Nearly two years after its initial launch, the Zeekr 009 is set to receive its first major update in Malaysia. According to Zeekr Malaysia, the revised electric MPV will go on sale “really soon,” with preliminary details being made available to us ahead of the official launch as part of an early preview in Hangzhou, China. In terms of visual changes, the new 009 mirrors the latest version in China that made its debut at Auto China (also known as Auto Beijing) in April this year. Put simply, the revisions are minor and include a slightly restyled front bumper, which loses the horizontal chrome accent at the corner air curtains in favour of smaller, vertical ones. Elsewhere, there’s now a LiDAR sensor on the roof, which was offered in China but left out for our market. This forms part of the new H7 driver assistance system along with 29 sensors, all of which are wired to an Nvidia Drive Thor-U chip to enable additional functions such as remote parking access (RPA) and fingertip parking (FTP). Beyond these, the 009 looks largely familiar, with more significant changes involving the interior and powertrain. We’ll start with the former, which is the main attraction for buyers in this segment. As per the updated model in China, the new 009 coming our way will come with swivel seats in the second row. This feature is exclusive to the seven-seat variant (2-2-3 layout) and can only be used when the vehicle is stationary due to safety reasons. You get three modes, the first being welcome mode where each seat can swivel 45 degrees to make ingress and egress easier. Meanwhile, scenic-view mode turns the seat to 90 degrees for a direct (no need to turn your neck) view out of the sliding door window. Lastly, there’s face-to-face mode where both seats can swivel 180 degrees to face the third row. The second row remains the place for taukes, the “Eames lounge chairs” can be reclined 132 degrees and have a legrest that deploys up to 90 degrees. On the back of the front passenger seat is a footrest catering to the passenger sitting across from the driver. As for the six-seat version that lacks the swivel seats, it gets zero gravity seats that are wider and offer a greater recline angle of up to 140 degrees. This does mean a narrower passthrough to the third row that only seats two, as this configuration has a 2-2-2 seat layout. Both versions have massaging second-row seats with 22 points of pressure and five modes, along with heating and ventilation functions. The ceiling-mounted 17-inch OLED display (with remote control), touch panels on the power-sliding doors, an 8.6-litre refrigerator, a panoramic sunroof, manual sunshades and second-row camera are all retained for the updated 009. What isn’t retained is the 30-speaker Yamaha sound system, which has been replaced with a Naim system featuring 31 speakers. These include two subwoofers, seven ceiling-mounted units as well as eight integrated into the headrests of the first- and second-row seats. Powertrain-wise, it’s only a dual-motor, all-wheel drive setup for the new 009, sub-divided into seven- and six-seat versions. Unlike the outgoing model, the big change for the new one is the switch from a 400-volt to an 800-volt electrical architecture. Now, this isn’t new for the 009 in China, as the 800-volt system was introduced back in 2024. However, global right-hand drive units introduced at the time – ours arrived in December that year – came with a 400-volt system, so this is a marked improvement. The 800-volt system results in a substantial increase in terms of DC fast charging from 150 kW to 560 kW, which can get the battery from a 10-80% state of charge (SoC) in just 11.5 minutes (30 minutes for the 400-volt model). While Zeekr Malaysia isn’t providing full battery details, the 2024 model in China had the same DC charging time and it was equipped with a 108-kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery. AC charging also gets an upgrade from 11 kW to 22 kW, with the same 10-80% SoC run taking about five hours. We should point out that the latest 009 in China revealed in April gets a 900-volt system for a 10-80% SoC time of just 10 minutes but that’s not coming our way, as the company stated previously. The shift to an 800-volt system also sees a higher output of 822 PS (811 hp or 605 kW), which isn’t as high as China’s version that packs 924 PS (912 hp or 680 kW). Even so, it is a lot more grunt than the current AWD that packs 612 PS (603 hp or 450 kW). The 0-100 km/h is slashed from 4.5 seconds to 4.2 seconds as a result. The new 009 will continue to come with dual-chamber air suspension and continuous control damping (CCD), albeit improved to deliver improved body roll control and a better ride. Zeekr Malaysia says the new 009 and its two variants (seven- and six-seater) will be sold alongside the Executive, which is the front-wheel drive variant launched in May 2025. This will stick to a 400-volt system, 340 PS (335 hp or 250 kW) and single-chamber air suspension. Keep in mind that the car shown in these photos are of the China-market version and may not fully represent what we’re getting. With what we’ve been told so far, what do you think of the new 009? AD: Drive the ZEEKR EV of your dreams. Submit your details and Zeekr Carro (Bangsar, Mutiara Damansara, Penang outlets) will get in touch with you.
Liked by Mason Poirier, Victoria Harris
Liked by Mason Poirier, Victoria Harris
Liked by Mason Poirier, Victoria Harris
