{"id":99612,"date":"2025-10-25T00:59:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T00:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/99612\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T00:59:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T00:59:39","slug":"new-zealands-newest-car-brands-for-2025-they-just-keep-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/99612\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand’s newest car brands for 2025: they just keep coming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Haven\u2019t we been here before? Yes, we published a major feature<\/a> not so long ago, in April, digging into all the new car brands entering New Zealand.<\/p>\n

\"New
\nThere’s never been more new-car choice in NZ.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re doing it all again\u2026 because there are a whole lot more new products on the market. In fact, of our \u201cfive newest\u201d featured here, three were not around for our last feature and another has expanded in signifcant and unexpected ways.<\/p>\n

Leapmotor<\/p>\n

Founded: 2015, then 2023 as Leapmotor International (joint venture with Stellantis) Launched in NZ: January 2025 What does it sell? B10 and C10 SUVs.<\/p>\n


\n Read More
\n <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sign of the times that one of the newest NZ brands from our story earlier this year is now the most established on this list: Leapmotor.<\/p>\n


\n
\n Advertisement <\/p>\n


\n Advertise with NZME.<\/a> \n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Leapmotor
\nB10 is Leapmotor’s newest SUV, BEV only for now.<\/p>\n

Leapmotor<\/a> (some just call it \u201cLeap\u201d) is a Chinese startup established by electrical engineer Zhu Jiangming in China, 2015. But there\u2019s a strong international element to the operation: in 2023 the company signed with Stellantis (Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram) to form Leapmotor International, to focus on exporting.<\/p>\n

Leapmotor comes to NZ through Armstrong\u2019s Distribution (which also handles some Stellantis brands).<\/p>\n

\"Leapmotor
\nC10 is now well-established in NZ, as a BEV or PHEV.<\/p>\n

C10 is offered in NZ as a pure-electric<\/a> model or with the \u201cUltra Hybrid<\/a>\u201d plug-in electric vehicle powertrain, using a large plug-in battery that gives 145km EV range, paired with a 1.5-litre petrol engine that acts as a generator to make electricity.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s now joined by the smaller B10. Read our first drive here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Geely<\/p>\n

Founded: 1986 (automotive since 1997) Launched in NZ: April 2025 What does it sell? Starray and EX5 SUVs, Riddara RD6 Pro ute.<\/p>\n


\n
\n Advertisement <\/p>\n


\n Advertise with NZME.<\/a> \n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Geely
\nStarray EM-i PHEV is a little larger and sharper-looking than the EX5 BEV.<\/p>\n

We talked about Geely<\/a> last time, with the launch of the EX5 medium-SUV<\/a> fresh at that time. To recap, the brand started as a refrigerator parts company, but got into automotive in 1997. In fact, it was China\u2019s first privately owned carmaker. But there\u2019s a lot more to talk about now, especially in a Kiwi context.<\/p>\n

First, new Geely-branded models. The EX5 EV has now been joined by the Starray EM-i<\/a>, an SUV of similar dimensions (it\u2019s a bit larger) that uses a \u201cSuper Hybrid\u201d plug-in powertrain: 83km electric range and an overall distance of nearly 1000km on a full tank\/charge.<\/p>\n

\"Geely
\nRiddara RD6 Pro is the first full-electric AWD ute on the market.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the intriguing Riddara RD6 Pro<\/a>, a dual-cab ute with pure-electric power. It\u2019s not strictly a Geely, because the company treats \u201cRiddara\u201d as a separate brand; but it does wear a Geely badge on its tailgate and it shares showroom space with EX5 and Starray EM-i, so that\u2019s good enough for us.<\/p>\n

Riddara is based on a passenger-vehicle platform, so it\u2019s as much a car as pickup truck. It doesn\u2019t claim to offer the ultimate in 4×4 ability, with independent suspension all-round, but it\u2019s surprisingly capable, with dual-motor AWD that really gets to grips with loose surfaces and uneven ground.<\/p>\n

It also delivers on some key ute stats: it can tow 3000kg and offers a payload of 1030kg.<\/p>\n

\"Geely
\nEX5 BEV was Geely’s first model for the Kiwi market.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re here to talk cars, but there\u2019s a bigger Kiwi business story around Geely, too. As is well-known, Geely is now a sprawling automotive giant: under its various companies it has owned Volvo<\/a> since 2010 and Lotus since 2017. It\u2019s technically a partner with Volvo (but also the parent company) in Polestar (2017). And there\u2019s much more.<\/p>\n

The above is relevant because NZ Geely importer Giltrap Group has formed a new division called NordEast<\/a> that brings six different Geely brands together under one umbrella for the first time, anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s Geely, Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. Only four, right? But now there are two more: Zeekr and Farizon.<\/p>\n

Zeekr<\/p>\n

Founded: 2021 Launched in NZ: September 2025 What does it sell? X and 7X SUVs, 009 luxury people mover.<\/p>\n

\"Zeekr
\nLuxury 7X is the hero model for the Zeekr lineup.<\/p>\n

Zeekr<\/a> is Geely\u2019s luxury-EV brand. It\u2019s very young, but has grown quickly in international stature, expanding first into Europe in 2023 and from 2024 into various other markets.<\/p>\n

It was announced for NZ with the rest of the NordEast operation in August this year, although the product-picture really only became complete with confirmation of specification and pricing of its hero model, the 7X, in September.<\/p>\n

\"Zeekr
\nExtremes: Zeekr X compact-SUV (left) and the massive 009 luxury people mover (right).<\/p>\n

The 7X is Zeekr\u2019s newest vehicle, with some versions featuring a \u201cGolden Battery\u201d capable of extremely high-speed charging. It\u2019s a medium-SUV aimed at the premium market, but it also has a smaller sibling, simply named X; that one shares quite a lot of its technology with the Volvo EX30.<\/p>\n

The most niche, but also most outrageous Zeekr offering for NZ is the 009 luxury people-mover, which offers a lounge-like rear compartment. And a lot of chrome.<\/p>\n

Farizon<\/p>\n

Founded: 2016 Launched in NZ: August 2025 What does it sell? A pure-electric van, the SV.<\/p>\n

\"Farizon
\nFarizon is coming in hard with the SV light commercial in a range of sizes.<\/p>\n

Farizon is a Geely subsidiary (also part of NordEast in NZ) formed to develop pure-electric commercial vehicles. The Kiwi offering comprises the SV (sometimes called \u201cSuperVan\u201d in other markets) in three different lengths (4990-5995mm) and three different heights (1980-2500mm).<\/p>\n

The entry SV has a 67kW battery, but every other model is powered by a 83kWh pack. And there are many colours other than white.<\/p>\n

Chery<\/p>\n

Founded: 1997 Launched in NZ: April 2025 What does it sell? Tiggo 4, 7 and 8 SUVs (plus Omoda\/Jaecoo sub-brands). Tiggo 9 launch imminent.<\/p>\n

\"Chery
\nTiggo 4 is one of NZ’s cheapest new cars. And it’s pretty impressive.<\/p>\n

Chery\u2019s new-generation products are already familiar to NZ. Last year it launched its Omoda<\/a> and Jaecoo<\/a> sub-brands, with a range of models and powertrain technologies.<\/p>\n

But exactly a year later, it introduced Chery-branded models<\/a> to the Kiwi market. While they all come from the same source (and the same Australian-based distribution business), Chery is sold and marketed quite separately from Omoda\/Jaecoo. It\u2019s more mainstream, aimed at value-conscious family buyers.<\/p>\n

First up was the Tiggo 4 compact-SUV<\/a>, which is now available in both petrol and hybrid models. Chery has also introduced a range of medium-to-large SUVs with the focus on Super Hybrid powertrain technology, matching 80-90km EV range with 1000km-plus hybrid driving ability.<\/p>\n

\"Chery
\nTiggo 7 is a medium SUV with Super Hybrid technology.<\/p>\n

The Tiggo 7<\/a> is its mid-size offering, while the Tiggo 8 \u2013 which looks similar but is a different design inside and out \u2013 is a seven-seater. Chery is also preparing to launch a model with a much larger third row capable of carrying seven adults, the Tiggo 9<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like Geely, Chery is a Chinese brand that flirted with the Kiwi market back in its bad old days, but disappeared. It\u2019s now back with highly polished new-gen products.<\/p>\n

\"Chery
\nTiggo 8 offers 3rd-row seating. But there’s an even bigger 7-seater on the way, the Tiggo 9.<\/p>\n

Chery has long been focused on selling its cars outside the domestic market: it started back in 2001 and has been China\u2019s largest exporter since 2003.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Haven\u2019t we been here before? Yes, we published a major feature not so long ago, in April, digging…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99613,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72940,33357,69017,6190,11357,138,72936,59411,39684,18930,72937,28091,29220,69016,206,6191,72941,111,43,139,69,14734,72942,25367,35536,28092,17620,72938,59412,72939,35538,10376,33354],"class_list":["post-99612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-72940","tag-7x","tag-b10","tag-bev","tag-budget","tag-business","tag-c10","tag-chery","tag-compact-suv","tag-ev","tag-ex5","tag-geely","tag-large-suv","tag-leapmotor","tag-luxury","tag-medium-suv","tag-mpv","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-passenger","tag-people-mover","tag-phev","tag-riddara","tag-starray","tag-suv","tag-tiggo-4","tag-tiggo-7","tag-tiggo-8","tag-ute","tag-x","tag-zeekr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}