At a recent test drive event for local media and owners in Harbin, China, Zeekr Malaysia general manager Eddy Lu stated that the brand's 9X SUV will be introduced in the country, while the 007 GT, also known as the 7GT shooting brake EV, is under consideration for the market.

He also confirmed that local assembly forms part of Zeekr's plans.

Lu explained that Zeekr, as part of the Geely Group, intends to utilise the group's existing investments in Malaysia. "CKD is in the plans," he said, without providing further details, possibly due to the early stage of development. This aligns with information disclosed by Proton last year regarding the local assembly of Zeekr vehicles at the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV) in Tanjong Malim, which is anchored by Proton.

Alex Bao, head of Zeekr Southeast Asia, first raised the topic of CKD assembly in May 2025. "Do not forget we are under a large group, which has facilities and manufacturing capacity here. We have been discussing this issue, but it will take some time," he said at the time. When asked whether assembly would take place at Proton's new EV plant, he responded, "Very possible, very possible. We are under the same group."

In July 2023, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that Geely would invest MYR 39.5 billion (US$ 10 billion) to develop Tanjong Malim into a major automotive manufacturing hub. In October of the same year, Geely and DRB-Hicom signed a master collaboration agreement for the AHTV project.

With the closure of the tax-free window for fully imported (CBU) EVs, local assembly has become a requirement for brands seeking to sell EVs in higher volumes. This follows the introduction of a regulation imposing a MYR 250,000 minimum price for CBU EVs.

Initially, the new floor price was understood to apply only to brands that had yet to establish operations in Malaysia. However, it has since been extended to include new models from existing brands.

The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) is seeking clarification on this matter from the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI).

The full impact of the new regulation may not yet be evident due to the availability of 2025 stock.

However, under current conditions, CBU EV prices are expected to increase over time, widening the recommended retail price gap between imported models and locally assembled CKD EVs.

This is expected to reflect long-standing pricing differences between imported and locally assembled internal combustion engine vehicles, as observed in brands such as Audi compared with BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

For Zeekr, this development is linked to its relationship with Proton and Geely's ongoing investments in AHTV and Malaysia.