - those fitted to many full EVs: 55 kWh or 70 kWh.

On the WLTP cycle, this heavyweight offers between 256 km and 328 km of electric range, depending on the battery. With the combustion engine included, total combined range can reach 1205 km (WLTP).

More technological and luxurious than ever

As you would expect at this price point, the Zeekr 8X is packed with technology. It uses artificial intelligence to manage, in real time, the dual-chamber air suspension and the active anti-roll bars, and it introduces a new voice assistant that can now control the chassis as well as the infotainment.

For driver assistance, it features five LiDAR units and also night vision, backed by an infrared vision system.

When it comes to in-car comfort, it appears to include everything you might hope for. From watching films in 5D Cinema - where the film can be synchronised with seat movement, ambient lighting, climate control and even fragrances - to a 29-speaker Naim audio system rated at 3868 W. The "zero gravity" seats recline to 137º, and there is also a 9,5-litre fridge.

Only in China could it cost so little

The Zeekr 8X stands out not only for its specification, but also for its price: it starts at 356 800 remimbi, around 44,6 thousand euros at today’s exchange rate. That is roughly what a Tesla Model Y costs in Portugal.

It is therefore no surprise that this huge, luxurious and extremely powerful SUV reportedly attracted around 10 thousand orders just 30 minutes after it went on sale. It will launch first in China, with further market roll-outs planned from the third quarter of this year. Whether Europe will be among them remains to be seen - and if it does arrive, it is unlikely to be priced below 45 thousand euros.