Proton's distant cousin, Lynk & Co has 7 models on sale; Here's a handy guide

Lynk & Co has gone from launching their first car in 2017 to becoming what I would describe as a ‘cult’ favourite brand in just 4 years. The brand is part of the Geely Group. It is set up as a joint venture between Geely Group's namesake brand Geely Auto Group, and the Volvo Car Group.

To date, Lynk & Co has launched 7 vehicles, 5 SUVs, a sedan, and a hatchback, all of which are cars designed as affordable alternatives to traditional premium brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

The naming system of their cars can only be described as ‘simple’, each car is named after a number that follows the sequence the models were launched. But the issue with being simple is that people who are less savvy with the brand would jumble the numbers and models up.

So, let us unjumble the numbers for you, here’s a quick rundown of which number belongs to which model.

Lynk & Co 01

As you’ve guessed it, the 01 is the first car that the company launched back in 2017. The 01 is well known as the Volvo XC40’s twin as it is developed on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform and shares most of its components with the Swedish compact SUV.

Although the 01 shares the same underpinnings as the XC40, the former measures slightly larger at 4,549 x 1,860 x 1,689 mm in length, width, and height with a wheelbase of 2,734 mm. The XC40 measures at 4,425 x 1,863 x 1,652 mm and has a wheelbase of 2,702 mm.

The 01 is currently the only Lynk & Co model officially sold outside of China. When the company gave the SUV a facelift, they also took the opportunity to launch the car in the European market.

But while there are 4 variants available in China, Europe only gets 1 variant and that is the range-topping all-wheel-drive Halo variant. 

Lynk & Co 02

The Lynk & Co 02 comes in 2 forms, an SUV and a hatchback. The 02 was first introduced in 2018 as a small SUV that will satisfy those who wants a smaller version of the 01.

Measuring at 4,448 x 1,890 x 1,528 mm in length, width, and height, the 02 is at least 100 mm shorter in length and 161 mm shorter in height than the 01. The 02 is basically an affordable alternative of a Mercedes-Benz GLA while the 01 is the alternative of the Mercedes-Benz GLC instead.

The hatchback version didn’t make its debut until March 2021. Aptly named the 02 Hatchback, both models look largely the same, though the hatchback measures 10 mm longer at 4,458 mm while the wheelbase remains the same at 2,702 mm.

Also read: 2021 Lynk & Co 02 hatchback in China; 254 PS Golf GTI rival priced from CNY 176k

Of course, this being a hatchback, the height is the key difference here. The 02 Hatchback stands at only 1,486 mm compared to the 02’s 1,528 mm.

Lynk & Co launched the 02 Hatchback as a cheaper alternative to the crowd favourite Volkswagen Golf GTI as the 02 Hatchback's 2.0TD turbocharged engine offers 254 PS and 350 Nm. It has a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 6.2 seconds, which is around the ballpark of the Golf GTI. 

Lynk & Co 03

In the same year that Lynk & Co introduced the 02, the company also launched the Lynk & Co 03. The 03 is the first non-SUV model that came out of the company’s stables, remember that the 02 Hatchback only came in 2021.

Lynk & Co seem to be having a lot of fun with the 03 as the company not only introduced a performance version of the sedan, known as the Lynk & Co 03+, which adds sporty body kit like carbon fibre front lip and rear spoiler, a rear diffuser, quad-exhaust pipes, and 19-inch wheels. 

It also comes with a more powerful 2.0TD turbocharged engine that produces 254 PS and 350 Nm, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels. In contrast, the standard 03's 2.0TD turbocharged engine only produces 190 PS and 300 Nm. 

Other than that, Lynk & Co also set the car up to take part in the 2019 World Touring Car Cup.Although the 03 have yet to score good results in the international competition, the sedan has collected one driver’s championship at the 2020 TCR China Touring Car Championship.

Lynk & Co 05

Launched in 2019, the Lynk & Co 05 is the coupe version of the 01. Like the 01, the 05 is powered by a 2.0TD 4-cylinder engine that spits out 254 PS and 350 Nm. The engine is also mated to an 8-speed conventional automatic transmission.

But other than the wheelbase measuring similar to the 01 at 2,734 mm, the 05 is slightly larger than the SUV it was based on.

The 05 is also the twin of the Geely Xingyue coupe SUV. 

Lynk & Co 06

Yet another SUV in Lynk & Co’s arsenal is the 06. It is the first Lynk & Co model that strayed away from the CMA platform, instead, it is built on Geely’s B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA) platform, similar to the Geely Binyue, or better known here as the Proton X50.

Also read: Lynk & Co 06 debuts, can our Proton X50 look as sexy as this?

You must be thinking, doesn’t Lynk & Co already have a smaller version of the 01? Well, the 06 is even smaller than the 02, measuring 4,340 x 1,820 x 1,625 mm in length, width, and height with a wheelbase of 2,640 mm.

It is 108 x 70 mm shorter and narrower than the 02 SUV though it is 97 mm taller than the latter.

Unlike the other Lynk & Co SUVs, the 06 is the only SUV that doesn’t have a Volvo cousin as Volvo has yet to build any cars on the BMA platform.

Lynk & Co 09

The big brother of the Lynk & Co clan is the newly debuted 09. The Lynk & Co 09 is the first car outside of Volvo that is built on the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SPA) platform. This makes the 09 the Volvo XC90’s twin.

Also read: Bargain Volvo XC90? The 2021 Lynk & Co 09 is priced from RM 194k in China

Information about the car only just surfaced earlier this month, the SUV will be powered by a 2.0TD turbocharged engine mated to an 8-speed conventional automatic transmission. It will also come with plenty of premium features that mirrors its XC90 cousin.

Also read: 2021 Lynk & Co 09 debuts, cheaper Volvo XC90 twin but more luxurious, est. from RM 160k in China?

The 09 could also be heralding a new design language for the company. While the daytime running lights design remains the same, the grille is largely different from its smaller siblings.

Conclusion

There you have it, 7 vehicles that Lynk & Co has for sale or, in the 09’s case, will soon be on sale. Note that this list only includes vehicles with 4 wheels from the brand, the manufacturer also has a Lynk & Co 04 but that is an electric scooter, launched alongside the 06.

Despite its short years on the market, Lynk & Co has definitely made a huge impact on the automotive market, not only for its links with Volvo but also the premium quality of the cars they roll out, making consumers stand up and take notice of the brand.

Will you purchase a Lynk & Co if it ever makes it to Malaysia?