‘Hangzhou Bay Cullinan’: 2026 Zeekr 9X under close consideration for Australia to rival Audi Q7, BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS

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The flagship Zeekr 9X large luxury SUV will crown the premium Chinese manufacturer’s lineup in China—and the hybrid-powered BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS rival is firming for an Australian release in 2026.

The Zeekr brand, which is the Chinese “new luxury” brand of Volvo-owning conglomerate Geely Automotive, launched with two fully electric models in Australia earlier this year.

Zeekr has already launched two models in Australia—the X small luxury SUV (from $49,900 plus on-road costs) and the avantgarde 009 minivan (from $135,900 + ORC). A third model, the 7X midsize SUV, has been confirmed for Australian release by the end of 2025.

Now, attention turns to the 9X as the brand’s flagship SUV, set to be the halo model of the range—and it is under close consideration to be the fourth Zeekr model launched in Australia. The other contender is an as-yet unannounced, upper-midsize SUV model.

“The 009 (minivan) is the big brother in the family,” Mars Chen, head of Zeekr International, told Chasing Cars. “Maybe the 9X will be the big sister.” But Australian customers will not get both the 9X and the upper-midsize SUV. “Not both—I have to be practical,” said Chen.

READ: Zeekr X AWD 2025 review

Initially, the Zeekr brand concentrated heavily on full EVs, but reflecting the resurgence in consumer demand for hybrid vehicles, it has adapted the SEA platform that it shares with Volvo and Polestar for hybrid powertrains.

While a fully electric version could come later, the 9X luxury SUV will launch in China in the third quarter of 2025 with a hybrid powertrain which was unveiled at this week’s Auto Shanghai 2025 event in China.

Dubbed the “Super Electric Hybrid”, the plug-in hybrid system pairs a 205kW 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder with front and rear electric motors producing 290kW and 370kW, respectively.

READ: Zeekr 009 2025 review

Geely claims the petrol engine within the system reaches a very high thermal efficiency of 46 percent and that its 2.0-litre displacement is appropriate for the size of the 9X—using five to 10 percent less fuel when the battery is depleted than a 1.5-litre unit.

That comparison is understood to refer to the similar Geely Leishen EM-I plug-in hybrid system that combines a petrol engine, several electric motors, a silicon carbide power module, integrated vehicle, transmission and power distribution control units. Zeekr’s Super Electric Hybrid is an
adaptation of that system.

While Geely’s version of the system is based around a 1.5-litre petrol engine which can generate energy to charge batteries sized between 19-30kWh, the Zeekr 9X has a larger CATL Freevoy battery that affords the 9X an electric-only range of 380km on China’s lenient CLTC scale.

This would equate to about 300km on the WLTP system, while overall driving range may exceed 1000km. The traction battery can be recharged from 20-80 percent in just nine minutes thanks to a 900-volt architecture and 480-volt peak DC charge speed.

Zeekr claims the 9X will accelerate from 0-100km/h in three seconds, and top speed for the large SUV is 240km/h. It is also the first time a Chinese car has been fitted with a 48-volt active stabiliser bar.

The 9X will utilise a new Nvidia Thor autonomous driving chipset informed by five lidar units (one long range, and four short range), with Zeekr claiming the SUV has four layers of 360-degree perception.

Stylistically, the 5290mm-long Zeekr 9X is an imposing SUV that blends elements of Zeekr’s 009 luxury minivan (sold in Australia) with more than a hint of Rolls-Royce Cullinan—with Chinese car fans nicknaming the 9X the Hangzhou Bay Cullinan in reference to Zeekr’s hometown.

The Chinese brand is so confident in the appearance of the 9X that head of Zeekr design Stefan Sielaff told Chasing Cars and other media that “the 9X is the better Cullinan.”

“Don’t get me wrong—I am not arrogant. I have to be humble. The 9X is only the first member of a new family of luxury cars we are going to show in future. I think it is very, very good.”

Befitting its flagship status, it is expected that the Zeekr 9X would be even more expensive than the 009 minivan if an Australian launch is confirmed—with a possible starting price above $150,000 plus on-road costs.

That would still be a little cheaper than a BMW X7 (from $171,300 + ORC), though considerably higher than the slightly smaller Audi Q7 (from $108,815 + ORC).