The offensive by Chinese electric-vehicle companies in Korea is expected to intensify. Following BYD, which entered the domestic market for the first time this year, latecomers such as Zeekr and Xpeng are also establishing subsidiaries in quick succession and preparing to enter the market. In the complete-vehicle industry, there is a view that Chinese EVs, which offer strong value for money, could rapidly increase their domestic market share if they expand their lineups.
According to the imported-car industry on the 13th, Chinese EV maker Xpeng established a Korean subsidiary named "Xpeng Motors Korea" in June and completed registration. Xpeng is currently searching for a head of its passenger institutional sector to lead its domestic business, and it is said to have set a goal of contracting with a dealer and selling its first product in Korea in the first quarter of next year.
Gu Jieqi, chair of Xpeng's Technology Committee, met with Korean reporters at "IAA Mobility 2025" held in Munich, Germany, on the 8th of last month and said, "Korea is a market where competition among brands is fierce," adding, "We are drawing up concrete plans for entry into Korea."
Founded in 2014, Xpeng is regarded as one of the most innovative EV companies in the Chinese market, often called "China's Tesla." In autonomous driving, it is evaluated as having the most advanced technology among Chinese complete-vehicle makers, and it is expanding into areas such as urban air mobility (UAM) and humanoid robots.
Xpeng's subsidiary Xpeng AeroHT unveiled the LAC (Land Aircraft Carrier), a flying car, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, U.S., in January. The LAC consists of a six-wheel-drive electric minivan and a two-seater vertical takeoff and landing drone. It operates as a flying car in the air, but on land, the drone can be detached and stored in the minivan.
In the industry, many believe Xpeng will choose the P7, a midsize electric sedan, as its first model to launch domestically. The P7 has been sold since 2020, and a second-generation new model hit the Chinese market in July this year. The new P7 is built on an 800-volt (V) high-voltage platform and can travel 525 kilometers on a 10-minute charge. Xpeng's in-house "Turing AI" has been applied, giving it Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities.
Zeekr, a premium Chinese EV brand, is also accelerating its entry into Korea. Zeekr completed registration at the end of February under the corporate name "Zeekr Intelligent Technology Korea" and is preparing to launch products. It is known to have appointed former Audi Korea head Lim Hyun-gi, who led the company from 2022 through last year, as head of the Korean subsidiary and is coordinating the timing of the first product launch.
Zeekr is the premium brand of Geely Automobile, a major Chinese complete-vehicle maker. It is similar to Genesis of Hyundai Motor Group. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, to which Geely Automobile belongs, acquired Swedish car company Volvo, premium EV brand Polestar, and British sports car maker Lotus, and is well known in Korea.
Zeekr's first model to be sold in Korea is likely to be the 7X, a midsize sport utility vehicle (SUV). The 7X is a first-generation model released last year and was built on SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture), an EV-only platform developed by Geely Automobile. It features the same 800V high-voltage system as the Polestar 5 and can travel up to 543 kilometers on a single charge.
Some say that because Korean consumers' trust and preference for Chinese brands are low, it will take considerable time for Chinese EVs to gain a foothold in the domestic market. BYD, which entered Korea in January, sold a total of 1,947 units through August, ranking 12th among imported brands. Its market share is around 1%.
BYD is China's largest EV manufacturer and is competitive in batteries, but domestic consumers' distrust of Chinese cars appears to be significant. Polestar, which previously entered Korea and is also classified as a premium EV brand, sold only 1,866 units in Korea through August this year.