Chinese Electric Vehicle Brands Intensify Push in Korea: Zeekr Follows BYD with Official Market Entry

Dealer Agreement Signed with Four Partners
"Preparing Products and Services to Meet Korean Consumers' Expectations"

Geely Automobile Group’s premium electric vehicle brand Zeekr has officially announced its entry into the Korean market. Zeekr has finalized its dealer partners for domestic distribution, signaling a full-scale push into Korea. With BYD, which has already established itself in the Korean imported car market through a value-for-money strategy, now joined by the premium brand Zeekr, analysts expect the offensive by Chinese electric vehicles in Korea to intensify further.

On December 2 (local time), Zeekr announced that it recently held a dealer agreement signing ceremony at Zeekr Tower in Hangzhou, China, with four partner companies: H Mobility ZK, Iron EV, KCC Mobility, and ZK Mobility.

The ceremony was attended by key executives, including the heads of the four dealer companies, Alex Nan, CEO of Geely Automobile International, Chen Yu, Vice President of Zeekr, Jeff Chao, Head of East Asia at Zeekr, and Lim Hyunki, CEO of Zeekr Korea. Zeekr plans to use this dealer agreement signing ceremony as a starting point to establish a dealer network and service foundation befitting a premium brand.

After the signing ceremony, participants visited the Zeekr Intelligent Factory in Ningbo, near Hangzhou, where they experienced Zeekr’s advanced technologies firsthand. The Zeekr Intelligent Factory is a smart facility that integrates advanced manufacturing processes and technologies, including AI and humanoid robots. Attendees also had the opportunity to test drive Zeekr’s main vehicles, which will be sold in Korea.

Vice President Chen Yu said, “We are pleased to have the opportunity to introduce Zeekr, a premium electrification brand, to Korean consumers, who are known for having some of the world’s most demanding standards. We will spare no effort to ensure Zeekr’s successful launch in Korea.”

CEO Lim added, “We have high expectations after signing dealer agreements with partners who have long-standing expertise in successfully operating premium brands in the domestic imported car market. Together with our partners, we will strive to prepare products and services that meet the expectations of Korean consumers.”

Zeekr, the premium brand under Geely Automobile Group, was launched in 2021. As of the first half of this year, Zeekr has delivered over 580,000 vehicles in more than 40 countries across Asia, Europe, and Oceania, maintaining rapid growth in the global premium electric vehicle market.

Chinese electric vehicle brand ZEEKR has signed a dealer agreement with a partner company responsible for vehicle sales and services in the Korean market. Key participants pose for a commemorative photo after the signing ceremony. Photo by ZEEKR

Meanwhile, Chinese electric vehicle brand BYD, which entered the Korean market earlier this year, is also receiving a positive initial response. BYD Korea recorded cumulative sales of 3,791 units from January to October, and is expected to easily reach annual sales of 5,000 units.

In terms of first-year performance, this surpasses both Polestar Korea and Tesla Korea. In particular, competitively priced models such as the Atto 3, with an actual purchase price in the high 20 million won range, are quickly capturing demand for entry-level electric vehicles in Korea.

With BYD’s value-for-money offensive and the arrival of the premium-positioned Zeekr, observers believe the influence of Chinese brands in Korea’s electric vehicle market will continue to expand.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.