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Chinese EV maker Zeekr is said to have filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the US.

The IPO filing, first reported by Reuters, allegedly reveals the Geely-owned company is seeking to raise more than $1 billion (£814 million) in investment as part of plans to take the Zeekr brand global as a rival to Tesla.

Zeekr is claimed to have filed IPO paperwork with US regulators in early December.

Citing sources with knowledge of the IPO filing, Reuters said Zeekr is seeking a valuation of more than $10bn (£8.14bn). A listing could come as early as the second quarter of 2023, it claims.

The move to list in New York comes after Zeekr confirmed it had submitted an IPO proposal to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

By choosing New York as the venue for its IPO, Zeekr is hoping for a higher valuation, says Reuters.

Zeekr was officially launched in March 2021, one month before the Chinese car maker announced its first model, the 001 fastback.

Its second model, the 009 MPV, was unveiled in November 2022.

Since the start of 001 deliveries in December 2021, Zeekr’s cumulative deliveries total 66,611 units.

A third Zeekr production model, a pricing-leading hatchback, is planned to be launched in China in 2023.