Zeekr 8X 2026: Bonkers 1030kW tri-motor hybrid SUV could head Down Under, larger 9X revealed

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Geely Automotive Group CEO Gan Jiayue is planning to “fast track” the global release of its premium brand Zeekr’s new 8X and 9X large SUVs, according to reports from carnewschina.com, with an “overseas rollout expected as early as the third quarter” of this year.

The early buzz around the soon-to-launch 8X and already released (September 2025) 9X – including a huge order bank in its domestic Chinese market – is boosted by the ‘mega-watt’ status of high-spec variants: more than 1000kW offered from available PHEV powertrains.

Showcased at this week’s Auto China 2026 Beijing show, the 8X will launch with four variants, the highest tier ‘Yao Ying’ version features plug-in hybrid drive incorporating a turbo 2.0-litre engine with three electric motors boasting combined outputs of an eye-watering 1030kW. 

Zeekr is claiming a head-snapping 2.96-second potential for the 0-100km/h sprint. 

Built off the 900-volt ‘Haohan-S’ super-hybrid architecture, the large SUV range will also be offered in dual-motor plug-in formats offering ‘just’ 660kW of combined power paired with 3.7sec 0-100km/h performance.

Other 8X stats include the fitment of a 70kWh battery and potential 20-to-80-percent DC fast charging of just nine minutes. Electric range is said to be up to 410km (using the lenient CLTC measure) with a claimed total range of around 1400km in 8X’s most frugal configuration.    

Lower grade variants are called Max, Ultra and Ultra+ in Zeekr’s domestic market, priced from 329,800 yuan (circa $67,800). The ‘mega-watt’ Yao Ying’ is priced from 473,800 yuan (circa $97,300). High-grade versions are said to represent the lion’s share of China’s domestic order bank.

The (5.1-metre long) 8X follows in the wheel tracks of the slightly larger, platform-shared 9X SUV that lobbed into the Chinese market in September 2025, a model that, according to carnewschina.com, has represented a massive 30 percent of all Zeekr sales in China thus far in 2026.

Offered in three variant grades – Max, Ultra and Hyper – and priced between 465,900 yuan (circa $95,700) and 599,900 (circa $123,200), with wait times on delivery in its homeland now pushing as much as half a year, according to reports.    

While Zeekr Australia has yet to confirm whether either large SUV will be released locally at the time of writing, the brand is experiencing strong popularity Down Under with its 7X, launched in December 2025 to immediately become the second-biggest-selling premium (over $60K) SUV behind the Tesla Model Y.

If Australia is indeed earmarked as a global market for 8X and/or 9X release, timing could well be significantly impacted by production capacity implications of these models’ domestic market popularity.    

Chasing Cars is currently attending the Auto China 2026 Beijing show and will update this story as further news comes to hand.