Packing just over 1,380 hp and up to 255 miles of all-electric range, the new, tri-motor, extended-range hybrid Zeekr X8 is redefining what buyers could and should expect from their next SUV – and parent company Geely’s global ambitions could mean the platform will make its way to North America. As a Volvo.
File this one under “wishful thinking” if you must, but it’s no secret that Volvo’s new EVs haven’t been selling the way the company had hoped – and new unit sales have plunged more than 30% in Q1. At the same time, however, sales of certified pre-owned (CPO) Volvo cars are up 14%, proving that there’s still an appetite for the brand, if not its all-electric XC90 and EX30 models.
That’s why hot-selling products from parent company Geely’s global portfolio – like the recently-released Volvo XC70 EREV and the new Zeekr 8X, based on the Haohan-S hybrid architecture and featuring up to three electric motors good for up to 1030 kW (~1,380 hp) – could play a huge role in Volvo’s North American product line in the near future.
Volvo dealers sounding alarm bells
Despite Volvo cutting prices in an effort to goose demand for its latest new models, Yahoo!Autos is reporting that Volvo’s US dealers are “sounding alarms” as their are choosing more proven hybrids and gas model Volvos over the brand’s bug-riddled BEVs.
New software and new models like the upcoming EX60 shown, above, should help things – but, anecdotally, Volvo dealers are tired of competing for EV sales with their sister brand, Polestar, and the data seems to indicate that the risk-averse Volvo core customers who dutifully lease a new XC90 every 30-39 months are looking at low-mile CPO models over “rolling the dice” on a new EX30 or EX90.
In other words: Volvo’s US dealers want more hybrids, and Volvo’s parent company, Geely, is building some really great ones.
Let’s talk about the new Zeekr 8X
In addition to its impressive performance and all-electric range, the new Zeekr 8X is also an early market success, having earned Zeekr more than 10,000 orders since it went on sale literally yesterday (!), proving that there is huge demand for a medium-sized EREV SUV.
Driving some of those sales is the Zeekr 8X’s pricing, which sits between 356,800 yuan (~$52,000) and 426,800 yuan (~$62,200), with limited-time pricing starting at “just” 329,800 yuan (~$48,000). If a new Volvo based on the 8X platform ever did make it to the US, I’d expect to see it start in the mid $70K range for a 2WD version backed up by the company’s existing 2.0-liter turbo ICE and 55 kWh CATL battery, and just over $100K for the three-motor, 70 kWh version.
Both versions would offer Volvo buyers a mid-sized SUV with 100+ miles of all electric range plus the added “benefit” of internal combustion if they ever get caught away from a convenient fast charger – and, more importantly, could go a long, long way towards keeping the brand’s US dealers from outright revolt.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Geely, via CarNewsChina, CNEVPost.
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