Arval inks European EV leasing deal with Chinese carmaker Zeekr

Chinese EV brand Zeekr is teaming up with BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval in Europe to offer electric car insurance and financing in Europe.

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Drawing on BNP Paribas’ mobility expertise, the partnership will provide financing, full-service leasing and insurance services covering all aspects of mobility to Zeekr end-customers. The work will augment the offers in the brand’s One-Stop-Shop, which aims to make owning an EV as convenient and rewarding as possible through four key pillars of finance, charging, connected services and aftercare.

The partnership covers several countries and is already underway in the Netherlands and Sweden, ahead of rolling out in 2024 in Germany, in line with the brand’s phased launch in Europe.

Owned by Geely – parent firm of brands including Volvo, Polestar, LEVC and Lynk & Co – Zeekr is launching its “cutting-edge intelligent luxury EVs” in Europe as part its mission to “accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility”.

Its first models will be the 001 shooting brake, which will have a range of around 600km (373 miles) and the X urban SUV – both due on sale in the Netherlands and Sweden towards the end of 2023 and arriving in Germany in spring 2024.

Spiros Fotinos, CEO of Zeekr Europe, said: “We are proud to announce that we have established strong financial partnerships with BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval, both of which have extensive experience in the automotive financial services space. Through these partners, Zeekr Finance, will be able to offer a full suite of products allowing customers to select the one that suits them best. This is a key element of our One-Stop-Shop strategy that bundles all EV-related services into one place.”

Alain Van Groenendael, chairman and CEO of Arval, added: “This new partnership with a key player is a new step to meet our ambition to lease 700,000 electrified vehicles as part of our global fleet by 2025 and supporting our clients in their energy transition. We look forward to developing new journeys and further support them with solutions to successfully engage in the energetic transition challenge and opportunities in Europe.”

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day. Natalie edits all the Fleet World websites and newsletters, and loves to hear about any latest industry news - or gossip.