Since its establishment, the Zeekr brand has been unconventional. For example, the first model put into production, 001, was positioned as a pure electric hunting coupe, which was the first among domestic new energy brands; 009 was positioned as the most expensive pure electric MPV among domestic brands; the hidden water-cut strips of the Zeekr X, the “pet mode” after the rear seats are electrically folded, and the large screen slides horizontally, all of which have pioneered new Chinese EV cars. So, what will be different about the Zeekr 007?
Zeekr 007 continues the frameless rearview mirror and hidden water-cut strip design of Zeekr X. The door opening structure also follows the Zeekr X and is divided into two forms: hidden door handles and no door handles.
There are many door panels with segmented frames, but it is not common to embed a structure inside the segment. The reason is that ambient light is decorated here, and the structure and shape of this ambient light are connected with the dashboard, creating a surround effect, which is similar to the Avita 11’s oblique rear connection with the door handle. However, the design of the Zeekr 007 that is connected to the dashboard is more coordinated than the Avita.
The thing I am most dissatisfied with about the exterior of Zeekr 007 is the front trunk, which can only hold some small on-board tools, which is better than nothing. To create a sense of ritual for such a small pit, several large molds were invested, and the cost of this front trunk is at least several dozen yuan, but the realized value is a bit “not enough to cover the cost”, so it is better to just fill it up and cover it up.
The most distinctive feature of the entire vehicle exterior is the clamshell design of the tailgate, which allows the entire taillight to be on the rear cover, no longer interrupted by the side panels, achieving better integrity. Of course, the ensuing problem is that to meet the regulations after the tailgate is opened, a set of brake lights is forced to be placed in a lower and less conspicuous position, which is criticized by many people. Anyway, the car following behind does need to adapt. Previously, the similar brake light arrangement of Xiaopeng G6 and Galaxy L7 was complained by users.
Zeekr is not the first domestic brand to adopt the clamshell design. ORA Good Cat used it a few years ago. However, I am more concerned about the clamshell design of Zeekr 007, which makes the extension line of the taillight match the side panel to balance the area of the rear side panel. I wonder if the PS master can remove the black part to see the visual difference.
Another major feature of the Zeekr 007 is the fish-scale-like uneven design on the tail cover, which will reflect a shimmering effect when the taillights are turned on. To be honest, after observing it for a long time, I think it is as boring as the “West Lake Arch Bridge” design concept on the Geely Boyue. Of course, this is better than having no structural features, but if it is not explained to you specifically, you really can’t see this creativity.
Zeekr 007 continues to use the steering wheel shape of Zeekr X, but among the five buttons in the lower row, the two buttons on the left and right sides have been changed from the original heating functions to automatic parking and opening the charging cover respectively.
The instrument cluster does not use a conventional rectangle and is a bit similar to the Zeekr 001, but the ears on the left and right sides are canceled. The upper edge uses a purer arc, which is aligned with the arc of the steering wheel when viewed from the hollow position on the upper part of the steering wheel. This special-shaped screen is very particular about the ability to arrange the information on it. It seems that Zeekr handled it very well, and there is not much waste of space.
Although the screen on the central control does not adopt the sliding mode of Zeekr X, it is close to the dark blue sunflower mode. The border at the HUD position is more reasonably handled than that on Lynk & Co 08, and the height of the border is lower.
The center insert on the door panel has a stitching pattern that hides the Zeekr logo fold-line design. The outline of the front section of the center insert is parallel to the contour of the ambient light decoration extending from the dashboard, which looks very reasonable.
The glass lift button on the door panel also uses the currently more common front and back toggle type, rather than the traditional up and down pressing type, but the height is more reasonable, and a special handle is designed, which is more suitable for finger blindness and force. It is more creative, unlike some models where the raised position is too low and inconvenient to pick with fingers.
The position of the auxiliary instrument panel is quite creative. It is not a straight line like traditional models, but an arc in the storage space area, which corresponds to the arc at the front end of the center insert on the door panel. The material of the storage box cover surface is consistent with that of the wireless charging area. However, this arc design also buried a bug – because the front and rear parts of the armrest cover area are disconnected, the stitching is difficult to align, which will become a difficulty in quality and process control.
There are two sets of lights on the top of the front row of the cabin. Although the cover of the vanity mirror can be opened only halfway, it cannot achieve the state of not lighting up halfway like Tesla. The reading light in the middle is a long strip with multiple LED lights embedded in it. It is turned on and off by touching the screen, which is very textured.
On the left and right sides of the front ceiling, there are leather bags for glasses and leather handles respectively.
The rear end of the sub-dashboard is a bit plain, and even in the high-end version, there is no display screen for controlling the air conditioning. A small storage space can be added. The upper layer of wireless charging takes up too much space.
The rear armrest is covered with extra-large flocking, which feels very comfortable, but the storage space in the small compartment at the back cannot accommodate a mobile phone, so what should be put here?
Driving Conclusion
Zeekr 007 is the first car model that Stephen Sillaff has fully led the design of since taking over Geely. From the interview he accepted at the time of the launch, it can be seen that his unconventional thinking is very obvious. For example, everyone thought that the headlights would be connected, but they are separated in the middle by the logo. Perhaps this is the master’s courage.
As a master who has been responsible for the exterior design of many well-known models, Siraf has indeed achieved uniqueness in the exterior design of 007. He did not copy many elements of other models but had his unique ideas. This is very important today when the competition for new energy vehicles is so fierce. Therefore, everyone was amazed when Zeekr 007 was released.
New energy vehicles in the future will not only focus on price, battery life, configuration, and technology, but it is also important to have an appearance that people will like at first sight. This has also become a difficult problem for many designers, but the master-level Siraf passed it easily on 007.
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