China’s Zeekr Says It’s Combating A Lack Of Brand Heritage In Europe With Value

This direction, alongside five-year warranties and “an expanding service network and significant investment in the brand’s presence across Europe,” gives Zeekr confidence it has the foundations for strong residuals. The company’s increased investment and presence across Europe should also give customers confidence, according to Schupet.

“We’re investing in Europe for the long term, with our design and R&D presence in Gothenburg, a growing team across our markets, and a target of around 200 sales and service locations across Europe by the end of this year. We’re not here for a quick entry. Three years in, we’re one of the strongest-performing new brands in Europe, and everything we’re building – people, infrastructure, aftersales – is designed to be here for the long run.”

The European car market is extremely competitive, and historically, buyers have favored homegrown brands. In the first half of this year, the VW Group alone sold 1.8 million vehicles in Europe while Stellantis sold 1.09 million, Renault sold 683,137 vehicles through the Renault, Dacia, and Alpine brands, and BMW and Mini sold 510,639 vehicles. By comparison, Toyota, the leading non-European brand, sold 479,382 vehicles.

With this in mind, winning over European buyers won’t be easy for Zeekr, but Chinese brands are making headway. The Geely Group sold 225,350 vehicles in Europe during the first six months of this year, beating out Ford, Tesla, Nissan, and Mazda, proving there is considerable appetite for these new entrants.

Source: www.carscoops.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.