Zeekr to launch a $200,000 Range Rover rival: Upcoming 2026 Zeekr 9X to be flagship offering in Chinese brand's line-up against Porsche Cayenne and Mercedes EQS SUV

Zeekr has teased camouflaged images of its upcoming flagship SUV, dubbed the 9X.

Set to sit above the incoming 7X in the range and rumoured to debut a new hybrid system for the otherwise all-electric brand, the 9X is expected to be unveiled at the Shanghai motor show this year.

The new SUV’s range is also expected to be topped out in China by a ‘Brilliance’ variant which is the ultra-luxury specification the brand is already offering on its 009 people mover, as a kind of equivalent to BMW Individual or Maybach trim levels in European rivals.

Chinese media is reporting the 9X could cost as much as one million RMB (roughly A$220,000) which would make it leagues above current Chinese offerings, rivalling the U8 SUV from BYD’s ultra-luxury YangWang sub-brand, or only the highest trim levels of size rivals like the Mercedes EQS SUV and Porsche Cayenne.

The new ‘super hybrid’ system, a retraction of Zeekr’s once electric-only status, is said to offer the best features of fully electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and range-extenders, although beyond the 9X’s targeted 0-100km/h sprint time of less than four seconds, the Chinese luxury brand has not revealed any further details.

In accordance with the aggressive launch timelines laid out by other Chinese brands, the 9X is expected to be on sale in its domestic market before the end of 2025.

Zeekr only arrived in Australia in late 2024, bringing with it the X small SUV and 009 luxury people mover. It intends to launch the 7X mid-size electric SUV at some point in the future in Australia, although has yet to land on timing for right-hand-drive examples.

In Europe, where the 7X has already launched, it costs in the realm of A$80,000 to 100,000, leaving plenty of airspace above for this new 9X to top its range.

Zeekr also recently said that it was looking at rolling out Lynk & Co in Australia as a hybrid-focused option distributed via the same network as Zeekr models.

Lynk & Co was previously a left-hand-drive only proposition, and was a shared project between Volvo and Geely, however in a recent large corporate re-organisation, Lynk & Co was placed under the control of Zeekr in the group.

This has apparently given the Chinese upstart more license to expand Lynk & Co as a sports luxury sub-brand in more markets like Australia.

Regardless, Zeekr will have a fight on its hands in Australia as more Chinese automakers seek to move into upmarket segments. BYD will launch its luxury Denza sub-brand in Australia before the end of 2025, although it has not made clear which models will arrive first.

Denza will not only have access to a range of performance hybrids and electric cars available in its Chinese home market, but it can also tap into BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao (Formula Leopard) sub-brand of off-road PHEV SUVs which will look to rival GWM’s Tank brand, utilising the same technology deployed in the popular Shark 6 PHEV ute.

Stay tuned for more information on the Zeekr 9X at the Shanghai motor show later this year.