- 39.5 kWh battery is good in 124 miles of range
- A small petrol engine extends the total range to 683 miles
- Large in China, Lynk & Co has now its sights set at European expansion
The list of new EV brands that enter the European market will be longer, and if you thought your brain capacity to remember all of them were already at the melting point, there is someone else to commit to memory.
Lynk & Co is based in Gothenburg, Sweden and Start-up, originally a spin-off of Chinese-owned Geely Group (even supervisor of Volvo and Polestar) has operated on a low-key basis in a handful of European countries for a few years.
Confusing, right? But the innovative company took a magazine out of Tesla’s book and challenged the traditional car dealership model with the sale of direct to consumer, subscription models and even membership of its exclusive clubhouses.
It has an abundance of SUVs for sale in China, but only three in Europe with its latest release, 08 Hybrid SUV that boasts the longest electrical range for any plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) for sale.
Those who do not want to commit to a full electrical future can enjoy the best of both worlds, with a 200 km (about 124 miles) pure electric range, as well as the possibility of expanding it to 1,100 km (683 miles) when the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine kicks in.
Even better, the 39.5 kWh battery DC can fast charge from 10% to 80% in just 33 minutes, which means that 08 is perfectly useful as a clean electric vehicle for most people.
It is based on the same basic platform as a number of other geely products, such as Polestar 2 and Volvo’s own XC40 gene charging hybrid model, while a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a massive 15.4-inch central display constitute infotainment that offers inside.
The Chinese version can even boast of a 92-inch augmented reality head-up display that spans a large part of the windshield. Although there are no words about the exact European specification.
Prices start at € 52,995 (or about $ 55,600), but Lynk & Co claims its focus is on Europe right now, which is rolling out more retail sites and generally expanding its presence in the coming months.
A slow start for this disturbing
Until this time, Lynk & Co has made constant progress in Europe, supported from £ 85 million losses in 2021 and slowly built the mark and spread the word about its disturbing ownership model to several European countries.
The company wants to hit the fact that it is a mobility provider, rather than a carmaker that offers its customers the chance to use vehicles on a subscription or even a car sharing basis if they do not want the burden of private ownership.
Lynk & Co also has a number of weak membership clubs that are dotted around Europe, which serve as quasi-showrooms and places for members to hang out, party and take cultural pop-up events.
Gunning for a younger audience, Lynk & Co wants its vehicles to support a lifestyle choice, and Nicolas López Appelgren, CEO of Lynk & Co International, feels that 08 will bridge the gap for full electric mobility and hopefully lure a new type of car user to the product.
