Without changing the direct sales model, Zeekr will transfer some of its company-owned direct sales stores and “Zeekr Home” stores to investment partners.
In 2025, the Zeekr Technology Group set an annual sales target of 710,000 vehicles, of which the Zeekr brand is tasked with 320,000 units.
On August 21, according to Chinese media reports, Zeekr is currently implementing a channel reform plan internally codenamed “Project M.”
Without changing the direct sales model, Zeekr will transfer some of its company-owned direct sales stores and “Zeekr Home” stores to investment partners. The number of the latter being transitioned is relatively large, while the former is relatively small.
Zeekr’s current sales system is mainly divided into two types: brand-owned direct sales stores and investment partner-held “Zeekr Homes.”
Among them, Zeekr-owned stores primarily lease properties in prime locations of first and second-tier cities. “Zeekr Homes” are relatively more complex; the store ownership belongs to the investment partner, but Zeekr leases the sales showroom and stations its own sales team there to maintain the stability of the direct sales system. The “Zeekr Home” investment partners are mainly responsible for the store’s after-sales business.
According to “Project M,” some stores directly leased by Zeekr and the showrooms leased for “Zeekr Homes” will be transferred to the “Zeekr Home” investment partners. Consequently, the relevant sales personnel will no longer be Zeekr employees but will become employees of the enterprises under the investment partners.
Relevant investment partners revealed that Zeekr will maintain a stable total number of stores this year, keeping it at around 500 nationwide. Therefore, Zeekr itself will retain a considerable number of its own direct sales stores to directly control terminal selling prices and ensure the stability of the direct sales system.
Regarding the above news, Zeekr stated: “Along with the deep advancement of strategic integration between Zeekr and Lynk & Co, and the deepening of channel synergy, Lynk & Co’s superior resources are deeply empowering Zeekr’s channel expansion in lower-tier markets. Zeekr is introducing a partner model, adopting a approach focused on ‘direct sales primary, supplemented by a partner model’ to penetrate and strengthen the lower-tier markets, boosting channel development.”
Behind Zeekr’s channel adjustments lies severe sales pressure. In 2025, the Zeekr Technology Group set an annual sales target of 710,000 vehicles, of which the Zeekr brand is tasked with 320,000 units.
Data shows that from January to April this year, the Zeekr brand’s cumulative sales were only 55,000 vehicles, achieving merely 17.19% of its annual target, significantly behind the required timeline. Meanwhile, the Lynk & Co brand cumulatively sold 110,400 vehicles with a completion rate of 28.31%, performing relatively better.
By combining direct sales with the partner model, Zeekr has the opportunity to maintain the user experience in first and second-tier cities while also rapidly covering third, fourth, and fifth-tier cities at a lower cost.
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