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If you’re lost in a sea of announcements of new Chinese brands in Australia, we don’t blame you.
But there could yet another as Lynk & Co now comes under Zeekr management and Geely consolidates its two international premium brands.
Last month, as part of a brand-wide attempt to lower overlap and streamline costs, it was announced that the hybrid and combustion focused Lynk & Co would come under the control of EV-only Zeekr.
To clarify this a little further, it's easiest to think of Geely as having the same poisiton Volkswagen in the VW Group, with Zeekr more like Audi in the wider Geely group.
As it is, the brands already share their premium SEA and CMA platform underpinnings as well as many design elements, but are beginning to form significant overlaps in each model range as Zeekr grows.
What do these changes mean for the Australian market where Zeekr has only just launched?
Speaking to CarsGuide at an international media event in China, Zeekr’s Australian head of marketing Andrew Haurissa explained.
“Right now, it’s hard to say. Based on the way we’re moving into different powertrains right now there could be a chance [launching Lynk & Co] vehicles might happen — it depends whether there’s an appetite for that in the market, but the acquisition or transfer of ownership is certainly a fruitful one for the brand.”
“Zeekr will have its own design language and Lynk & Co will have its own design language — they’ll share platform and technology and handling as well.”
“It really depends on the product which is made available in right-hand drive — Lynk & Co right now is left-hand drive only and our main focus is Zeekr, getting that brand up and running — we’re only new in Australia, only next week will we have cars out in the market and in the hands of the press.”
When asked whether Geely HQ was flexible around what the Zeekr and Lynk & Co ecosystem might look like in local markets like Australia, Haurissa said this was likely to be the case.
“I would say so, there might be a plan up the sleeves not in Australia but from a global perspective. Things are moving so fast, Zeekr is moving fast, but we’re also measured in the way we progress.
"We wouldn’t want to make a decision based on a flurry or forced into a necessity. It needs to be more thought through. We’ve got an ambition of selling, globally, a million cars by 2027. Is it achievable? Absolutely and there’s a strong chance we’ll get there with more products coming into each market.”
Zeekr will be one of the first to test our market’s taste for Chinese premium brands.
While mainstream options like GWM and MG are marching up the price-scale now, it is only after years of hard work winning sales at price points now abandoned by Japanese and Korean brands.
The market is going to be tough, too, with Aion, Jaecoo, Smart, Leapmotor, XPeng, Zeekr and more all hoping premium vibes and sharp prices will tempt traditional Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz buyers.
Despite this task, access to Lynk & Co’s range of sporty hybrids could help maximise its appeal in a market where the pace of growth of EV sales is slowing while demand for hybrids seems ever increasing.
Its primary current export model to Europe is the 01 SUV which rides on the same CMA underpinnings as the Volvo XC40 using a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. It scores a claimed 75km of fully electric driving range and produces 206kW/535Nm from an electric motor paired to a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine via a three-speed hybrid transmission.
As it stands, the Lynk & Co 01 would slot between the fully electric X small SUV and the incoming 7X mid-sizer, as well as offer a plug-in hybrid alternative to its electric or MHEV Volvo XC40 platform-mate.
Meanwhile, in the Chinese market Lynk & Co’s expansive range includes everything from the combustion 03 sedan to the Volvo XC90-based 09 SUV, making potential differentiation from Zeekr’s incoming range significant.
Regardless, it seems obvious the brand has been re-positioned under Zeekr as a pre-emptive move to be more strategic about each brand’s future products.
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