Zeekr's plant shutdown is expected to last from January 11 to February 1, covering the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, which runs from January 21 to January 27.

(Image credit: Zeekr)

Zeekr's plant will be shut down for more than 20 days starting tomorrow to upgrade production lines around the Chinese New Year holiday, which will prepare the production for new models, but will result in a significant drop in January deliveries.

To ensure the completion of the overall production schedule for 2023 and the introduction of new projects, Zeekr's plant will use the Chinese New Year holiday and the period around it to revamp and upgrade its production lines, local media Cailian reported today.

The plant shutdown is expected to last from January 11 to February 1, with production halted for about 22 days, according to the report, which provided no further information.

China's upcoming Chinese New Year holiday is from January 21 to January 27, and with the zero-Covid policy abandoned, a large number of residents are expected to return to their hometowns for the holiday, which could cause disruptions to production at industrial companies.

Zeekr was founded in March 2021 and its factory is located in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

On April 15, 2021, Zeekr's first model, the Zeekr 001, was unveiled and deliveries began in October 2021. On January 1, the 2023 Zeekr 001 was launched and made CATL's Qilin Battery available as an option.

On November 1, 2022, Zeekr officially made the second model, the Zeekr 009, available in China. On January 9, Zeekr announced that the first production Zeekr 009 rolled off the production line on January 8, and its deliveries will officially begin in the near future.

Late last month, some local media reported that Zeekr will upgrade its production line during the Chinese New Year holiday in order to support the mass production of the Zeekr 009.

The line upgrade will have an impact on January deliveries, but the overall impact of making this adjustment over the Chinese New Year holiday will be relatively small, and deliveries would have naturally fluctuated in January, Zeekr said at the time.

Zeekr delivered a record 11,337 vehicles in December, bringing its 2022 deliveries to 71,941 vehicles and meeting its goal of delivering 70,000 vehicles for the year.

The company's CEO, An Conghui, said last week that Zeekr aims to double its sales in 2023 to about 140,000 vehicles, according to a Reuters report.

Zeekr plans to start selling vehicles in Europe later this year with an assisted driving system in partnership with Mobileye (NASDAQ: MBLY), An said.