Lynk and Co cars from China coming to Australia with slightly less unfamiliar name
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Struggling to keep up with the rush of Chinese cars coming to Australia? Add more to the list, with new hybrid SUVs from a sister brand of Volvo that are planned for sale under the just-launched Zeekr brand.
Hybrid cars from another new Chinese manufacturer – Lynk and Co – has been confirmed for Australian roads as soon as next year.
Owned by Geely – parent company of Volvo, Polestar and other marques – Lynk and Co vehicles will be sold in Australia under the badge of sibling-brand Zeekr, which launched two electric cars locally at the end of 2024.
Zeekr and Lynk and Co were previously separate entities in the Geely group, but the latter became a subsidiary of the former late last year to cut costs and streamline their operations.
Arrival timing for Lynk and Co cars is yet to be confirmed, but it’s understood to occur no sooner than 2026, pending a green light on the models destined for local roads.
The brand has identified a trio of mid-size to large SUVs for Australian showrooms – the 08, 09 and 900 – all based on Volvo platforms, and offering petrol or plug-in hybrid power.
Lynk and Co will be the eighth Geely manufacturer from which cars are sourced for Australian showrooms, after Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Zeekr, Smart, Geely itself, and its Farizon van brand.
William Zhou, general manager of Zeekr Australia, told Drive at last week’s Everything Electric expo in Sydney the Lynk and Co range is under “internal discussion on which model[s] to bring”.
“It’s going to be rebadged as Zeekr, because here in right-hand-drive markets, it’s easier compared to the other left-hand drive markets as Lynk and Co has already [a] presence in the other left-hand-drive markets. Here, it’s quite [a] clean plate.
“We start with Zeekr, and then we will have Lynk and Co rebadged as Zeekr in the same showroom, with the same team operating the [sales].”
Zeekr was spun out of Lynk and Co in China – the first Zeekr model began life as a Lynk and Co concept – so there are similarities in styling cues and underpinnings across the brands’ ranges.
“Lynk and Co on one side is very petrol and hybrid technology oriented. On the other side, [it] is SUV oriented as well,” Zhou said when asked which Lynk and Co models are of most interest to Australia.
“So we have Lynk and Co 08, which is a mid-size SUV, similar size to [the] XC60 from Volvo, and also the Lynk and Co 09, [which is] like XC90 size.
“They have a new model which is called [the] 900 … but it’s even larger than 09, the larger SUV. So these three models are something we are working on.”
The 08 is a five-seater, the 09 is a six- or seven-seater, and the 900 is a six-seater with a footprint similar to a BMW X7 or Nissan Patrol.
The 08 – which would slot into Australia’s top-selling mid-size SUV category – is the size of a Volvo XC60 but sits on the underpinnings of the smaller XC40, combining a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with one or two electric motors.
Flagship all-wheel-drive versions are capable of 0-100km/h in a claimed 4.6 seconds, while a 39.6kWh battery delivers up to 245km of electric-only driving range under Chinese CLTC lab testing in lower grades, or 1400km in hybrid mode.
In China, the 08 is priced between 185,800 and 248,800 yuan – compared to 179,900 yuan for an all-wheel-drive Zeekr X electric SUV, a car which is priced from $64,900 plus on-road costs in Australia.
If this price position carries over to Australia, it could see Lynk and Co sit close on price to Volvo models, given the local mild-hybrid XC60 range starts from $73,990 plus on-road costs.
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