Lynk & Co has unveiled its first Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), due in Europe in 2020, as well as plans that will see an electrified vehicle range where diesel plays no part.

Lynk & Co 01 PHEV

The Lynk & Co 01 will be the first model from the brand to feature a PHEV drivetrain system, which uses Volvo’s Drive-E powertrain, offering 166.2mpg fuel consumption (combined cycle) and a pure electric range in excess of 30 miles, the company confirmed. Production is to commence in 2019 with sales starting the following year.

Plug-in hybrids will lead Lynk & Co’s plans, followed by hybrid and then battery electric vehicles. The company confirmed it won’t offer diesel engines at all, nor unassisted petrol engines, nor manual transmissions in its European line-up.

Mats Fagerhag, CEO of China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT) and vice president of Geely Auto Group, said:
“The new energy plan for Lynk & Co will be implemented in stages with the goal of following PHEV with HEV and then BEV.”

Alain Visser, Lynk & Co’s senior vice president, added: “There will be no diesel, no manual and no ICE Lynk & Co derivatives in Europe. When we commence production in 2019, and sales starting from 2020, in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels and London, our range will be all about new energy.”

Pop-up stores will be used instead of traditional dealerships to spread brand awareness, while the sales model mimics that of a mobile phone contract rather than a conventional vehicle sale with online sales only and a subscription model of usership.

Visser added: “From these hubs in key cities we will also launch our pop-up stores offline tours, reaching 95% of Europe’s urban population with a formidable, efficient and connected range of products based on industry leading technologies such as Drive-E and more.”