At a press conference on the evening of August 13, 2024, Zeekr unveiled not only the 2025 model of the 007 but also the 2025 version of the Zeekr 001.
Usually, this might not be an issue, but Zeekr launched a new version of the 001 back in late February this year, meaning there have been three significantly different versions of the car on sale throughout the year.
Customers who bought the new 001 released in early February were not happy with Zeekr’s workings, as just six months later, another new version was launched. Soon after, Zeekr CEO An Conghui responded to the criticisms, saying, “Maybe we didn’t do well and didn’t communicate in advance, and Zeekr’s products will be released in advance in the future.”
The changes to the 2025 Zeekr 001 model are mainly limited to its intelligent driving capabilities. The car is equipped with the Haohan Intelligent Driving 2.0 system and the Zeekr OS AI, bringing its capabilities on par with the 007 model of 2025, also launched at the same event.
The 2025 Zeekr 001 models comprise five lines, priced from RMB 259,000 to RMB 329,000, equivalent to VND 843 million to VND 1.07 billion. Finally, the Zeekr 001 FR version is priced at a whopping RMB 769,000 (USD 107,750), equivalent to VND 2.5 billion.
Previously, the intelligent driving system of the Zeekr 001 was based on the Mobileye chip. For the 2025 version, the Mobileye chip is still used on the rear-wheel-drive version but is replaced by a dual Nvidia Orin X chipset with a computing power of 508 TOPS on all other versions of the car. These versions also feature a long-range lidar offering a range of 200 meters and an ultra-wide 120-degree field of view, equivalent to 128 lines.
The Haohan intelligent driving system utilizes a large-scale context model (SCM) to enhance target recognition. The system can now recognize 1,000 new traffic scenarios, and the accuracy of perception has been improved by over 120%.
Using a large-scale interaction planning model (IPM), the system simulates the strategies employed by human drivers. For instance, in congested traffic, the system will make a slight lane change beforehand to signal to surrounding vehicles that it intends to change lanes and to see if the car behind will yield. Furthermore, IPM can predict the behavior of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians 1.2 seconds ahead of time, with an improved accuracy of 21%.
The system can now handle 30 complex intersection types, enabling the car to achieve a parking success rate of over 95%. There’s also a finger-control parking application that lets users draw a temporary parking spot and drag the car icon into it. This feature is available not only in the car but also through the Zeekr app on mobile phones, allowing people to park in very tight spaces. In the coming months, the system will undergo significant upgrades, with the aim of enabling home-to-door service by the first quarter of 2025.
Another significant highlight of the Zeekr 001 2025 is the Zeekr OS AI, which integrates advanced deep learning technology, natural language processing, computer vision, and other large-scale models. This enables far superior voice control for the car’s functions and also makes the car smarter in a proactive sense, rather than merely acting on the user’s commands. The car will now offer suggestions and tips to the driver.
There are no significant changes to the exterior of the 2025 Zeekr 001 model, although there are now two new color options. Similarly, there are no changes to the powertrain. Earlier this year, the 2024 upgrade introduced a new 800V high-voltage platform. At that time, the car was launched with the Qilin 100 kWh battery from CATL, giving it a maximum range of 750 km. The car was also offered with the Shenxing 95 kWh battery, also from CATL. This is a fast-charging lithium iron phosphate battery capable of 5C charging, allowing the car to charge from 10 to 80% SOC in just 11.5 minutes.
A Zeekr company representative stated that the development of the 2024 001 model was confirmed around early 2023, and at that time, there were no plans to implement the intelligent driving system. That version was then launched on February 27, 2024. After this model’s launch, many potential customers praised the Haohan system on the Zeekr 007, and research showed that many potential buyers had hesitated to purchase the 001 due to the absence of this system.
Buyers of the 2024 Zeekr 001 model wondered if their car could be upgraded. However, that version only used Mobileye-based intelligent driving solutions in terms of basic chips, system layout, and wiring, so it couldn’t be upgraded to the new system unless they paid a very high cost. This means that, at the beginning of this year, the Zeekr 001 model being sold was mainly the first model launched in 2021.
Subsequently, in February, the 2024 model was launched alongside some upgrades to the intelligent driving system, introducing the 800V platform and new Qilin and Shenxing batteries from CATL, along with a more powerful motor and exterior and interior upgrades. On the other hand, the 2025 model is mainly just an upgrade in intelligent driving and operating system capabilities.
Zeekr stated that the development of intelligent driving technology is progressing too rapidly, and consumers are increasingly considering this as a differentiating factor when choosing a car model.
China is experiencing a situation where the vehicle model life cycle is being significantly shortened. While previously, a car could be sold for 5 to 10 years, perhaps with one or two upgrades during that time, this is no longer feasible. The main driver of this change is the rapid acceleration of intelligent driving technology.
This change first became apparent in 2021 with cars from Xpeng. In the first half of the year, Xpeng promoted the new capabilities of the Xpeng P7, which then included Highway NGP and memory parking functions. However, in the latter half of that year, the company launched the Xpeng P5, equipped with two lidar units. This immediately promised far superior intelligent driving capabilities but in a smaller, more affordable car than the P7.
While OTA can bring many improvements throughout a car’s lifecycle, they are limited by the actual hardware installed in the vehicle. The latest intelligent driving solutions often require new sensors or chips to function, and as we’ve seen from Zeekr’s statement, this is probably just the tip of the iceberg, as they depend on many fundamental structures and systems.
