Geely surprised everyone at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show when the car we had all been expecting to lead Lynk & Co’s path to an all-electric future became the Zeekr 001. Looks-wise it broadly delivered on the sleek lines previewed by the Zero concept at last year’s Beijing show, but why another brand? Here we get behind the wheel of the 001 to discover what it means to be a Zeekr and why this is a car that matters for Geely.

Over the last decade, three private companies have emerged as the driving force to create competitive Chinese cars. BYD has always had the edge when it came to what China calls new energy vehicles (NEVs), broadly speaking EVs and PHEVs, while Geely had the lead with design and Great Wall had the advantage with SUVs. Increasingly today, these Chinese legacy producers are seeing a challenge from new Chinese EV start-ups.

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