Zeekr will begin building showrooms in Japan in the fourth quarter of this year and plans to start selling and delivering vehicles there in 2025.
Zeekr (NYSE: ZK) plans to enter the Japanese automotive market next year and will begin preparing for doing so later this year.
Zeekr plans to officially enter the Japanese market and begin delivering vehicles there in 2025, a spokesperson for the Geely Holding Group's premium electric vehicle (EV) subsidiary told CnEVPost today.
The company will begin construction of showrooms in three major areas, the Tokyo metropolitan area, the Kansai metropolitan area and the Tokai Line, in the fourth quarter of this year, the spokesperson said.
Entering the Japanese market will be part of Zeekr's efforts to expand its international presence. Among major Chinese EV makers, only BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) has entered the Japanese passenger car market so far.
As of the end of July, Zeekr had entered more than 30 mainstream overseas markets and expects to expand to more than 50 mainstream international markets by the end of this year, it said earlier this month.
The models Zeekr currently sells in China include the Zeekr 001 shooting brake, the Zeekr 007 sedan, the Zeekr X SUV (sport utility vehicle), and the Zeekr 009 MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), which are mainly aimed at the high-end EV market.
The company said yesterday it will launch new models on August 13, and its poster hinted at the release of updated Zeekr 001 and Zeekr 007.
Zeekr did not mention today which models it plans to offer first in Japan. Aside from the Zeekr 007, the company's other regular models are already available in different markets.
The biggest difference between the models for the Japanese market and the Chinese market is that right-hand drive models are used there, while left-hand drive models are used in China.
Zeekr has already created a right-hand drive version of the Zeekr X compact SUV, which is already available in regions including Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The company said on August 2 that the first right-hand drive version of the Zeekr X was delivered on August 1 in Thailand.
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