SINGAPORE – High certificate of entitlement (COE) prices are not quelling motor dealers’ appetite to grow their portfolios.

Premium Automobiles, the retail dealer for Audi, has just been appointed the distributor for Zeekr, a luxury electric vehicle (EV) brand from Chinese automotive giant Geely.

The agreement was signed in late December.

The showroom for the brand will be built in the Leng Kee Road area in the first half of the year, Premium Automobiles said in a statement sent to The Straits Times late on Dec 28.

The service facility will be in the Ubi industrial area.

When asked, Premium Automobiles said the details are still being finalised for their exact locations, but added that these will be dedicated facilities that will not be shared with Audi cars, which the company will continue to sell.

Zeekr will be launched here with two models – 009, which is a multipurpose vehicle (MPV), and X, a sports utility vehicle (SUV). Deliveries will begin in the third quarter of 2024.

The 009 MPV is over 5.2m long, which makes the six-seater bigger than the latest-generation Toyota Alphard, which measures just under 5m.

Premium Automobiles did not confirm the exact specifications of the models, but the 009 MPV has a promised range of 800km on a full charge. Its dual motor set-up offers maximum power of 400 kilowatts, enabling it to sprint from 0kmh to 100kmh in 4.5 seconds, and making it the world’s fastest MPV.

The X SUV is about the same size as the Nissan Qashqai at 4.4m long.

Two versions are offered in the other markets where Zeekr is already operating. One has a 200kW motor that powers the rear wheels and boasts a range of up to 440km and the other is a zippier 315kW dual-motor all-wheel-drive version that can cover 400km on a single charge.

Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau will be the first places where Zeekr right-hand drive cars are available.

Zeekr had announced in October, when it appointed Kam Lung Motor Group as its distributor in Hong Kong and Macau, that it will start building right-hand drive cars as part of its expansion plans.

The brand already has a presence in Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany in Europe, with sales plans for the Middle East and Central Asia.

Zeekr launched the 007 on Dec 27 in Hangzhou, China.

The model is a Toyota Camry-size electric sedan that can travel up to 870km on a single charge.

The spokesman for Zeekr could not confirm whether the 007 will be made in right-hand drive and offered in Singapore eventually, but said that the company was “monitoring the market situation”.

Lotus, Polestar and Volvo are three other Geely-owned car brands in Singapore. They are distributed by Wearnes Automotive.

At present, Premium Automobiles has four locations in Leng Kee and Ubi.

On Leng Kee Road, near Alexandra Road, there is the flagship Audi Centre for new cars and an Audi used car showroom.

In Ubi, there is the Audi service centre and a showroom for other, non-Audi used cars.

Mr Markus Schuster, managing director of Audi Singapore, which is a direct subsidiary of the German carmaker, told ST on Dec 29 that he was not aware of Premium’s new business venture.

He said that under the agreement between Audi Singapore and Premium Automobiles, the facilities for Audi have to be kept separate.

This is consistent with the arrangement at other motor dealerships that have more than one brand.

As at November, 46 out of the 534 Audi registrations in 2023 were EVs consisting of a premium SUV and a low-slung four-door sports car.

The brand is expected to introduce the Q4 e-tron, which is a more affordable electric SUV, by the middle of 2024.

Zeekr is the latest in a series of Chinese EV brands to break into the Singapore market. The others are Omoda, which will be represented by Vertex Automotive; Seres, by Hong Seh Evolution; and GAC Aion and Neta, two brands that will be distributed by Vincar.

In November, Premium Automobiles started a dealership in Indonesia to sell Neta, another Chinese EV brand. There are now three outlets within Greater Jakarta – in North Jakarta, West Jakarta, and BSD City.

The Business Times has reported that the Zeekr showroom will take over the Audi showroom for pre-owned cars at 9 Leng Kee Road.