Zeekr CKD – Malaysia is the first country outside of China to assemble its EVs, 7X kicks off global plan

Besides revealing that Zeekr will launch three new models in 2026, GM Eddy Lu also reiterated at the brand’s Chinese New Year media event yesterday that the Geely-owned brand has CKD plans for our market. In fact, Malaysia will be the first country outside of China to assemble Zeekr vehicles in a global expansion plan.

The first Zeekr model to be CKD locally assembled in Malaysia (and the world) will be the 7X, which has proven to be popular here – the SUV was second in the January 2026 EV sales chart, which is eye-catching for a premium brand product. No timeline was given, but seeing that the 7X is not one of the three new models for 2026, it should surface in 2027 at the earliest.

At a test drive event for Malaysian media and owners in Harbin, China last month, Lu said that Zeekr – as part of the Geely Group – will leverage on the group’s investments in Malaysia. “CKD is in the plans,” he said without elaborating, perhaps due to things being at an early stage.

This confirms what we heard from Proton last year about Zeekr cars being locally assembled at the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV) in Tanjong Malim, which is anchored by Proton.

Alex Bao, head of Zeekr Southeast Asia, first broached the CKD subject in May 2025. “Don’t forget we are under a big group, which has a lot of facilities and manufacturing power here. So, we’ve been discussing this issue but it will take some time,” he said then. When asked if it will be at Proton’s new EV plant, he said “very possible, very possible. We are under the same mother!”

In July 2023, prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed that Geely will invest US$10 billion (RM39.5 billion) to turn Tanjong Malim into the region’s largest auto city. In October that same year, Geely and DRB-Hicom signed a master collaboration agreement for the AHTV project.

Now that the tax-free window for CBU imported EVs has closed, local assembly becomes vital if a brand wants to sell EVs in meaningful numbers – it’s no longer a free for all thanks to a new regulation imposing a RM250k minimum price for CBU EVs.

Originally, it was understood that the new floor price would be for brands that have yet to set up shop in Malaysia, but it has since been expanded to include new models from existing brands. The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) is trying to clarify this with Malaysia’s investment, trade and industry ministry (MITI).

We might not see the new regulation’s full effect yet thanks to the availability of 2025 stock (thinning as we speak), but as things stand, CBU EV prices will eventually go up, and the RRP difference between the imports and CKD locally assembled EVs will widen – it will be pretty similar to what we’ve seen all these years with ICE cars. See Audi versus BMW and Mercedes-Benz as an example.

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