German tuning company Mansory hasn’t paid much attention to the Chinese automotive industry throughout the years, preferring to tune opulent European rides and ship them to well-off Middle Eastern clients. Things took an unexpected turn at the recently concluded Auto Beijing show, where the atelier suddenly revealed a bespoke Zeekr 9X.
If we had to guess, we’d say it happened because the large Chinese hybrid SUV is known on its domestic market as a Rolls-Royce Cullinan wannabe. Mansory is no stranger to tuning Cullinans, so it probably wasn’t too unusual of a job for them.
Furthermore, if you take a closer look, you will see that the idea was to make the 9X look more like its British source of inspiration. The elegant radiator grille, the sporty-looking bumper underscored by a splitter blade, and the imposing hood cover all look like they could belong on a genuine luxury vehicle made in Europe.
It’s the side view that dispels the illusion. Black fender add-ons, overcomplicated side sill extensions and rally-style 24-inch wheels with a white finish go poorly with the creamy gradient of the roof and the carbon-fiber trims on the pillars. At least, that’s what it looks like to us. The rear end salvages the situation somewhat with a coherent roof spoiler, rear bumper and diffuser trio.
The Zeekr 9X features a deluxe interior straight from the factory, but Mansory one-ups it with a completely new leather upholstery of its own. The headliner gets black Alcantara, and what few carbon accents there are, are strategically placed.
Things stay stock under the hood, and for a good reason. Commanding a hybrid powertrain rated at 1,400 PS (1,381 hp / 1,030 kW), the 9X sprints from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in blistering 3.1 seconds without any modifications.
