Zeekr hosts ice driving experience in New Zealand

QUEENSTOWN – New Zealand’s Queenstown is an alpine resort township in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly renowned for tranquil lake views, majestic snow-capped mountain peaks and skiing activity.

Lesser known is the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds (SHPG) at the Pisa Range, which is about an hour’s drive north-east from Queenstown. At an elevation of 1,500m and sprawling across 490ha are snow flats, track circuits and dynamic testing areas, used for winter driving sessions in July and August.

Here, many carmakers continue their winter testing with camouflaged prototypes and pre-production models during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months. Premium brands like Audi, BMW and Lamborghini also use SHPG for customer winter driving experiences.

In mid-August, Zeekr joined the ranks of these established European premium brands by hosting its first winter driving experience in New Zealand. It was the first Chinese carmaker to do so, and it invited customers and media to participate. The Straits Times joined the inaugural group of around 20 people for the event.

Trained rally driving instructors guided the participants through four segments of snow driving exercises at this one-day programme, which included plenty of opportunities to induce slide and slip on the snow-covered grounds. With an abundance of run-off areas in this controlled environment, there were no worries about getting into serious trouble.

All-wheel-drive, dual-motor Zeekr models were used for the programme. Apart from the familiar compact electric X and mid-sized 7X sport utility vehicle (SUV), there were also models like the shooting brake 7GT, the large 8X luxury SUV and full-sized 9X ultra-luxury SUV, which have yet to be offered in Singapore.

At the event, the instructors used the quad-motor 931kW 001 FR to move from station to station while participants looked on, with no chance of trying out the China-only, limited-edition super grand tourer, which is capable of completing the 0-100kmh sprint in a scorching 2.02 seconds.

For the planned snow driving exercises, the cars were driven in Sport mode with traction control deactivated.

The driving experience began with understanding the basics of understeering and oversteering. Unlike on dry tarmac, the effects of these are more pronounced on snowy surfaces.

The first station involved getting participants to experience what understeering is. This is when the nose runs wide in the bend. There was also instruction on how to drive in an oversteering situation, which is when the car’s tail is sticking out. Participants learnt how to retain control and hold a power slide while tracking a circular path.

The basic steps to take are: Tip the car into the bend slowly, followed by a quick steering turn-in and a short burst of acceleration, sending drive to the rear axle. Then, quickly turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction to maintain the angle of the slide.

Next up was a slalom segment, where participants threaded the electric vehicles (EVs) through a slalom marked by a series of evenly spaced cones. It took rhythmic power slides to complete the manoeuvre gracefully.

The third stage required the drivers to navigate a figure-eight pattern and attempt to complete a power drift through a large circle. I almost made it through this stage until the drift circle portion, where applying a little too much power sent the 7GT into an unintended 180-degree pirouette.

Snow driving is not about full-on power but controlled blips of the accelerator mixed with moderate braking and quick steering directional changes. I did better in the first two – more straightforward – segments driving the much larger 8X and 9X.

It began to snow quite heavily during the timed gymkhana finale. This was where participants put into practice what they learnt in the earlier segments.

Skills required included synchronising acceleration, braking, slalom, cornering and rapid directional changes, all in rapid succession. Unfortunately, we had barely two attempts, which were certainly too brief to make us experts on snow. Still, the experience was enough for us to appreciate the challenges and care required to tackle snow driving.

While Zeekr did not confirm if the event in New Zealand would be repeated, having it as a regular activity will certainly be good for raising its profile, just as established brands like Audi, BMW and Lamborghini have been doing at this winter playground.

In the pipeline for 2027

Zeekr will double its current three-model line-up in Singapore in 2027 with the introduction of the 7GT, which is a low-slung electric wagon, and two plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUVs: the 8X and 9X.

The 7GT’s low-slung wagon styling seems inspired by the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and will be a rival to the Denza Z9 GT EV that will be launched in Singapore in early 2027.

The cabin quality and design resemble the 7X, but the car packs even more technology, with a 900-volt electric architecture. The car has up to 760km of operating range and, in dual-motor form, gets to 100kmh from rest in just 2.85 seconds. A less powerful, single-motor variant will also be available.

The 8X PHEV is a luxury SUV aimed at the upcoming BMW iX5 and Range Rover Sport EV. Measuring 5,100mm from nose to tail, the car has a very well-appointed cabin, with Nappa leather upholstery, suede roof and pillar linings, and Nordic ash wood trim inlays. The 8X also has more physical controls than earlier Zeekr models.

It has 257km of pure electric range before the 2-litre turbocharged engine needs to step in to bring the total operating range to 1,152km.

As for the 9X PHEV, it is the flagship, ultra-luxury Zeekr model with sights on the Range Rover Long Wheelbase, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and rival China brand’s Hongqi E-HS9.

The car is as imposing as the Rolls-Royce. Its cabin is plush and spacious. The captain chairs in the second row can be swivelled to face those seated in the third row. In the snow at least, the 9X feels effortless to drive, being surprisingly agile on the slalom circuit.