Zeekr entered Germany less than a year ago, initially concentrating on direct sales and business customers. Now it’s doing something rather traditional for a young EV brand.
It’s opening dealerships.
The first two retail partners are Jacobs Gruppe in Aachen and Bleker Gruppe in Münster, and they won’t be alone for long. Zeekr says it wants a German network of more than 60 dealer partners during 2027, with discussions already underway in other parts of the country.
For a company that likes talking about software, 800-volt electrical systems and over-the-air updates, putting cars into ordinary dealerships might not sound terribly exciting. In Germany, though, it could be one of the more important things Zeekr does.
Buying a €50,000 or €60,000 car from a relatively unfamiliar brand is different from ordering a phone online.
People want to sit in it. They want a test drive, somebody to discuss finance with and somewhere reasonably close to return if the car develops a problem. Trade-ins matter too. Both of the first Zeekr dealerships will offer those services, including vehicle ordering, financing and handover.
Zeekr isn’t abandoning online sales. The digital model remains part of the business, but it will now operate alongside physical dealers rather than trying to replace them.
There are already some customers to look after.
According to Zeekr Germany, the company has received more than 750 orders since entering the market in December 2025. That’s hardly Volkswagen territory, but it’s enough to justify building something more permanent around the cars.
The service side is actually further ahead. Zeekr already has more than 100 certified service-partner locations across Germany, giving it an aftersales footprint considerably larger than its current sales network. That matters for a Chinese brand trying to persuade buyers who may like the cars but still worry about parts, repairs and long-term support.
And Zeekr isn’t exactly selling budget transportation.
The German range includes cars such as the X, 7X and 7GT, while the recently introduced 9X pushes the company much further into luxury-car territory. A buyer comparing one of these with an established German premium model isn’t only comparing horsepower and charging speed. The experience surrounding the car counts as well.
That’s where Jacobs and Bleker come in.
Both are established German dealer groups rather than temporary brand pop-ups. Jacobs gives Zeekr a presence in the Rhineland from its Aachen location, while Bleker starts the partnership at its Autoforum Münster site.
More dealers are supposed to follow over the coming months.
There’s a slightly ironic side to all this. A few years ago, direct online sales were regularly presented as the future of the car business. Remove the dealer, simplify the process and sell the car like any other expensive piece of technology.
Zeekr’s German expansion suggests the old-fashioned showroom still has some life left in it.
For an unknown brand, being able to say “there’s a dealer 20 minutes away” may be just as useful as adding another 50 kilometres of range.