I Drove 8 Chinese Cars in Three Hours. The Zeekr 7X Was My Favorite.

• Chinese cars are largely absent from the U.S., but that doesn't mean they're irrelevant.
• Geely, one of China's largest automakers, invited me to drive a few of its cars at CES in Las Vegas.
• Zeekr 7X was my favorite despite a number of factors working against its hypothetical success here.

The Chinese car industry has grown into a seemingly unstoppable force at this point. We've watched as companies once attempting to catch up are now operating on a level similar to their American and European competitors. I got a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain thanks to an invitation from Geely at CES in Las Vegas.

I drove eight cars on a closed course in just a few short hours. It was information overload, but I managed to gather a few thoughts about Chinese cars and their place in the U.S. — and pick a favorite.

Hands-on with the Zeekr lineup

Zeekr is known for its EVs, but recently unveiled the 9X SUV, a plug-in hybrid. Ironically, that was the one car unavailable for me to drive at the event, as it had better plans sitting in the company’s CES booth.

So at my disposal were the Zeekr 001, Zeekr X and Zeekr 7X. I also sampled a few products from Lynk & Co along with some Geely SUVs. But I spent my limited time primarily with this Zeekr trio.

I've heard from industry colleagues and many strangers on YouTube that Chinese cars are competitive in terms of build quality, but I still went in with some professional skepticism. The cars for us to drive came in from Mexico, and many of them had a few thousand miles on the clock. So not brand-new.

First, I drove the Zeekr X EV. It’s a small two-row electric SUV with an impressive interior. The ceiling is covered in suede, the dash with ambient lighting and metal — even the dang screen had a party trick where it slid across the dash for the passenger to access. For sharing so much in common with the Volvo EX30, the Zeekr X feels upmarket by comparison.

On the move, however, the Zeekr drove like a mirror image of the Volvo. Over 400 horsepower in such a small package makes for a spry little nugget. The brake pedal was too squishy and the rear end would wiggle under hard stopping, but hey, this is a city SUV, not a race car. After deeming the X a likable little car, I set my sights on the larger Zeekr 7X.

The 7X, an electric two-row SUV, looks and feels like the right size for America. That's just on the outside. Step inside and it's even more impressive. The material covering the seats was super soft, the build quality felt solid everywhere I looked or touched, and there was almost no hard plastic to be found. 

Even more standout was the tech. I played around on the screen for a few minutes, blown away by how quickly it responded to inputs. Tesla and Rivian are my two favorites for screen responsiveness; the Zeekr 7X was right up there with them.

During my quick driving evaluation, the 7X’s available 637 horsepower from its dual electric motors made for some good fun. It reminded me a lot of the Cadillac Lyriq-V with enough juice to conquer any straight-line piece of road, but a little ponderous in the corners. The 7X did a good job of managing body roll under hard turn-in, but it lost grip fairly quickly when carrying too much speed. A more aggressive tire would've likely remedied the situation.

But of all the quick, luxurious electric SUVs I've driven over the last few years, the 7X stands alongside the best of them. It was an approachable, easy-to-use car that hit all the high points that matter to American consumers. Out of all the cars in front of me at this event, the 7X makes the most sense for our market.

Should Zeekr come here?

It's no secret that our government's relationship with China is tenuous, to put it lightly. A direct result of that is the lack of Chinese brands on sale in our market. There are cars for sale in the U.S. that were built in China, but they come from brands that you recognize. The Lincoln Nautilus, Polestar 2 and, at one point, even the aforementioned Volvo EX30 all came from Chinese manufacturing facilities.

But with the threat of 100% tariffs on the table, the prospect of new Chinese brands entering the fold seems like an unlikely prospect. That is, unless the company is Geely and you have access to a plant in South Carolina through your majority ownership stake in Volvo.

While company reps from Geely didn't spell things out that specifically, they alluded to domestic production potentially being the Trojan horse to enter the U.S., more specifically with Zeekr. 

Zeekr is one of Geely Holding Group’s subbrands, alongside Volvo, Lotus, Polestar, Lynk & Co, and Geely (which can be confusing, I know). With all these brands, the company does a good job of sharing parts among them to keep costs low and simplify production. The recently released Polestar 4, for example, shares many similarities with the Zeekr 001. Common parts mean easier integration into already existing assembly lines. So, while still not exactly simple, Volvo's South Carolina facility could be Zeekr's green light. 

While I do think the cars that I drove all could hold their weight in our market, I'm still not convinced it's worth the trouble — at least with the EVs. With consumer preference favoring hybrids more than pure electric cars, I think it would be in Zeekr's best interest to develop more hybrids before making the jump.

It's also not clear that Zeekr cars would undercut others in price. Without that clear value proposition, it’s a huge uphill battle to garner favor with American consumers. Just ask Lucid, or any other new brand trying to gain a foothold in one of the world's most competitive markets.

However, if Zeekr can produce cars that will mitigate tariffs and offer models with higher sales potential, then maybe, just maybe, it stands a chance. But until those issues are addressed, the tides are certainly working against the brand pulling off a successful entry into the U.S. market.