They say that the intermarriage of two races results in an offspring that brings together the best qualities of its parents. And when it comes to the automotive world, the same rationale can be applied.
Enter Lynk & Co, which is the product of a Swedish and Chinese union. Lynk & Co is designed, engineered, and headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is the offspring of a joint venture between Volvo and Geely. My first experience with a Lynk & Co, aptly enough, was with the 01 PHEV (pronounced zero-one.) I got to test it for an extended period and will be sharing 10 important things you need to know about it.
1. First of all, Lynk & Co is a premium automotive brand founded in 2016 and whose cars share their platform with no less than Volvo. As I mentioned previously, its headquarters is in Gothenburg, Sweden (where Volvo is also located) while it has manufacturing plants in China. Noteworthy is the fact that the Lynk & Co HQ in Sweden has won an architectural award for Best Interior Design. (Sweden is the home of IKEA, after all.) Lynk & Co has sold a million cars globally since it commenced sales in 2017.
2. The Lynk & Co 01 is designed in Sweden and manufactured in a state-of-the-art automotive plant in Ningbo, China and comes in petrol, HEV (hybrid) and PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) versions. However, the sole 01 model available in the Philippines is the 01 PHEV, which has a retail price of P2,338,000.
3. The 01 PHEV has a maximum range of a whopping 800 kilometers on a full charge and a full tank; this blows away any issue of range anxiety that usually comes with pure electric vehicle ownership.
4. The styling of the Lynk & Co 01 (and all L&C models for that matter) is unique in that it doesn’t have the now-common gaping “big mouth” grille that a lot of new crossovers come with. Instead it has a full-width air intake rendered in black (and cleverly housing/concealing the headlamps) with the prominent lighting elements (which are actually the Aurora Borealis DRLs) mounted high atop the hood. Overall, the 01 is all about Scandinavian minimalism, with enough styling elements to make it distinctive. The Energy Cube LED taillamps are also highly distinctive, especially at night. I noticed quite a few cars tailing closely, trying to identify the car in front of them. Oh, and the big, dual tailpipes add a sporty look.
5. A styling treatment that signifies that the 01 is a plug-in-hybrid are the metallic blue accents you’ll find running along the upper portion of the grille, along the upper window line, and on two spokes of the handsome 20-inch alloy wheels (with huge 235/45 tires). There are also “electric plug” icons on the front fenders and on the tailgate that emphasize it as a PHEV.
6. The 01 PHEV continues the minimalist theme into the interior, which exudes a premium and sophisticated feel. The blue-accented bucket seats look great and are comfortable. Space is ample for five (wheelbase is a generous 2,734 mm), with numerous cubbyholes to stash essentials.
7. There are a ton of nifty high-tech gadgets inside the 01 PHEV. For one, it boasts a superb-sounding 10-speaker(!) Infiniti audio system with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and wireless charging, controlled by an expansive 12.7-inch touchscreen. The driver’s seat is 8-way power adjustable. It has dual USB ports in the front and in the back, plus a massive panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, and a cooled glove box. The 01 PHEV has adaptive cruise control, plus a staggering alphabet soup of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) like HWA, TJA, RCTA, LCA, BSD, AHB-C, LKA, LDW, TSR, DAC, SAP, AVSL+, ABS, EBD, CBC, BAS, RAB, PIB, BLC, EBL, EPB, and RBC.
8. The front-wheel drive 01 PHEV features a turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine paired with an electric motor, for a combined 261hp and 265Nm. Acceleration is strong (0-100 km/h in 8 seconds), with the electric motor helping provide more torque when the turbo is still spooling up. The 7-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission could have smoother shifts but is responsive enough. The brakes have good decelerating power. The ride/handling balance is skewed towards comfort, effectively absorbing road imperfections and delivering a smooth ride, although it can feel a bit floaty at times. The 01 managed 8.3 km/L in mostly city driving with weekday traffic, which is high for my usual driving (I usually get around 7 km/L). Charging the 01 in a mall for an hour added roughly 69 kilometers of pure electric driving. That’s equivalent to roughly P500 worth of free gas, making it a truly viable option for those looking to get their first taste of electrified mobility without any range anxiety.
9. The 01 uses recycled materials such as Econyl regenerated fabric for its interiors, and is manufactured in a factory that runs on 100% renewable energy. Lynk & Co is particularly focused on making positive contributions in sustainability. Their head offices and manufacturing plant are powered by 100% renewable electricity. The company’s sustainability goals include transitioning to the production of only electric vehicles, increased use of recycled and bio-based materials, and lowering the carbon footprint of every car it produces. Lynk & Co has set its sights on reducing the company’s climate footprint and achieving net zero emissions by 2040 through emission reduction and decarbonization, reducing waste production, and optimizing the lifecycle of its cars, batteries, and components.
10. Being a sustainable company does not mean that Lynk & Co. is all business and doesn’t know how to have fun. The brand has been highly competitive in global motorsports, having fielded blisteringly fast Lynk & Co 03+ sports sedans in the World Touring Car Series under the Cyan Racing team since 2019. The team has clinched the constructor’s title and has taken third in the driver’s title. Most recently, Lynk & Co finished the USA leg of the 2024 FIA TCR World Tour where the team bagged the top four podium finishes.
