• The Lynk & Co 08 will be able to travel more than 683 miles (1,100 km) on a full charge and a full tank of fuel.
• This car rides on an updated version of the CMA platform that underpins the Volvo XC40, called CMA Evo.
• It will go on sale this June, starting at $55,591 (52,995 euros).

Geely’s plan for expansion outside of China continues to press onward with yet another vehicle. This time though, it’s not quite fully electric—the Lynk & Co 08 has officially come to European markets as a midsized PHEV crossover with class-leading all-electric range. Lynk & Co claim this car will do up to 124 miles (200 km, WLTP) on electric power alone, making it one of the longest-range PHEVs in Europe.

For those not in the know, Lynk & Co is yet another Swedish brand with Chinese roots. Like Zeekr and Polestar, this Geely-controlled brand aims for premium segments across the globe, although a recent repositioning places Lynk & Co a step behind Zeekr in prestige. In Europe, Lynk & Co was one of the first brands to offer a vehicle subscription service, bucking the traditional ownership model. It’s not entirely clear if this model will be part of the subscription service, though. This brand may leave that duty to the smaller 01 PHEV and 02 full EV crossovers.

Lynk & Co hasn’t officially dropped all the mechanical details of the crossover, but I can likely extrapolate some from the China-spec unit I drove last year at the Beijing Auto Show. Underneath, this car will use a variant of the CMA platform from the Volvo XC40 and Polestar 2, called CMA Evo. This revised platform smooths out some of the packaging inefficiencies and upgrades the electrical architecture to handle more complex software solutions. Power comes from a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine mated to a two-speed DHT (dedicated hybrid transmission), which either goes to the front wheels only or the rear e-axle for AWD.

Photo by: Lynk & Co

If the European 08 has the same specifications as the Chinese version, then this car likely uses the same 39.5 kWh battery. That would explain why its on-the-road EV range is so high. Unlike most other PHEVs, this car will also be capable of DC fast charging; Lynk & Co says it’ll sprint from 10 to 80% in 33 minutes. Together, the car should have a combined range of 683 miles (1,100 km).

In all, I found it to be a pleasant setup when I drove both it and its sedan sibling, the Lynk & Co 07. Each felt smooth and well-finished, with a wicked-responsive infotainment screen. The updates to the underlying structure seemed to go a long way to making the 08 feel roomy, there’s a lot of trunk room and floor for the rear seats is flat. It’s a compelling offering, although the crazy high horsepower figures didn’t feel all that accurate from behind the wheel. Perhaps the final application will be a bit more poised.

Photo by: Lynk & Co

Lynk & Co says the 08 will be on European roads starting this June. It will come only in two trims, Core and More, and start at $55,591 (52,995 euros). This does sound like a lot, but compare this to the similarly-sized Volvo XC60 Recharge PHEV. That model is about $10,000 more expensive than the 08, yet can’t go as far on electric power. PHEV versions of the BMW X3 are even more expensive. 

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