Lynk & Co reveals plans to launch in Australia

Car making giant has revealed its plans to launch a new brand Down Under that could change the way we buy and own cars forever.

A flash new Chinese car brand is planning an Aussie assault.

Lynk & Co, which is owned by Volvo’s Chinese parent company Geely, plans to expand into Australia by 2025.

Geely recently announced a new strategy to boost sales by 2025, which includes an expansion into Australia and New Zealand.

Lynk & Co has several models for sale in China and has recently launched in Europe with its Co 01 compact SUV. It is expected to launch in the UK, a fellow right-hand drive market, in 2022.

Chinese brand Lynk & Co has revealed plans to launch in Australia

The brand’s vehicles share their underpinnings with Volvo. The Co 01 currently on sale in Europe is based on the Volvo XC40 SUV.

Lynk & Co’s vehicles combine svelte styling with hi-tech interiors and Volvo’s tried and tested mechanical engineering.

The Co 01 is offered as a conventional hybrid and a plug-in hybrid, but expect a fully electric version in the near future, as there is now a battery-powered XC40 Recharge on sale.

Lynk & Co has a unique sales model that cuts out dealerships and sells vehicles directly to customers online.

In Europe, it is trialling a subscription model, where customers pay a monthly fee for use. The flat fee includes insurance, registration and roadside assistance.

Owners can reduce how much they pay by sharing their vehicle with other members, charging them a usage fee.

The brand has just launched in Europe with a bold subscription sales model.

The Co 01 plug-in hybrid variant uses a turbocharged three-cylinder engine and an electric motor making a combined 195kW. The motor is powered by a 14kWh lithium-ion battery.

The company claims it will drink just 1.2L/100km.

It can be driven for up to 69km on pure electric power and takes up to five hours to charge via an installed home AC wallbox charger.

Its vehicles share their underpinnings with Volvo, which is also owned by Chinese maker Geely.

The conventional hybrid – which uses the same set-up as popular vehicles such as the Toyota RAV4 hybrid – makes do with the same engine and smaller electric motor, powered by a 0.7kWh battery. Fuel use is rated at 6.6L/100km.

Geely plans to sell more than 3.6 million cars by 2025 and to cut emissions by 25 per cent in the same period.

It has developed a range of full electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles including long-range plug-in hybrids that have an electric-only range of 200km.