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Lynk & Co 05 revealed

Upstart Chinese brand Lynk & Co has unveiled its fourth model, the 05.


It’s an SUV that measures 4592mm long and 1879mm wide with a 2734mm wheelbase, so roughly the size of a Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V.

 

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Where it differs from those established SUVs is in its styling. Featuring a rakish coupe SUV silhouette, it’s reminiscent of the much more expensive Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe and BMW X4.

It wears a similar face to other Lynk & Co models with its high-set headlights but, in addition to its radically different silhouette, it’s distinguished by racier detailing such as its segmented taillights and available colour-keyed alloy wheels.

 

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The interior is also markedly different from the rest of the Lynk & Co range with plenty of sharp angles, contrast stitching, and a 12.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

Full technical details have yet to be released but the 05 will launch with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder mild hybrid, producing 187kW and 349Nm. It’ll be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Two turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engines will follow, one of which will be a plug-in hybrid.

All Lynk & Co products use the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) shared with the Volvo XC40 and the Polestar 2. Lynk & Co, Volvo and Polestar are all owned by Geely.

 

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The 05 also shares the CMA platform with another coupe crossover, the recently introduced Geely Xing Yue (above).

In the Geely, the 1.5-litre engine is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and produces 130kW and 255Nm in regular turbocharged guise and 190kW and 415Nm in the plug-in hybrid.

There's also a version with a 48V mild-hybrid system with a total output of 140kW.

The PHEV has a pure electric range of 56km or 80km, depending on whether you choose the 11.3kWh or 15.2kWh battery, respectively.

The Chinese market is littered with brands that never make it overseas, like Nissan’s Venucia brand or Honda’s Everus.

Lynk & Co is significant, however, because it has global aspirations – a European launch is pencilled in for next year, with the first export to be the 01 SUV. At this stage, however, there are no export plans for the 05.

The company has even said it wants to crack the US market. Currently, no Chinese brands are sold in the US market, though Zotye has signed up dealers in 100 markets and is set to launch next year.

 

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In Australia, however, we’ve seen plenty of Chinese brands come and go – Great Wall, Haval, LDV and MG are still standing, while Chery and even parent brand Geely have disappeared. Lynk & Co executives have said Australian exports will happen but given no definitive timeframe.

When it arrives in Europe, Lynk & Co is planning on following a flexible subscription-based model, more like Netflix or Spotify than a conventional lease.

 

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Those interested in a Lynk & Co will be able to pay a fixed price per month which will include insurance and roadside assistance.

The brand already sells cars in China, albeit through traditional dealerships. The first model to launch was the RAV4-sized 01 SUV back in 2017. It was followed by the 02, a fractionally smaller but lower and sleeker crossover.

The 03 sedan followed in 2018, sized similarly to a Toyota Corolla sedan. A hatchback variant, the 04, is set to debut next year.

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