This big white beast is a Lynk & Co 09, a large Chinese SUV. The 09 has an in-your-face design, with a giant grille with 12 vertical slats, daytime running lights almost on the hood, and big gray alloy wheels.
Lynk & Co is a Chinese car brand owned by the Geely Group. Lynk & Co makes a mix of ICE and PHEV cars. But strangely, the brand doesn’t sell any pure electric cars. The Lynk & Co 09 is based on the second-generation Volvo XC90. The Volvo brand is also owned by the Geely Group. Happily, the car that I saw was parked right next to an XC90. I guess it was my lucky day.
The Volvo XC90 and the Lynk & Co 09 are based on Volvo’s SPA platform. Production of the second-generation XC90 started in 2015. It was not produced locally in China, but imported from Sweden. Production of the 09 started in 2021.
In 2021, it was assumed that the third-generation XC90 would arrive soon, so Geely could use the technology for the Lynk & Co 09. But as we know now, the launch of the full electric 3rd-gen XC90 has been delayed by a few years, so production of the second-generation XC90 continues.
The Geely Group did something similar before. In 2014, they launched the locally-made Volvo XC90 Classic, a continuation of the first-generation Volvo XC90.
Lynk & Co sells two versions of the 09: ICE and PHEV. The car in the photos is the PHEV. The 09 looks quite modern. If you didn’t know, it would be hard to believe it is based on such an old car. Lynk & Co tried really hard to make it look different. The hard points are the same of course, but not a single panel is the same. Lynk & Co also added pop-out door handles, and they fitted full-size mirrors.
The Lynk & Co 09 is luxurious inside, although the infotainment system is clearly an oldie. The leather seats are comfy and there clearly is a lot of space.
The Lynk & Co 09 is available with 6 or 7 seats. This one is a six-seater, with two extra-wide seats in the second row.
The car we have here is a 2021-2023 Lynk & Co 09 PHEV. Earlier this year, this PHEV model was replaced with the updated Lynk & Co 09 EM-P. The PHEV powertrain combines a 2.0 turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor and an 8-speed AMT. The system output is 425 hp and 659 Nm, good for a 230 km/h top speed and 0-100 in a speedy 5.6 seconds. The EV-only range is a modest 60 kilometers.
Characters on the left: 领克, Lingke, Lynk & co. The PHEV has four big round exhaust pipes for sportiness.
The Lynk & Co 09 is only sold in China, and it doesn’t sell very well. In 2021, the PHEV model sold for a steep 327.900 yuan. It is the second-slow-selling Lynk & Co, only the old 01 sells worse. Still, it was a nice try to make the XC90’s life a little longer. I like how it looks, but sadly one doesn’t see many on the road.