ABU DHABI — Chinese automaker Zeekr marked its fifth anniversary this fall by threading one of its electric SUVs through a gap barely wide enough to let it pass, sideways, at speed.
Driver Chien Jui-Yu guided a Zeekr 7X through a drifting maneuver at Yas Marina Circuit, clearing a gap with just 25 centimeters of clearance on each side once the car's own 1,920-millimeter width is subtracted, according to Guinness World Records, which certified the attempt as the tightest gap passed through while drifting an electric car.
Precision over power
The 7X relies on Zeekr's SEA electric platform and a double-wishbone front suspension, which the company credited for the car's stability mid-drift. In a statement reported by UPI, Zeekr vice president Mars Chen tied the stunt to the brand's broader ambitions.
The Zeekr 7X embodies our commitment to intelligent engineering, precision and performance.
Mars Chen, Zeekr vice president
The attempt is the latest in a run of car-brand Guinness stunts built around drifting through tight spaces, a genre that has become a recurring marketing showcase for electric-vehicle makers looking to demonstrate handling precision rather than straight-line speed. Zeekr, owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely, has pursued Guinness titles before as part of its push into markets outside China, including the Gulf.
Neither Guinness nor Zeekr disclosed how many attempts the drifting run took to complete, or what margin for error the course allowed before contact. The automaker framed the record as a demonstration of the 7X's engineering rather than a one-off stunt, tying it to the model's rollout across Middle Eastern markets.
Guinness measures the category by subtracting the vehicle's width from the width of the gap itself, meaning the car's doors and mirrors passed within inches of the barriers on either side as it slid through at an angle rather than driving straight through. Zeekr, which builds electric vehicles under China's Geely Holding Group, has leaned on Guinness titles as a marketing tool since entering overseas markets, using stunts at circuits such as Yas Marina, the Abu Dhabi venue better known for hosting Formula One's season finale, to draw attention to specific models during regional launches.