Geely’s newly founded global brand, Lynk & Co, revealed a mid-sized, tech-laden sedan concept at the 2017 Shanghai Motor Show in April. Christened as the ‘03’, the sedan follows the 01 SUV as a part of the Chinese carmaker’s plans to roll out an SUV and a sedan in its initial years. The test mule of the 03 sedan was spotted in Germany, suggesting that the global sedan is nearing its production.
Even in the concept guise, the 03 looked production ready. Now looking at the cladded prototype, all the design elements from the concept are evident. The three-box design is muscling out of the cladding. The headlamps and grille, as seen on the concept, have been scrounged from the 01, thus both the vehicles from the new brand can rock similar motif. The chunky alloys from the concepts aren’t seen here, instead, the poorly spray-painted five spoke wheels are doing the job while the car is in the testing stage.
Even under the cladding, the floating roof with designer C-pillar is instantly recognisable. There seems a tow-hook sticking out at the rear, which means the carmaker is also testing the hauling potential of the sedan to propose it as the active European lifestyle vehicle.
The 03 sedan will share the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform which is jointly developed by Volvo and Geely. The same platform underpins the 01 SUV, apart from the Volvo S90, XC90 and will form a base for many upcoming vehicles from the Swedish and Chinese carmakers. The 03 will boast of all the connectivity features as showcased at the launch of the 01 SUV.
On the inside, the 03 will carry influence from the 01, as was seen on the concept. The steering wheel, air vents, large infotainment screen, gear lever, dashboard et al, will be borrowed from the 01. The 03 sedan will also have access to Volvo’s wide array of safety and driver’s assistance systems.
No details of the powertrain are available as yet, but a hybrid powertrain is on cards. Lynk & Co has promised a lifetime warranty on all of its products apart from permanent free internet connectivity inside all the vehicles. The Swede-Chinese is expected to reveal both its products first in the Chinese market after which, the vehicles will make their way to Europe and U.S. in a couple of years’ time.
