“The era of Chinese cars is almost upon us.” No, not only has that new world order already landed on our shores, it has well and truly established itself as a force majeure in the global automotive landscape. Don’t believe us? Just take a look around our roads during your daily commute. It is a
It is a genuine challenge to drive for more than five minutes without crossing paths with a car that hails from the middle kingdom, especially in the Klang Valley.
The numbers do not lie. They underscore the weight of the wave that has struck the legacy automotive shores worldwide. During a recent media event, the CEO of Proton shared that 21 Chinese brands have launched or re-entered Malaysia over the last few years, spawning 58 models with the majority of them being EVs.
That is a staggering figure given that prior to the influx of Chinese carmakers, the local scene would see around 50-60 new or facelifted model introductions from the existing brands.
Furthermore, jokes about their cars being cosmetic duplicates of legacy brands would now just fall flat. Chinese carmakers have far exceeded being on par with the rest of the world, they are now leaving these legacy brands in their wake.
While Chinese carmakers might appear to be a dime a dozen due to sheer volume, they are very much taking the fight to the rest of the industry.
Just take a look at the recent Malaysia Car of the Year (MCOTY) 2025 awards. No less than eight Chinese models won, and we are not even including the rebadged ones sold here. Still not convinced? The Overall MCOTY 2025 winner was from China, the Zeekr 009 Ultra Luxury.
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Zeekr is one of those brands that are not just keeping pace with the rest of the industry, the new marque is a handful are trailblazers that have pushed the envelope to the point of reinventing the modern car as we know it.
While we have yet to get some proper seat time cosseted in the lush captain’s chairs of the 009, we did have an opportunity to sample its sibling, the award-winning Zeekr 7X AWD Performance.
In the very same MCOTY 2025 awards, the flagship 7X variant came out tops as the SUV of the Year (RM200,000 to RM500,000). Given the esteemed list of peers it went up against, that is no mean feat and proves how well-rounded it is.
Looking the part
Gone are the days those Chinese cars looked like xeroxed versions of European models on a pixelated printer. Zeekr’s global design studio and engineering department are located in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Naturally, that has imbued the 7X with a very distinct continental feel throughout its construction and styling.
Sculpted would be the best description of its lines. They are clean with minimal fuss and to a certain degree, can be labelled a classic SUV silhouette. It exudes a certain calmness that properly reflects its European design influence and avoids the trap of busyness that most Chinese cars tend to fall into.
Even from a distance, the 7X appears clean to a fault. That is not a coincidence, plenty of effort went into crafting a spotless exterior, in terms of concealing the tiny details. Designers went to the extent of hiding the weather strip for the windows behind the bodywork and concealing the rear wiper when not in use.
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Further accentuating that tidiness are frameless automatic doors (7X Performance) and even frameless side-view mirrors.
That side, the designers did not obscure the 7X’s personality. A defining feature gazing upon it head on is the Stargate, a mammoth 93-inch-wide blade front panel housing 1,831 LEDs for customisable light signatures. Additionally, fiery-orange Akebono brake calipers peek out from behind the 20-inch wheels hinting at its fun nature and blistering performance.
Feeling the part
Inside, the theme continues with a minimalist design that belies its feature-packed, Napp full-grain wrapped cabin. The rear seats even have 10-degrees of powered adjustment and the driver gets speakers in the headrest.
Storage is plentiful, with a usable front door armrest box and storage trays beneath the rear seats that are all cleverly hidden when not shut. Under the hood is a generous 62-litre frunk. You will even find a temperature-controlled fridge between the front seats.
Even with all the nifty storage spots, the cabin is roomy. Maximum rear legroom is 1,187mm with headroom maxing out at 1,021mm.
You can tell convenience was emphasised in the build. Little things like buttons in the cargo area to adjust the air suspension’s height for easier loading goes a long way.
The infotainment is governed by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip and controlled via a 16-inch 3.5K resolution touchscreen. Conveniently, there are piano key console buttons below it for primary functions. It also serves as the display for the in-cabin monitoring system with cameras integrated into the B-pillars to keep an eye on rear occupants, especially children.
One of the challenges in attempting to reinvent the modern car is taking things a little too far in the misplaced name of innovation or for the sake of being more advanced.
Yes, the car can be made much better but there is nothing you can improve about the wheel. Needing to access the touchscreen to adjust the angle of the air-conditioning vents has crossed a line. It is perfectly fine to use your hands and just realign the vents if the air flow is not directed at you.
Running the right gear
Being the flagship variant in the 7X range, the ‘Performance’ bit is well and truly deserved. There are twin electric motors, one on each axle, making a combined 646 PS and 710 Nm of torque. That equates to a century sprint time of 3.8 seconds.
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The battery is a 100 kWh NCM (Nickel Cobalt Manganese) pack with a rated 543 km of range (WLTP) and everything run on 800V architecture.
Driving as well as it looks
All those gold stars would be pointless if the 7X Performance did not drive well. Luckily it does.
EVs have made ludicrous acceleration so commonplace that have begun taking it for granted. While it could very well embarrass supercars to shame if you ever felt like Vin Diesel, the air suspension is something more drivers would probably appreciate.
The air suspension plays a hefty part in phasing out all the undulations, feeling very steady and confident while doing so.
Of course, breakneck acceleration in EVs is a double-edged sword. It is hard to escape the weight but the air suspension balances that in a manner that would make European cars take notice.
Get a little spirited, as we did in some of the off-road paths during the drive, and the weight is noticeable. However, the 7X never feels like it would betray you and lose it. Physics though has limitations and you should never try to find it though this SUV will comfortably skirt it and make you feel like a champ doing so.
The ride is essentially a sports SUV that one would expect from something European. Call it a balanced blend of comfort and accessible performance that does not compromise the daily duties expected of a family car. We should add that the coil springs in the lower variants of the 7X did feel much more compliant on highways over the air suspension.
Conclusion
Zeekr has successfully created a car with its own personality. To a certain degree, they have improved on many aspects that make motoring in the 7X much better. However, the curve for this table is exponential and as we get closer to the top, it becomes much easier to
Some would ignore the menial details or features and focus on the big picture but lest we forget, great things are done by a series of small things brought together. In that respect, the combination of perfecting many small things has culminated in a well put-together overall product.
Zeekr has taken the important bits from every corner of the world and put it together, Chinese technology and performance with European design and refinement. Sounds like a world-beater? Maybe but we still prefer adjusting the air-conditioning vents manually.
Specifications
Motor: Twin, one on each axle
Battery: 100 kWh NCM
Power: 646 PS and 710 Nm
Charging: 420kW DC / 22kW AC
Price (as tested): RM 226,800
We like: Performance, refined cabin
We don’t like: Air-conditioning directional vents adjusted via screen