It’s not every day that a new car brand rolls on the scene, so please be withstanding for Lynk & Co with its premium hybrid SUV – the 01 – expected to land in the UK late 2018.
Yeah, ‘Lynk & Co 01’ doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but ignore this new brand at your peril because it is owned by Chinese giant Geely, which has also owns Volvo as well as the London Taxi Company.
The new brand will take its first steps in the automotive world with the bold, tech-laden 01, which will be followed by the 02, 03 and…you get the idea. This straightforward approach to model names, which Mazda has also used for years, apparently reflects the brand’s simplistic ideals.
The tech-laden 01 is being hailed as the most connected car ever, coming with a large 10.1-inch central touchscreen and telematics system, both of which are always connected to the internet and the car’s own cloud.
It also has a ‘share’ function, which lets owners provide access to others via a shareable digital key. They can also control, monitor and share their car through a smartphone app.
Personalisation has been a big selling point with new cars coming to market in recent years, but Lynk & Co will take the concept another step further with an open approach to third-party developers that it hopes will “provide endless opportunities to personalise, enrich and expand the experience”.
The 01 is underpinned by the Compact Model Architecture that will be the platform for Volvo’s forthcoming V40 hatch, S40 saloon and XC50 SUV. As if that wasn’t enough of a link to Volvo, the 01 has been designed and engineered in Sweden too, albeit with help from studios in Shanghai, Barcelona and LA.
Stretching for 4,530mm with a 1,654mm height, 1855mm width and 1,730mm wheelbase, the 01 is a smidge bigger than the Nissan Qashqai in all directions.
There’s little detail on the 01’s engines but the firm says the car will be available with a range of ultra-efficient powertrains, with class-leading fuel economy and performance. Time will tell if that is the case, but Volvo has taken efficiency very seriously in the past so it’s promising.
The 01 will go on sale in China in 2017 initially before reaching Europe and the US the following year.
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