Zeekr 001 Is A Sporty Chinese Electric Shooting Brake In A World Of SUVs

[@LeftCoastEV]

We all know that the legacy auto industry is lagging behind what Chinese manufacturers are releasing in the EV space. The Zeekr 001 is one such example. What do you think it will take for legacy automakers to catch up?

[@rosiekong5472]

This was also the best driving experience for me in China and a very good electric car. If we lived in China we would buy a Zeekr.

[@LeftCoastEV]

Best car from the trip for sure.

[@westcoastbestcoast88]

I like the James Bond nod at the begging of the video haha. Very interesting car and miles ahead of legacy manufacturers this is for sure.

[@LeftCoastEV]

Glad you picked up on the intro. It’s is a 00 car after all haha.

[@cjoe6908]

This is a great car. Love driving it everywhere.

[@LeftCoastEV]

It is. Zeekr is so far my favourite Chinese EV brand.

[@ryanvazquez1762]

There’s Chinese rice wine…if you want another kid. I laughed so hard at this. Love your videos and can’t wait for the next one. 😊

[@LeftCoastEV]

Haha Rosie and I are good with one kid so no rice wine for us! Appreciate the kind words and glad you liked the video!

[@victorseal9047]

This is the first road trip I’ve seen anyone take in China. Very impressive. 😅

[@LeftCoastEV]

I try to do things differently on this channel. Thanks for watching!

[@electricvehiclesug256]

Thanks very much for sharing these good news about evs in chaina

[@LeftCoastEV]

You are welcome and thank you for watching!

[@dougabbott8261]

Great vid. That is a nice looking vehicle with heads up and 89 Kw H battery on the base model. Big glass panel roof , I think I would prefer metal. It is too bad the government is not spending some of that Canadian carbon taxes on building similar charging facilities in Canada , we sure could use them. Great stuff and I look forward to your next one.

[@LeftCoastEV]

The more I travel overseas and see how other countries are transitioning away from fossil fuels to electric cars and building infrastructure to support them, it makes me feel sad how slow Canada is in adapting to this new future. I agree with you about using some of that carbon tax money to build up that infrastructure which currently is lacking. Thanks for watching!

[@BCTeslaGuy]

Nice video. Have fun and looking forward to see all the EV's you get a chance to drive. 🙂

[@LeftCoastEV]

Glad you liked it! China is truly a paradise for EV enthusiasts.

[@waynerm002]

Happy you got to experience a Chinese EV and in China. I like the Polestar 4 but after finding about this one, I would probably pick the Zeekr 001 over it, especially at the price they sell for. Then again, I did see a video that showed the Polestar 4 for $31- 40K in the Chinese market but, in US it is priced from mid $50K- 70K. This one even had a heads up display, would never get that on a base car in NA, that's only a top model thing. When Mazda started doing that little flip up screen thing back in the day, I thought that would have caught on and become the norm but, it didn't, still have to get the top spec cars for that. I hope they bring this to Malaysia, the Zeekr X and 009 just launched here this last week and they look really good. Thanks for sharing your experience as a North American driver.

[@LeftCoastEV]

Zeekr X is nice, but I find myself gravitating more to sedans over SUVs nowadays. Not sure if you feel the same way, but it seems like all car companies nowadays want to get in on the SUV market and thus neglect sedans. This is why when I went to China, I wanted to specifically drive the 001. Sedans, especially sporty ones like this, are a pleasure to drive. Plus with the EV centric low centre of gravity, it drives so well, corners like its on rails. If I was you I would wait for it to be available in Malaysia and get the 001. The brand new 2025 version is even better, they refied the whole vehicle and added a larger battery (I believe 100kWh) as standard. I have not driven the Polestar 4 myself yet, but planning to get my hands on one as soon as I can find out in my local area.

[@waynerm002]

@@LeftCoastEV I'm actually the opposite when it comes to the CUV/SUV thing, been driving sedans most of my life, lowering them and adding larger wheels for better handling. I even did it to my KIA Optima hybrid, to match up with my KIA Stinger. Ended up trading the Stinger for an Audi e-tron and preferred the ease of sliding into the car. Now in retirement, I have knee issues which is making me look at higher riding vehicle. I checked out the BYD Seal and had a bit of trouble getting in, it's lower than I thought and of course right hand drive, here in Malaysia, something new to get used to. I have seen videos on the 2025 Zeekr 001 and was hoping the Polestar 4 would get things like air suspension, the HUD and the larger battery. Now I saw a YT video saying it would get the updated battery in 2026. I had a chance to check it out in Hong Kong and I really like it but, I sometimes think the Zeekr X would be the more practical choice. Noe, with the Xpeng G6 launching here and they recently introduced the M03, I'm rethinking my plans. NIO also introduced their Onvo L60 and Zeekr dropped the 7X, all these being touted as a Tesla Model Y competitor, which is a size I like and coming in less than a base Y in top (some of them) trim, there will be more choices on offer next year. Still have some time to decide on which would be the better choice for us.

[@LeftCoastEV]

If you are going to go for an SUV, I would say ether the Onvo or the Zeekr 7X would be my choices. I didn't get to drive the G6, but got to see one at the Xpeng store. I'm not a fan of the dimensions of the vehicle, it looks rather blown up and the proportions seem off to me. The design and shape of the Onvo and Zeekr is more up my alley. Plus the air suspension on the Zeekr is a great thing to have...especially if the road surface where you live is not of the best quality. It makes driving way more comfortable and planted. Thanks for your input, will need to visit Malaysia in the future and do an EV road trip there!

[@waynerm002]

@@LeftCoastEV I like the Zeekr 7X looks, it’s a mid sized vehicle, with that SUV look but, the Onvo looks like a sedan, or coupe SUV with a slight lift, sort of like Zeekr 001 and Polestar 4. Until we get the long term visa, it’s more dreaming but, again gives some time for more stuff to be released.

[@alphaomega1969]

China intends to build 150 new nuclear reactors between 2020 and 2035, with 27 currently under construction and the average construction timeline for each reactor about seven years, far faster than for most other nations.All 120W station will be upgraded to 450W or faster charging in the future!

[@LeftCoastEV]

Read about it when I was in China. Good on them to invest and move away from coal which was the staple for many years in China. Once thing I noticed on my last trip there was the improved air quality...I remember it to not be so clean when I lived there 10 years ago.

[@steveyoutube]

Can Canadian drive in China with Canadian driver's license?

[@LeftCoastEV]

Unfortunately not. You need to get a Chinese driving license. It was very hard many years ago, but now you can get a temporary one within 2 hours. Just need to make sure you have all the documents. It will be valid for as long as your Chinese visa is valid for. I will make a video soon on the process, documents and cost of it all. Stay tuned!

[@daphne20042004]

@@LeftCoastEV yes please. how to do it

[@LeftCoastEV]

Will be posting the video about how to get a Chinese driving license on the channel in 2 weeks.

[@etow8034]

Zeeker is basically the Chinese version of Volvo's PoleStar which are both owned by Geely !

[@LeftCoastEV]

I drove both and the Zeekr is miles ahead of the Polestar. Much better car. The updated 2025 version even more so.

[@cjoe6908]

It's not. I have the 001 and it's not a Polestar

[@LeftCoastEV]

Depends on personal preference. I’m not a fan of the Polestar.

[@etow8034]

@@LeftCoastEV Good to hear. I am not a fan of the PoleStar look as well, but it's the only game in town here in North America other than Tesla. In fact Tesla in the pre-owned market lowers the cost of pre-owned PoleStars as much as 15%-20% which is great for those looking for an EV here !

[@etow8034]

North America still can't even decide on a standardized charging plug yet, currently they have the CCS and Tesla's NACS, and Elon Musk has stop implementing new Charging station because he knows what will happen to Tesla just like the big telcos in North America ! ...LoL

[@jwickerszh]

You had the previous gen, which is 400V IIRC? The new one is 800V and should charge faster.

[@LeftCoastEV]

Correct. The new 001 is based on 800v and can charge much faster especially when paired with the dedicated Zeekr DC fast chargers. Next time I am in China I will need to drive the newer 800v Zeekr.

[@jwickerszh]

The highway tolls can always be paid in cash, they have change there 😅 If they don't there are people in charge that will get it from another booth.

[@LeftCoastEV]

LOL I thought so too, but my wife was like in China now you can only pay with WeChat or Alipay haha. Thanks for letting us know!

[@jwickerszh]

Actually the Zeekr should do auto lane change when you indicate, it takes a second or two, I have the same system on my Zeekr X.

[@LeftCoastEV]

Ohhh didn't notice that in the settings...I really wish they would add an English language option even for cars sold in China, would make it much easier for me to navigate the menus. Nio does it, Zeekr should do it too since they already have it all translated for the international market.

[@jwickerszh]

@@LeftCoastEV Yes, they don't do it at the moment for some BS reasons. But when unsure I just use my phone to translate the text. There are also options for the voice assistant that would help, it does not handle speaking English very well so if you don't use it you can turn off the voice wake up and use the button for manual wake up instead.

[@ah5878]

Even with 100% tariff this car can compete with Tesla 3 in US.

[@LeftCoastEV]

Totally agree. I would get this instead of a Model 3 especially the refreshed Zeekr 001 that now has 800v architecture and blazing fast charging speeds. Plus it just looks nicer!

[@dejavumagazine]

Hahaha I had exactly the same complaint about the buttons you'll see in my video 🙂... The autonomous driving in my rental Zeekr vehicle was otherwise very good and superior to an experience I had in the Xeng G6 And on par with the Xiaomi su7 that I had for a week... I have to admit All of the above seem inferior to Tesla autonomous driving functions.😂 Driving around in China is otherwise great fun hey?

[@LeftCoastEV]

Driving in China is way too much fun haha. I tell all my friends that if they have the chance to do so they should go and drive in China at least once in their life. How was the Xiaomi SU7? Wanted to rent one, but they didn't have it available during they time I was in China.