Geely’s ‘premium’ sub-brand, Lynk & Co, has now officially entered Southeast Asia, with Vietnam being its first market in the region. In collaboration with GreenLynk Automotives, Lynk & Co’s official distributor in Vietnam, the brand has introduced three of its models, the Lynk & Co 01, 05, and the 09 in the market.
The Lynk & Co 09 is the brand’s flagship SUV and is offered with a price tag of VND2.199 billion (approx. RM420,510, inclusive of VAT). Prices of the Lynk & Co 01 and 05 in Vietnam will be announced at a later date.
Sitting on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which also underpins the Volvo XC90, the Lynk & Co 09 measures 5,042 mm long, 1,977 mm wide, and 1,780 mm tall, with a 2,984 mm long wheelbase.
Powering the Lynk & Co 09 in Vietnam is a 48V mild hybrid (MHEV) setup that is also found in the Volvo XC90 B5. This setup consists of a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that makes 254 hp and 350 Nm. Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, power is sent to all four wheels via an all-wheel drive (AWD) system.
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Inside, the Lynk & Co 09 in Vietnam features a 7-seat layout, and is fitted with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.8-inch centre infotainment screen, and a head-up display (HUD). Also included is a Monaco Nappa leather upholstery and a 14-speaker Bose sound system.
The Lynk & Co 01 on the other hand is the brand’s very first model, which made its debut back in 2017. It is built on Geely’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform, which is also shared with the Volvo XC40.
The compact SUV measures smaller than the 09 at 4,512 mm long, 1,857 mm wide, 1,673 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,734 mm. Essentially the coupe version of the 01, the Lynk & Co 05 measures 4,592 mm long, 1,879 mm wide, and 1,628 mm tall. This makes it slightly longer and wider, but shorter than the 01, despite sharing the same wheelbase.
Both the Lynk & Co 01 and 05 can be had with either petrol, MHEV, or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains. However, it hasn’t been confirmed which powertrain(s) will be made available for the 01 and 05 in Vietnam.
Currently, Lynk & Co has chosen Vietnam, a left-hand drive (LHD) market as its first entry into Southeast Asia, with the Philippines being its next target. As announced by Geely a few years back, the premium brand will also be making its entrance into Malaysia and Australia, as part of the Smart Geely 2025 plan.
With Geely having expressed its interest in the past in utilising Proton’s Tanjung Malim plant as a production hub for Lynk & Co models, could this make Malaysia a potential right-hand drive (RHD) hub for Lynk & Co? Only time can tell.
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