Monster 1030kW Chinese SUV revealed: 2026 Zeekr 9X plug-in hybrid SUV brings the heat to battle BYD's luxury brand YangWang

There’s a new entrant into China’s power wars.

Zeekr is about to start pre-sales in its home market of a new 1030kW behemoth.

It pairs a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with three electric motors to bring the heat to the competition such as BYD’s YangWang U8.

Those power numbers allow it to crush the zero to 100km/h sprint time in 3.1 seconds on the way to a top speed of 240km/h.

Zeekr claims the 9X’s 70kWh battery allows it to drive up to 380km on pure electric power, but that is via the more lenient China Light-duty Test Cycle compared to the benchmark WLTP testing regime.

The 9X has an advanced 900-volt architecture, which allows for ultra-fast charging. The brand claims it can replenish its battery from 20 to 80 per cent in nine minutes, which puts its max charge rate at about 280kW.

Zeekr also claims it can charge faster than 99 per cent of electric cars.

It has monster proportions to match its beastly performance.

It is about the same size as full-size American SUVs at 5239mm long, 2029mm wide and 1819mm tall, and would dwarf a Toyota LandCruiser or Nissan Patrol on Australian roads.

Despite its huge size it will only be a six seater with two seats in each row. The second row has two captain’s chairs, which will act like business class on wheels.

There is no word on if Zeekr will bring the 9X Down Under, but it already has the small X SUV and 009 people mover on sale with the 7X mid-size SUV due in coming months.

Zeekr is also preparing to bring models from the Lynk & Co brand down under, with its plug-in hybrid vehicles to complement Zeekr’s all-electric line-up.