Zeekr was founded in March 2021 and already has two models in its line-up, with the first being the 001 crossover that debuted in April the same year, while the 009 MPV arrived a year later in August. Now, the offshoot electric vehicle brand from Geely is teasing its third model that will be released this year.
While it doesn’t have a name just yet, numerous reports are referring to the upcoming crossover as the 003. Wearing the internal code BXE1, the 003 will spearhead the brand’s European expansion as it plans to start selling cars in the region sometime in Q4 this year. CarNewsChina reports the 003 will be unveiled at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show in April and be launched in China shortly after.
The 003 is underpinned by Geely’s Scalable Electric Architecture (SEA) and is comparable in size to the smart #1 that also uses the same platform. Official dimensions aren’t available just yet, but deductions based on one of the teaser images that show a camouflaged 003 parked behind an Audi e-tron GT suggest the former will be around 4,300 mm long – the #1 is 4,270 mm long and has wheelbase of 2,750 mm.
Styled at Geely’s design centre in Gothenburg, Sweden under the watchful eyes of Geely’s vice president of global design Stefan Sielaff (he replaced Peter Horbury), the 003 appears to sport slim LED daytime running lights that blend into the bonnet shutlines as well as horizontally-mounted headlamps to make up a two-tier configuration.
Prominent creases are also see on the rather boxy body, which carries flush door handles and an upswept beltline that meets thick C-pillars. At the rear, the sloping roofline meets a spoiler and an upright window, the latter accompanied by full-width taillights at its base. You’ll also notice the short wiper for the window that has considerable width, but not much height.
Zeekr did not tease the interior of the 003, but based on spyshots, the dashboard will be rather minimalist. Noticeable cues include a small digital instrument cluster, a large touchscreen infotainment system and a centre console between the front seats that is kept separated from the centre stack.
Similarly, there’s no official information on available powertrains, although Autocar claims the 003 will offered with single-motor, rear-wheel drive and dual-motor, all-wheel drive setups. Power outputs range from 272 PS (268 hp or 200 kW) to 428 PS (422 hp or 315 kW), which are figures also provided by the #1. The 003 could also get the #1’s 66 kWh battery.
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The battery is too small
003 can travels more than 1000km range per charge