Booming luxury EV brand ZEEKR is celebrating production milestones while simultaneously setting its sights on its next phase of expansion into Europe. The Geely-backed automaker recently rolled its 100,000th EV off its assembly line in China, a mere 18 months after flagship production began. For ZEEKR, however, it’s all part of a much larger set of goals and its pace is only getting faster.
When you truly think about today’s 100,000 EV milestone, ZEEKR didn’t even exist three years ago. Parent company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd (Geely) announced ZEEKR as a new luxury EV automotive brand in March of 2021.
The young automaker’s first model, the ZEEKR 001 began production in China that following October, and only 199 EVs saw deliveries that first month. By January 2022, ZEEKR shared it was targeting 70,000 annual EV deliveries, alongside plans to expand to markets in Europe in early 2023. The ramping up progress is all part of a larger expansion goal to reach 650,000 units sold annually by 2025.
By last October – one year after beginning EV production, ZEEKR had delivered its 50,000th vehicle. A month later, ZEEKR launched its second model – the 009 MPV – which joined the 001 on assembly lines this past January.
That same month, ZEEKR shared even loftier goals for 2023. After exceeding its goal of 70k units for 2022, an internal letter from ZEEKR CEO Andy An, laid out five key targets for 2023. This included doubling last year’s sales up to 140,000 EVs annually, plus ZEEKR’s successful entry into new markets of Europe.
Following a presentation from the Shanghai Auto Show, ZEEKR appears well on its way into Europe and is gaining the production momentum required to hit its next sales milestone.
Credit: ZEEKR/Weibo
ZEEKR shares where it will sell its first EVs in Europe
According to a post from its Weibo page today, ZEEKR has produced 100,000 EVs to date in just 548 days – that’s an average of about 5,474 EVs per month. Impressive for such a young automaker, but it is backed by one of the largest automotive conglomerates in China as well.
Earlier this month, ZEEKR launched its third all-electric model, a compact SUV called the X, which is expected to begin deliveries in China this summer. ZEEKR shared it is aiming to deliver 40,000 units of its latest model this year alone. Combined with the 001 and 009 EVs already humming on ZEEKR’s assembly lines, the X should propel the automaker closer to its ambitious sales target for the year.
During this week’s Shanghai Auto Show, we also learned that the ZEEKR X and 001 will be the company’s first models to be sold in Europe – and now we know where.
Both EVs are expected to make their debut in both Sweden and the Netherlands in Q4 of this year. A tad behind ZEEKR’s original timeline of entering markets in Europe in Q1 of 2023, but we are not going to knock that delay considering how quickly the young automaker continues to grow.
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Brian Armstrong, chief executive officer of Coinbase Global Inc., speaks during the Messari Mainnet summit in New York, on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Coinbase is making its biggest push yet to reposition itself as a mainstream trading and financial platform, moving beyond crypto and into the broader retail investing stack as competitors show there’s real money in always-on engagement products.
The digital asset exchange announced Wednesday that it’s rolling out a major slate of new products designed to turn Coinbase into a one-stop financial app, expanding into stocks, more advanced trading, and prediction markets, while doubling down on its on-chain ecosystem and new tools for businesses, developers, and automated financial guidance.
While many of these offerings have been telegraphed for months, Coinbase says the products are now built, and ready to go.
CEO Brian Armstrong is looking to make his platform the place to trade everything.
That includes stocks, a streamlined futures and perpetuals experience, and prediction markets through Kalshi, alongside a tokenization roadmap aimed at eventually bringing more traditional assets on-chain, including equities.
The area of prediction markets, in particular, is quickly getting crowded.
DraftKings has moved to buy its own exchange, FanDuel is teaming up with CME, and Polymarket is entering the U.S. through a newly approved venue. Robinhood, meanwhile, is putting LedgerX at the center of its regulated push.
The defining rivalry in the space remains Kalshi versus Polymarket, regulated rails versus crypto-native liquidity.
Armstrong said the category’s appeal isn’t just trading, but its insight into sentiment, and what people think will happen next on any given topic.
“If you look at things like economic indicators … or elections, people are using prediction markets to try to figure out what is going to happen next month,” Armstrong told CNBC. “Maybe1% of people use it as an asset class to trade, and 99% of people are using it as a way to figure out what’s going to happen — almost like a competitor to traditional media or maybe even entertainment.”
In the company’s third-quarter earnings call with analysts in October, Armstrong showed just how easily prediction market wagers can be manipulated, rattling off several words that were being bet on.
“I was a little distracted because I was tracking the prediction market about what Coinbase will say on their next earnings call,” Armstrong said. “And I just want to add here the words bitcoin, ethereum, blockchain, staking and Web3 to make sure we get those in before the end of the call.”
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Robinhood underscored that shift this week by expanding prediction markets into sports-style contracts that resemble parlays and prop bets, and by touting the category as its fastest-growing business by revenue.
Coinbase is now bringing the same kind of outcome trading into its own ecosystem, but as a part of a much wider bet that the next-generation brokerage is a single app that blends traditional assets, derivatives, and on-chain rails.
Coinbase is pairing the trading expansion with a tokenization roadmap that signals where it wants the platform to go next, bringing more traditional assets on-chain, including equities.
The company is launching Coinbase Tokenize, an institutional stack intended to support real-world asset tokenization.
Armstrong framed the expansion as a bridge to something bigger.
Trading stocks, he said, is “a good first step,” but the real goal is tokenized equities. If Coinbase can get tokenized equity live, he said, it could “democratize access for people over the world,” and unlock new market structure in the U.S., including more robust, professional futures markets tied to equities.
“So this is the starting point,” he said.
The announcement also extends Coinbase’s push to become a provider of on-chain liquidity — not just a venue for listed tokens.
For businesses and developers, Coinbase is widening its platform story beyond retail trading. The company said Coinbase Business is becoming available to eligible customers in the U.S. and Singapore, and it’s rolling out an expanded API suite spanning custody, payments, trading, and stablecoins.
Armstrong’s broader thesis is that crypto isn’t a niche category, it’s an upgrade cycle for the financial system itself.
“Crypto is updating all financial services,” he said, suggesting that every major asset class will move on-chain over time, from prediction markets and equities to commodities, and eventually real-world assets like real estate.
Even the largest asset managers, he said, are signaling they want to migrate funds on-chain, positioning Coinbase as a central platform for that transition.
Coinbase is also introducing “custom stablecoins” for companies that want branded stablecoin rails, and spotlighting x402, a payments standard the company says is meant to make stablecoin payments easier to attach to web requests — including for automated commerce and agent-driven transactions.
The strategic throughline is retention and diversification.
Coinbase already owns a large crypto-native audience, and it wants that customer to stay on its platform for every asset class, even when crypto volumes cool and transaction revenue compresses.
First savings just hit Navee’s newest feature-packed XT5 Pro long-range off-road electric scooter for $1,400
Navee’s official Amazon storefront is undercutting the brand’s direct Christmas Sale pricing on its brand-new XT5 Pro Long-Range Off-Road Electric Scooter for $1,399.99 shipped, after clipping the on-page $200 off coupon. This model just hit the market early last month with a $1,500 price tag, which is where it’s still priced direct from the brand. At Amazon, however, it started off priced at $1,700 and dropped to $1,600 right before Black Friday, with today’s deal being the first official chance at cash savings that we’ve spotted. While this deal lasts, you’re getting $100 off the going rate that sets the bar for future discounts, while also upgrading your commutes/joyrides with the brand’s take on a superscooter.
The most high-end of Navee’s e-scooter lineup that even outpaces the flagship ST3 Pro, this new XT5 Pro Long-Range Electric Scooter is an off-roading superscooter that comes with bolstered durability from its carbon steel frame, while also being the second series to boast the brand’s unique damping arm suspension system. It arrives equipped with a 750W motor that can peak as high as 2,200W for seriously monstrous power, with the entire thing powered by a 596.7Wh battery. This combination gives it a travel range of up to 46.6 miles on a single six-hour charge (with a 1.5-hour flash charging feature available), maxing out at 31 MPH top speeds for the thrill seekers amongst you. It even comes with an add-on option through a 468Wh external battery (sold separately) that increases the mileage with up to 34 miles of extra travel.
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As Navee’s XT5 Pro electric scooter is a more premium commuter, it should be no surprise that it comes loaded with a premium array of features, including smart features like Apple Find My, Bluetooth proximity locking/unlocking, app-based setting customization, and more. Your riding experience is also further heightened by the stock features that include a triple braking system (dual front and rear disc brakes, as well as a rear regenerative EABS brake), 12-inch off-road tubeless tires, an auto-on headlight, mecha-style logo lamps in the stem, a brake-activated taillight, front and rear built-in turn signals, the brand’s traction control system, a 5-inch full color display, and much more.
Save up to $720 on these three Lectric e-bikes with price cuts to lows starting from $1,399 for Xmas
Looking back in on Lectric’s ongoing Christmas Holiday Sale event, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the three e-bikes receiving rare price cuts over the usual free bundle packages – a first for so many models at once. The biggest of these price cuts that also retains a bundle is Lectric’s ONE e-bike Long-Range Belt-Drive Commuter e-bike with a $220 FREE bundle of gear at $1,899 shipped. This entire package would normally run you $2,619 at full price, with a repeat of the $500 price cut we’ve been seeing more frequently since Labor Day to its all-time lowest tracked price, along with a FREE rear cargo rack and fender set. While the deadline to receive it before Christmas has passed, you can still secure it and all the other e-bikes with some of their best deals to kick-off your new year with a new commuting option.
For 48 hours, you can pick up Bluetti’s latest Elite 10 Mini power station at a new $109 Xmas flash sale low (Save $90), more
As part of its ongoing Christmas Sale, Bluetti has a 48-hour flash sale running that is taking up to $199 off three different offers, with a notable standout in the Elite 10 Mini Power Station for $109 shipped, which sadly cannot be stacked with the exclusive 5% off savings code, but does beat out its Amazon pricing by $10. While carrying a $239 MSRP direct from the brand, you can find it starting lower at Amazon for $199, with the holiday discounts that started last week having only taken the costs down to $149, before falling to $119 and then $109 during this flash sale window. While these $90 savings ($130 off the MSRP) last through December 18, you’re able to score it at a new all-time low price, with another flash offer being two of these stations for $199 shipped.
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
The Urban Cruiser is Toyota’s second fully electric SUV, but it adds some meaningful upgrades over the outgoing bZ4X.
Meet the new Toyota Urban Cruiser electric SUV
Based on a new dedicated EV platform, Toyota calls the Urban Cruiser “an authentic SUV” in terms of design and performance.
Toyota launched the new entry-level electric SUV in Europe with two lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack options: 49 kWh or 61 kWh. The smaller (49 kWh) battery is only available with a 142 hp (106 kW) front-wheel-drive (FWD) motor, rated with a WLTP driving range of 344 km (214 miles).
The larger 61 kWh version is available with FWD or all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrains, delivering WLTP driving ranges of 426 km and 395 km, respectively. The AWD version delivers a combined 181 hp (135 kW).
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Toyota said all Urban Cruiser variants can tow braked loads of up to 750 kg (1,650 lbs). With DC fast charging, the electric SUV can recharge from 10% to 80% in around 45 minutes.
The 2026 Toyota Urban Cruiser EV (Source: Toyota)
To improve efficiency, unlock faster charging, and boost driving range, Toyota added a heat pump and battery preconditioning feature as standard.
Thanks to the new dedicated EV platform, the interior is open and spacious. With sliding and split-folding rear seats, the Urban Cruiser rivals “the load-carrying capabilities of larger SUVs,” Toyota said.
The interior of the 2026 Toyota Urban Cruiser EV (Source: Toyota)The interior of the 2026 Toyota Urban Cruiser EV (Source: Toyota)
Measuring 4,285 mm long, 1,800 mm wide, and 1,640 mm tall, the electric SUV is slightly bigger than its popular Yaris Cross. It also gains extra interior space thanks to an extended wheelbase of 2,700 mm (+140 mm compared to the Yaris Cross).
The infotainment system consists of a 10.25″ driver display and a 10.1″ multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The 2026 Toyota Urban Cruiser EV (Source: Toyota)
All Urban Cruiser models are equipped with standard safety features such as Brake Support System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, and Traffic Sign Recognition.
In Germany, the Urban Cruiser EV is on sale, priced from €31,990 ($37,500). Financing is available from €340.41 ($400) a month.
Toyota’s new entry-level electric SUV follows the launch of the refreshed bZ4X. In 2026, Toyota will introduce the C-HR+, bZ4X Touring, and Hilux BEV electric pickup.
For those in the US, Toyota is not expected to launch the Urban Cruiser in the States. However, the new and much-improved 2026 Toyota bZ is among the few EVs in the US with starting prices under $35,000. Next year, it will launch the C-HR, which is expected to be even more affordable.
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