Global demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs) continuously increases, offering opportunities for well-capitalized manufacturers. In the meantime, Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding disclosed listing documents for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Zeekr is the EV unit of Geely Auto, the Chinese multinational automotive company building premium electric vehicles. Notably, the company currently offers four models in Mainland China. It is a direct competitor to Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Nio Inc. (NYSE: NIO), Xpeng Inc. (NYSE: XPEV), and Li Auto Inc. (NASDAQ: LI).
Interestingly, the IPO was filed in December 2022, targeting $1 billion, according to a South China Morning Post report on November 10. This Initial Public Offering in the United States aims to expand Zeekr’s product line to “compete for buyers in a hot market segment.”
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“Fresh capital is needed by an EV start-up to strengthen its development capability and survive cutthroat competition, Zeekr has the potential to challenge Tesla and domestic rivals such as Nio and Xpeng after going public.”
— Ding Haifeng, a consultant at Shanghai financial advisory firm
Zeekr data pre-IPO in the NYSE
In the public filing for its IPO, Zeekr reported that its net loss for the first half of 2023 expanded by 25 percent year-over-year, reaching 3.87 billion yuan ($520.6 million). The company also disclosed that its revenue saw a significant increase, more than doubling to 21.3 billion yuan.
Additionally, Zeekr commenced its export operations to European markets at the beginning of the year. The company’s latest financing round evaluated it at $13 billion, which highlights the challenges of the $1 billion target in the NYSE IPO.
It is also worth mentioning that Li Shufu, founder and chairman of Geely Auto, owns 22.93% of Zeekr’s parent company.
This IPO would be a Chinese company’s first major public offering in the U.S. after 2021. All things considered, it will come at a favorable moment for the EV industry worldwide, as global EV adoption reached new highs in Q3 2023, surging to 11.8%.
Moreover, sources from Reuters believe that shares could be traded within weeks of Zeekr’s public announcement.
