In October 2024, Zeekr, which launched its first EV, the Zeekr X, into the Australian market, targeting tech-driven premium small SUV buyers, featuring over-the-air (OTA) updates.
Now, the brand has released its first update for Zeekr X owners, bringing upgrades to its safety features and the user interface of the screen that owners requested.
In an email sent to Zeekr X owners, which was shared on Zeekr Australia’s Facebook page by owners, the company rolled out its software update 1.05 with improvements to “Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Auto Lane Centring Assist (ALCA) and safety system refinements.”
It further dives into a soft switch being added to the car for LKA and ALCA functions, which will save the owners’ settings instead of resetting every time the vehicle is turned off, which is the case in some cars.
On top of that, drive fatigue monitoring with audible notifications has been updated to be less intrusive for owners.
These changes are expected to improve the overall in-car experience for drivers while keeping its 5-star ANCAP safety rating, which it received in December 2024.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality have also been updated for owners who use them wired or wirelessly, bringing commonly used phone apps such as Google Maps, Waze, Spotify and others, into the car on its 14.6-inch screen.
The email also states that the update will take around 38 minutes to complete, which is similar to software update times for other EVs.
The Zeekr X has seen almost 300 sales since launching late last year and saw its prices cut in April as the brand prepared to launch its highly anticipated 7X SUV later this year.
Pricing of the base rear-wheel-drive (RWD) model starts at $49,900 before on-roads. The top-spec all-wheel-drive (AWD) variant comes in at $62,990 before on-roads.
Zeekr is Geely Holding Group’s premium EV brand, and the Zeekr X is its smallest SUV offering.
Both versions of the Zeekr X come with the same 66 kWh nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) battery pack, delivering up to 540 km of range in the RWD variant and offering 470 km in the AWD version.
Both versions of the Zeekr X can be fast-charged at speeds of up to 150 kW at the right DC chargers, including the Tesla Superchargers.
When it comes to charging times, 10-80% comes in 30 minutes at the right DC charger. For those charging at home, AC charging with RWD variant is with a 7 kW AC onboard charger while the AWD version is equipped with an 11 kW AC charger for faster charging.
This means that the AC charging time on the AWD version drops to 7.5 hours when charging from 0% to 100%, compared to 11.5 hours for the RWD variant.
Both variants also offer vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities, allowing owners to power other equipment from the car’s battery.
Looking at the powertrain, the RWD version delivers up to 200 kW of power and 343 Nm of torque. This setup gets the 0-100 km/h sprint done in 5.6 seconds.
On the AWD version, a more powerful dual-motor setup delivers 315 kW of power and 543 Nm of torque, shaving the same sprint time to 3.8 seconds.
Zeekr X also comes with a 5-year, unlimited-km warranty for the car, while the battery is covered by an 8-year/160,000 km warranty.
The latest update to the Zeekr X comes ahead of the highly anticipated upcoming 7X launch in the second half of the year. The prices of that car are expected to start at around $70,000.
This makes the X a better buy when comparing it to similarly sized Volvo EX30 and Smart #3 in the premium small SUV segment of the market. Both those rivals are priced above the $50,000 mark. We look forward to a long-term test with the car in the coming weeks to see how the Zeekr X performs on our roads, especially with this update installed.
Zeekr X specifications
Zeekr X RWD
- 200kW / 343Nm
- 66 kWh Lithium-ion (NCM) battery
- 540km range (ADR 81/02)
- 5.6s 0-100 km/h
- 10 ~ 80% 150kW DC charge: ~30min
- 0 ~ 100% 7.2kW AC charge: 11.5h
- Vehicle To Load (V2L) functionality
- 19″ Brilliance alloy wheels
- 235/50 R19 Continental EcoContact 6 tyres
Zeekr X AWD
- 315kW / 543Nm
- 66 kWh Lithium-ion (NCM) battery
- 470km range (ADR 81/02)
- 3.8s 0-100 km/h
- 10 ~ 80% 150kW DC charge: ~30min
- 0 ~ 100% 11kW AC charge: 7.5h
- Vehicle To Load (V2L) functionality
- 20″ Sport forged alloy wheels
- 245/45 R20 Continental EcoContact 6 Q tyres
Safety features
- 7 Airbags, including front centre airbag
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Automated Parking Assist (APA)
- Automatic High Beam (AHB)
- Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
- Door Opening Warning (DOW)
- Digital Video Recorder (DVR)
- Driver Performance Support (DPS)
- Evasive Manoeuvre Assist (EMA)
- Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
- Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM)
- Front Cross Traffic Assist (FCTA)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
- Parking Assist System (PAS)
- Parking Emergency Brake (PEB)
- Rear Collision Warning (RCW)
- Rear Cross Traffic Assist (RCTA)
- Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
- 360 Visual Park Assist
- Power rear child safety locks – doors & windows
- ISOFIX – outboard rear seats
- Top tether – rear seating positions
- Seat Belt reminder with pressure sensor
- Low-Speed Pedestrian Warning Sound
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.