blamed the decline on the Covid pandemic and the impact of chip supply, saying it expects deliveries to pick up significantly in April.

Zeekr, Geely's premium electric vehicle (EV) brand, delivered 1,795 Zeekr 001 units in March, the only model it currently sells, down 38 percent from February, according to figures released today.

The decline was due to the Covid pandemic and the impact of chip availability, the company said, adding that deliveries are expected to pick up significantly in April.

The Chinese New Year holiday falls in February this year, which is also the traditional slow season for car sales. Many had expected car companies' deliveries to improve in March, but Covid seems to bring a lot of uncertainty.

Zeekr first delivered the Zeekr 001 in October last year and has accumulated 14,248 deliveries to date, data monitored by CnEVPost shows.

In March 2021, Zeekr was officially established as an independent company. On April 15 last year, Zeekr 001 was unveiled.

(Image credit: Zeekr)

On October 19, 2021, the first production vehicle of the Zeekr 001 rolled off the production line, and 199 units of the model were delivered that month. For the full year2021, a total of 6,007 units of the Zeekr 001 were delivered.

Zeekr may launch a high-performance version of the Zeekr 001 late this year that will surpass the current dual-motor model in terms of power, local automotive outlet Xchuxing reported on March 23.

Zeekr currently offers three versions of the Zeekr 001, including a single-motor version with a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 6.9 seconds and two dual-motor versions with a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds.

The high-performance version of the Zeekr 001 to be launched by Zeekr will move up a level in power specs, with a 0-100 km/h acceleration time likely below 3 seconds, Xchuxing's report said, without providing more information.

Zeekr has set a delivery target of 70,000 units for 2022, local media Cailian quoted the company as saying in early January.

Zeekr plans to export the Zeekr 001 to the EU market early next year, the report said, adding that the company expects to export up to 100,000 units in 2025.

Zeekr plans to launch a total of seven models by 2025, according to the report.

CPCA data hints at possible weakness in China March auto sales due to Covid