Geely’s Lynk & Co car brand launches mid-size SUV, heads to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
- Lynk’s 09 plug-in hybrid SUV to take on Tesla’s Model Y and NIO’s ES6 in China
- The Geely-Volvo brand plans to export cars to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia this quarter
The Chinese-Swedish carmaker, which is well-established in European markets like Germany, Denmark and Belgium, said it was expanding in the Middle East, with plans to deliver cars in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia this quarter. It will also expand into other Asian markets “in due course”.
“Lynk has the strength to secure a foothold in the world’s automotive market,” Gan Jiayue, chief executive of Geely Auto and Lynk’s parent, said during the car’s launch in Shanghai on Wednesday.
The 09 plug-in hybrid model is the first Lynk vehicle based on Volvo’s scalable product architecture platform used for full-size premium vehicles such as the Volvo XC90. The SUV is priced between 315,900 yuan (US$49,418) and 370,900 yuan.
The five-door SUV joins the fray against a raft of blockbusters in the mainland’s premium car segment. Tesla’s Shanghai-made Model Y SUV has a price tag of between 276,000 yuan and 387,900 yuan. NIO sells its ES6 SUV from 348,000 yuan to 526,000 yuan.
The 09, like all Lynk cars, is fitted with a large central touch screen and telematics systems that connect it to the internet.