Will Zeekr cars built in Singapore be exported to Malaysia under Geely as CBU models soon?
Geely Holding Group’s premium electric vehicle (EV) subsidiary, Zeekr, has officially signed a deal with a car dealer in Singapore to tap into the Southeast Asian country’s automotive market. So what does this mean for Proton which is the partner of Geely and our first national carmaker? Let’s find out.
So, Zeekr had signed a partnership agreement with Premium Auto in Singapore on 28 December 2023, marking its entry into the Singaporean automotive market, where it will offer local customers a luxury all-electric mobility experience. Why not Malaysia though, considering Proton is already partnered with Geely?
Moreover, Premium Auto, an Audi retail dealer, will build dedicated facilities for Zeekr that will not be shared with Audi vehicles, according to Singapore’s The Straits Times. Well considering many Proton dealers have been disappearing it makes sense that Geely might be losing confidence in Proton.
Zeekr’s first showroom in Singapore will open in the first half of 2024 with 1,100 square meters of space in the Leng Kee area, a core automotive shopping district, where the brand will launch right-hand drive versions of the Zeekr 009 MPV and Zeekr X SUV, with deliveries to begin in the third quarter of 2024, the company said.
Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau will also be the first regions where Zeekr right-hand drive vehicles will be available. On 26 October 2023, Zeekr signed a deal with local distributor Kam Lung Motor Group in Hong Kong to expand into the Hong Kong and Macau markets as well so it is expanding fast.
On top of that, Zeekr’s left-hand drive models would begin sales in Macau in late 2023, and the right-hand drive version would begin sales in Hong Kong and Macau in 2024, the company previously said. In fact, the brand’s presence has covered several countries and regions in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia to date.
Zeekr also launched its efforts to enter the international market in 2023, unveiling its European strategy on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on 18 April 2023 and delivering the first European version of the Zeekr 001 on 11 December 2023 in the Netherlands.
Zeekr will also have cumulative access to six European countries in 2024, and it expected its international presence to reach eight countries and regions in 2025, the company previously said. Well, it looks like even in ASEAN, Malaysia remains the last market to get a new brand to sell cars here. I wonder why?
