Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr is looking to enter South Korea by 2026, with plans to open showrooms in Seoul and the nearby province of Gyeonggi by next year, parent company Geely said last week in response to questions from Bloomberg. Under the current plan, the mainstream luxury carmaker will bring the Zeekr 001, its first model featuring advanced driving functions including autonomous parking, to woo local tech-savvy customers. The news comes as peer BYD recently started regulatory preparations in South Korea aiming to launch its first EV locally in the second half of 2024. Zhejiang-headquartered Zeekr, with four models on offer, will launch two new models in China later this year, including a five-seater van, the Mix, as well as a medium-to-large sports utility vehicle, codenamed CX1e, targeting Chinese families. Zeekr chief executive Andy An told investors last month that the New York-listed company would expand its footprint from 25 to more than 50 global markets by the end of the year. [Bloomberg, TechNode reporting]
