Zeekr Malaysia bought 2,560 items in 2025, aiming for 10k by 2028 – massive development powered by CKD 7X in late-2027?

Final yr was Zeekr Malaysia’s first full yr of gross sales, and the Geely-owned model achieved a good 2,560 items, powered by tax-free EVs just like the 009 MPV and the 7X SUV. Zeekr additionally has the X compact crossover, which contributed fewer items to the trigger.

On the firm’s Chinese language New Yr media occasion final week, Zeekr Malaysia GM Eddy Lu revealed that shifting ahead, the younger premium model’s development goal is to have 10,000 items of cumulative gross sales from 2025 to 2027, which averages to about 3,300 items a yr. This factors to steady development from final yr’s deliveries, which is nice contemplating that the tax-free EV bonanza is over.

Nonetheless, Zeekr is forecasting an enormous bounce to 10,000 items in 2028 alone. What could be the catalyst for this ‘subsequent gear’ within the model’s gross sales? It might be a brand new mannequin that’s within the pipeline, or it might be the graduation of CKD native meeting in Malaysia.

Eventually week’s CNY occasion, Lu reiterated that Zeekr has CKD plans for our market. In truth, Malaysia would be the first nation outdoors of China to assemble Zeekr autos in a world growth plan. The primary Zeekr mannequin to be domestically assembled would be the 7X.

No timeline was given, however seeing that the 7X is not one of many three new fashions deliberate for 2026it ought to floor in 2027 on the earliest. Finish-2027 would imply that 2028 would be the first full yr of Zeekr gross sales powered by a preferred CKD product – mixed with new fashions, this might be that ‘subsequent gear’ to 10k items every year. That’s our guess.

At a take a look at drive occasion for Malaysian media and homeowners in Harbin, China final month, Lu mentioned that Zeekr – as a part of the Geely Group – will leverage on the group’s investments in Malaysia. This confirms what we heard from Proton final yr about Zeekr vehicles being domestically assembled on the Automotive Hello-Tech Valley (AHTV) in Tanjong Malim, which is anchored by Proton.

Alex Bao, head of Zeekr Southeast Asia, first broached the CKD topic in Could 2025. “Don’t overlook we’re beneath an enormous group, which has a whole lot of amenities and manufacturing energy right here. So, we’ve been discussing this problem however it would take a while,” he mentioned then. When requested if it is going to be at Proton’s new EV plant, he mentioned “very doable, very doable. We’re beneath the identical mom!”

In July 2023, prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed that Geely will make investments US$10 billion (RM39.5 billion) to show Tanjong Malim into the area’s largest auto metropolis. In October that very same yr, Geely and DRB-Hicom signed a grasp collaboration settlement for the AHTV venture.

Now that the tax-free window for CBU imported EVs has closed, native meeting turns into very important if a model needs to promote EVs in significant numbers – it’s not a free for all because of a brand new regulation imposing a RM250k minimal value for CBU EVs.

Initially, it was understood that the brand new ground value can be for manufacturers which have but to arrange store in Malaysiabut it surely has since been expanded to embrace new fashions from present manufacturers. The Malaysian Automotive Affiliation (MAA) is attempting to make clear this with Malaysia’s funding, commerce and business ministry (MITI).

We would not see the brand new regulation’s full impact but because of the provision of 2025 inventory (thinning as we communicate), however as issues stand, CBU EV costs will finally go up, and the RRP distinction between the imports and CKD domestically assembled EVs will widen, except the OEM absorbs the distinction – it is going to be fairly just like what we’ve seen all these years with ICE vehicles. See Audi versus BMW and Mercedes-Benz for example.

Extra on Zeekr’s three new fashions for 2026 right here.

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