(Yicai Global) Feb. 21 -- Zeekr Intelligent Technology, a Chinese new energy vehicle brand, has refuted client complaints about revising contract terms unilaterally.

The complaints of Zeekr 001 order terms "are not in line with the facts," the car brand backed by Geely Holding Group said to Yicai Global yesterday.

Buyers who purchase cars at different times may have different terms due to Zeekr’s business and compliance demand, and this is a general practice in the industry, the firm added.

The NEV manufacturer released an updated version of its first model on Jan. 1 with a warranty of six years or 150,000 kilometers instead of the earlier lifetime warranty. Buyers who placed their orders last year and intend to pick up their cars by next month will still enjoy the longer guarantee but those who ordered later or want the new model will have to do with the shorter warranty.

Clients who ordered last year were complaining online about the move, saying that Zeekr had not mentioned such differences between the 2022 and the 2023 models then and there was no talk about a deadline to receive the car.

Demand for Zeekr 001 is larger than supply, so the firm requires buyers to place a CNY5,000 (USD728) deposit. Consequently, it was reported that scalpers had reserved vehicles and marked them up by as much as CNY20,000 (USD2,911).

Zeekr delivered more than 71,940 Zeekr 001 vehicles last year, according to sales data the firm unveiled last month. In December, the figure was nearly 11,340 units. The coupe sport-utility vehicle was priced at CNY336,000 (USD48,896).

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi