The refreshed Zeekr 007 GT, which was revealed in last month’s regulatory filings, is expected to see price increases of 5,000 to 8,000 yuan (700 to 1,200 USD) when it launches in the second quarter of 2026. The price adjustment comes amid rising costs for semiconductor chips and lithium batteries.
An insider from Zeekr has confirmed to Chinese media Mydrivers the likelihood of the price increase, though Zeekr’s customer service representatives stated that specific pricing details have not yet been finalized.
The primary drivers behind the price hike include dual cost pressures facing the automotive industry. The booming AI sector has dramatically increased demand for memory chips, driving up prices for automotive storage semiconductors. Simultaneously, uncertainties in the lithium mining sector have led to power battery supply shortages and rising costs.
Additionally, the refreshed Zeekr 007GT has undergonesome technical upgrades, including a transition from an 800V to 900V high-voltage architecture, further justifying the price adjustment.
The current Zeekr 007 GT model, launched in April 2025, starts at 202,900 yuan (27,200 USD). The refreshed version will feature Nvidia’s Drive Thor-U assisted driving chip equipped with DDR5X memory, a component that is in particularly short supply, exacerbating cost pressures.
Since the latter half of 2025, prices for DDR5 memory used in automotive-grade DRAM have surged by 300%, according to market research firm TrendForce.
Zeekr’s price adjustment is not an isolated case. On March 5, Chery Automobile’s premium brand, Exeed, became the first automaker in 2026 to publicly announce price increases, raising the official price of its ET5 210 Laser Radar Intelligent Luxury Edition by 5,000 yuan (700 USD). FAW Bestune has followed suit with price increases of 2,000 to 5,000 yuan (300 to 700 USD) on its Yueyi 03 model.
According to industry executives, the cost pressure extends beyond chips. Lithium carbonate prices have surged from 75,000 to 170,000 yuan (10,900 to 24,600 USD) per ton, while copper, aluminum, and other precious metals have also seen significant price increases. The combination of global supply chain disruptions and increasing electric vehicle production has further exacerbated the supply-demand imbalance.
“If consumers want to buy a car, I personally suggest doing so as soon as possible,” said Lu Fang, Chairman of Voyah, on March 10, as reported by CLS. Lu Fang explained that multiple factors, including soaring upstream material prices, supply pattern changes, and competition with the AI industry for core resources, will inevitably increase costs for manufacturers and ultimately be reflected in retail prices.
Industry analysts quoted by CLS note that memory chips alone are adding 1,000-3,000 yuan (150 – 450 USD) to the cost of each new energy vehicle—enough to wipe out the entire profit margin on mainstream models and entry-level premium vehicles.
Unlike the chip shortage of 2021, experts describe the current situation as a “resource war” between the automotive and artificial intelligence industries. AI-specific HBM memory offers chip manufacturers profit margins of up to 65%, several times higher than automotive-grade memory, making car chips a lower priority for producers.
As reported by CLS, UBS has warned that chip shortages could begin to disrupt global automotive production as early as the second quarter of this year, with electric vehicle manufacturers who rely heavily on advanced chips being the most affected.
