On the Eve of Zhu Ling's Transfer: 7X and 007 as Pillars, Zeekr's Backstabbing Incident Still Reverberates

Five days after the official announcement that he is "no longer suitable to represent Zeekr and Lynk & Co in releasing information and expressing opinions," Zhu Ling posted a tweet on social media with a picture of a Volvo model. Shortly after, rumors spread that he had joined Volvo and taken the position of Head of Operations for the Asia-Pacific region.

Rumors were confirmed, yet the pinned tweet on Zhu Ling's social media platform still features Lynk & Co and Zeekr. The former glory, subsequent uncertainties, and seemingly unchangeable outcome played out one after another on the eve of Zhu Ling's reassignment. In particular, the backstabbing incident related to Zeekr still reverberates, leaving some regret for this car-making dedicated doctor.

"Geely has been entrepreneurial every day for ten years, with most of that time related to Lynk & Co and Zeekr." In a long article titled "Zhu Ling: Sunny Days," Zhu Ling expressed heartfelt words.

Zhu Ling, who holds a doctoral degree, held key positions at Jianghuai Automobile in earlier years. In 2014, Zhu Ling joined Geely, officially beginning a car manufacturing journey that was both intense and filled with endless reflections.

In March 2018, the Lynk & Co 02 made its global debut in Amsterdam. In October, a plane bearing the Lynk & Co logo carried domestic media from Hongqiao to Tokyo. Subsequently, at Japan's Fuji Speedway, the Lynk & Co 03 officially "declared war." Later, with the explosive popularity of the 03+, the entire 03 series became a hit. Monthly sales of 10,000 units for the 03 helped the Lynk & Co brand secure its position in the high-end market.

"I have always believed that the birth and growth of Lynk & Co represent the victory of a group of idealists." The highlight moments brought by Lynk & Co have made Zhu Ling's team confidently strive towards the next goal. However, as he said, "Things don't always go as one wishes," and the advent of the smart electric vehicle era has introduced uncertainties to Geely's move towards high-end development.

In 2021, Zeekr emerged by breaking away from Lynk & Co. At that time, An Conghui no longer wore suits but instead donned jeans and adopted the nickname "Congcong," emulating the tech industry, in an attempt to launch a vigorous second entrepreneurial venture.

For Zeekr, the most well-known model is undoubtedly the 001. The transition from Lynk & Co ZERO to Zeekr 001 marks a shift from traditional to intelligent electric vehicles. In April 2021, the Zeekr 001 was launched with a starting price of 299,000 yuan. Just over a year later, the 2022 model of the 001 was released and quickly achieved monthly sales exceeding 10,000 units. Shortly thereafter, the classic scenario of "sharpening three swords in one year" unfolded. Due to significant changes in price and configuration, the emotions of existing owners fluctuated as well, feeling frustrated that they had paid more but received inferior configurations.

The concept of the "wait-and-see group" has quickly spread among consumers. Influenced by the Zeekr 001, which took "three years to hone a single sword," the Zeekr brand has not only seen a gradual decline in sales but also suffered damage to its image.

Falling from the peak to the bottom of the valley, the magnitude of change might be bearable for entrepreneurs undergoing a second startup, but why must consumers bear it as well? At this moment, Zhu Ling, responsible for the C product line, has activated "firefighting" mode. From the X to the 007 to the 7X and then to the 007GT, within four years—from March 2021 to April 2025—ZEEKR launched four new models in the C product line.

The data shows that in July this year, Zeekr 7X had a wholesale volume of 6,922 units, and the 007 had a wholesale volume of 4,698 units, effectively replacing the 001 as the pillar model. However, the X, which is positioned lower and priced cheaper, had relatively low sales, with monthly sales not exceeding a thousand units from April to July this year.

In fact, during its peak moments, the single model 001 alone can help Zeekr achieve monthly sales of over 10,000 units. Even if the C product line has completed its role as a savior, with multiple products contributing, Zeekr's monthly sales this year still remain at just over 10,000 units, making the goal of exceeding 20,000 units a growing luxury.

On February 14, 2025, Western Valentine's Day, Zeekr officially completed the equity transfer of Lynk & Co. "What is long united must divide, what is long divided must unite," and Zeekr Technology has arrived.

According to its positioning, "ZEEKR aims upward, Lynk & Co aims broader." However, ZEEKR, which aims upward, has a vehicle price range covering from 149,000 to 899,000 yuan, spanning such a wide range that it inevitably brings to mind another high-end brand of Geely. Guided by market outcomes, the wavering positioning mistake is a major factor restricting ZEEKR's upward progress.

In August, at the interim performance meeting, Geely set a new performance record, but the executives, in contrast to their usual assertiveness, adopted a noticeably softer tone. Gui Shengyue addressed the “Zeekr betrayal” incident and offered a sincere apology: “We have learned profound lessons from this. On behalf of Geely Auto, I sincerely apologize to all users of Geely’s sub-brands who have ever felt betrayed. We must have the courage to take responsibility for our shortcomings, and we have already begun making improvements in several areas.”

The initial "10,000 yuan car purchase voucher" did not quell the anger of existing car owners, and the voices of protest only intensified. At this moment, An Conghui was sitting nearby, as the head of Zeekr Technology, with mixed feelings. Even so, he had no choice but to sincerely apologize, especially before the launch of the flagship model 9X—this is a battle they cannot afford to lose.

"Like an impregnable pass of iron, now we stride forward to start anew." After the mid-term performance meeting, Zhu Ling's position changed, and with this sentence, Zhu Ling drew a close to the bright and sunny days.

If there were no backstabbing, there would be no apologies. If there were no backstabbing, Zeekr would most likely still be Xiaomi Auto's strongest competitor. But now, everything cannot be undone. Moving forward from the beginning, Zhu Ling is no longer with Zeekr, and the situation seems poised to change once again. Only when change occurs can the spotlight be regained.

This is the true reset to zero. Looking back at the name "ZERO," it feels like a dream.