China's Zeekr Brand Wants To Give BMW And Mercedes A Run For Their Money: Interview

Chinese automakers have already proven they can build competitive EVs and hybrids in their home country. Their latest challenge is convincing European buyers to pick them over established brands like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

Zeekr thinks it has the answer. By combining China's manufacturing speed and technology with a deep understanding of European tastes, Geely's premium brand believes it can build cars that genuinely give its German rivals a run for their money.

Its European CEO, Lothar Schupet, knows the competition well. He spent 23 years at BMW Group before joining Zeekr. We sat down with him at this year's Paris Motor Show to find out what's driving the brand's growth in Europe. He told us:

'I think it's all about that slogan, which I mentioned before: 'The power of a giant with a European soul.’ Having all this access to technology, to platforms, to the supply chain, and that China speed [...] helps a lot.'

Zeekr 9X

Photo by: Zeekr

And it's not just a marketing slogan for the brand. Thanks in part to its relationship with Volvo, Zeekr has research and development operations in Sweden, Germany, and the UK, meaning it can better tailor its vehicles to local tastes.

The 7GT shooting brake is a good example. Rather than simply bringing its 007 sedan to Europe, completely unchanged, the company developed a wagon-like alternative that it felt would better suit the market:

'We said, 'The segment is very small, but Europeans need a wagon. Can we not create something that's sexy and nice?' And that car was born in Europe.'

Photo by: Zeekr

One of the biggest tweaks Zeekr makes to its European cars is the driving experience. Schupet said buyers in the region put more emphasis on dynamic handling, suspension tuning, and cornering than customers in China:

'Driving experience, damping, cornering, safety systems: In Europe, we want to be faster and more dynamic, whereas in China, [customers are] more safety-oriented. We have quite a huge set of things we need to adapt.'

Zeekr also hopes to reach buyers who aren't quite ready to go fully electric; the brand’s Super Hybrid technology will be key to that.

Zeekr’s Super Hybrid is closer to an EREV in design, using an electric motor to drive the wheels, with a combustion engine onboard for longer trips. Schupet sees the technology as a way to ease traditional luxury buyers into EV ownership without forcing them to give up gasoline (yet):

'Picking up customers who are still not fully convinced of EVs. They need to get that experience. And then it's just a segue to the next car, which will be an EV.'

Zeekr 7GT

Photo by: Zeekr

But building a good, efficient car that’s nice to drive is only half the battle. Zeekr still needs to get its name out there and convince buyers they'll get the same level of service they'd expect from an established luxury brand.

The company aims to have more than 200 active dealers in Europe, plus another 100 service dealers. Schupet said it's signing roughly 10 to 15 dealers each week, although building out its network in larger markets like Germany, France, and the UK will take time:

'We need to deliver on service. Parts need to be there. Waiting times need to be low.'

Already, that strategy is yielding some success. Zeekr delivered 2,930 vehicles in Europe through April 2026. Not a huge number, but nearly a 250 percent year-over-year increase, and the company expects sales to grow as its lineup and dealer network expand.

Eventually, that growth could extend to North America.

Photo by: Zeekr

Geely plans to bring vehicles to Canada by 2027 and has its sights set on the US longer term. It's unclear whether Zeekr will be part of those plans, but Schupet believes its cars already have what it takes to appeal to buyers in those markets.

'I think we tick most of the boxes with our products. You need to make the fine-tuning adaptations [for each region], and that's probably the secret of being successful or not. Because that makes a difference. The base needs to be there, and then the difference comes from that tuning.'

Zeekr's early success in Europe could offer a blueprint for Chinese automakers looking to expand elsewhere, including the US. The company is betting that technology and manufacturing will help get buyers in the door, while understanding local tastes will be key to winning them over.

Whether that formula works in America remains to be seen.

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