Plug-in hybrid vehicles struggle to win over consumers, due to their often disappointing range in 100% electric mode and the inherent complexity of their dual motorization system. However, a more substantial electric range could give food for thought.
You may have already crossed the streets of Paris. The Chinese manufacturer Geely and its Swedish subsidiary, Volvo, offer cars in the form of a formula that can be canceled at any time and present themselves as “the Netflix of the automobile”. Everything happens under the Lynk & Co brand.
Lynk & Co has officially unveiled engine details for its latest mid-size coupé SUV, the Lynk & Co 08 PHEV. Make no mistake, despite being a PHEV with a combustion engine under the hood, the 08 sports a closed grille, giving it the appearance of a 100% electric vehicle at first glance.
With an output of 400 kW (536 hp) and a maximum torque of 900 Nm, this plug-in hybrid car is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just five seconds. The 08 is the seventh model of the high-end brand of the Geely group, while only one model has been released in France for the moment.
The first car is called 01, the Lynk & Co 01, it’s a plug-in hybrid SUV that should remind you of the Volvo XC40. The plug-in hybrid SUV borrows, in fact, the mechanics of the Volvo XC40 T5 Recharge.
39.6 kWh for 245 km according to the CLTC cycle
On the battery side, the Lynk & Co 08 will be equipped with a 39.6 kWh NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery pack, offering a range of 245 km according to the CLTC cycle (a little more optimistic than the WLTP cycle used in Europe ). With a full tank of gas, the total combined range of this plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) reaches 1,400 km.
The 08 is built on the second generation of the CMA platform, which will also serve as the basis for the Volvo XC60. As a reminder, the CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform was jointly developed by Geely-Volvo and is used on various Lynk & Co, Volvo and Polestar models.
This coupé SUV uses all-wheel drive equipped with the Lynk E-Motive EM-P plug-in hybrid system with a 1.5-litre turbo combustion engine and two electric motors. Meizu’s Flyme Auto operating system, based on the Linux kernel, interacts with the driver and passengers. As a reminder, Geely completed the acquisition of Chinese smartphone maker Meizu in June last year. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 processor provides the computing power, which is very promising.
The marketing of this new Lynk & Co 08 is expected by the end of the year in China. If nothing has yet been announced about a launch in Europe, this obviously cannot be ruled out, while the manufacturer must face increasingly tough competition here. In recent months, Chinese brands have been invading the Old Continent, like Nio, BYD, MG or even Xpeng. This is starting to annoy the major authorities who have taken measures to protect our industry.
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