- Geely-owned Zeekr’s answer to the Tesla Model Y spotted testing in Europe.
- The electric SUV is codenamed CX1E but will be renamed at launch.
- Powertrain and platform is shared with Zeekr’s 007 compact sedan.
Elon Musk has gone on record saying that the Model Y won’t be facelifted this year. But he might live to regret that decision, because the competition in the compact electric SUV space is heating up, and soon Zeekr will soon add to the pressure when it launches the CX1E you see here.
CX1E is just a codename, but we imagine the real production name will have an X in there somewhere. The subcompact SUV the firm launched last year is called simply ‘X’ but we wonder if Zeekr might combine that letter with the 007 badge used on CX1E’s sedan sister car.
Related: Zeekr Soars On NYSE Debut, Raises $441 Million And Is Valued At $6.8 Billion
Like the 007, CX1E rides on the SEA platform developed by Zeekr’s parent company Geely and shared out among the Chinese automaker’s other brands, including Smart, in various different sizes. The 007 sedan uses the PMA2+ variant and its 115-inch (2,920 mm) wheelbase is fractionally bigger than the 113.8-inch (2,891 mm) stretch in the Tesla Model Y, so Zeekr’s SUV should be at least as roomy as its American rival.
This prototype’s heavy disguise would rather us not find out what Zeekr’s design team has in store for us, but the clamshell-style hood and slim LED DRL strips visible at each corner suggest the finished car will share major design cues with the 007, which has a similar setup capable of displaying written messages.
Another super-slim set of LEDs is visible at the back of the test car, again echoing the look of the sedan. And though we don’t get to look inside on this occasion, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the interior features the same 15-inch OLED infotainment screen and head-up display.
Powertrain options are also likely to replicate those in the sedan, which gives buyers the choice of a single-motor, rear-wheel drive model with 416 hp (422 PS / 310 kW) or an all-wheel drive version that adds a 221 hp (224 PS / 165 kW) motor to the front axle.
The sedan also offers two batteries: a CATL unit with a 541-mile (870 km) range or Zeekr’s own ‘Golden Battery’ that can charge at up to 500 kW but needs topped-up at 427 miles (688 km).
