NEW brand entrant to Australasia, Zeekr, has appointed Andrew Haurissa as its head of marketing for Australia and New Zealand.

He was previously deputy marketing director of Chery Australia, before which he worked in the consumer electronics division of Huawei Australia.

Zeekr, part of Geely which also controls Volvo, Polestar and Lotus among others, will launch in Australia in the second half of this year.

Mr Haurissa said: “I am thrilled to announce that I have joined Zeekr Australia as the head of marketing ANZ.

Andrew Haurissa

“I look forward to bringing my experience and expertise to the team as we prepare the launch of a premium EV brand into Australia in H2 2024.

“I am also excited to share that we will be hiring soon. Keep an eye out for updates on available positions and join us in shaping the future of mobility.”

Zeekr is the premium battery electric vehicle (BEV) unit of China’s Geely Holding, which also controls Volvo Cars, Polestar, Lotus Cars, Lynk & Co (another brand with plans for an Australian presence), Malaysian domestic brand Proton and London EV Company which manufactures the iconic Hackney Carriage taxi and its commercial vehicle derivatises.

With its manufacturing base in China now producing two right-hand drive models, the Zeekr 009 and Zeekr X, the brand is ready for an export push.

The Geely group, including subsidiaries and joint ventures, increased global sales 20 per cent to 2.8 million vehicles last year.

Geely president An Conghui, speaking at the China EV100 Forum in Beijing earlier this month, said Zeekr planned to launch sales in six new European countries this year including Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany.