Lynk & Co is leaning on its racing heritage in China.
The young Chinese brand, which is part of the sprawling Geely empire that also include Volvo and Polestar, has given its 03 sedan a race-inspired makeover.
The 03+ borrows heavily from the Cyan Racing entry in the World Touring Car Racing (WTCR) series with a prominent rear wing, unique wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, Akebono brakes, and adjustable Bilstein dampers.
There’s no missing the cyan exterior paint and black highlights, nor the rear diffuser and yellow brake calipers.
Behind the wheel, the 03 gains Alcantara-trimmed seats and a smattering of bright yellow highlights to match the brake calipers.
Under the skin, it’s powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 195kW of power and 380Nm of torque sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed auto.
That’s up slightly on the regular 03+, instead matching the outputs of the 05+ coupe SUV.
Under the skin, the 03 shares its platform with the Volvo XC40 and Polestar 2.
It’s not likely to make the trip to Australia any time soon. Polestar, on the other hand, will be here before the end of 2021.
In decades past, Polestar was Volvo’s racing offshoot and high-performance tuner, but it has transformed into an electric performance brand owned by Volvo and its Chinese-based parent, Geely.
The Polestar 2 is a Tesla Model 3 rival with 470km of range from its 78kWh lithium-ion battery on the WLTP test cycle.
With 300kW and 660Nm from its dual-motor powertrain, the Chinese-made 2 will hit 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds from standstill.
If it looks a bit familiar, that’s because the Polestar 2 is based on the same CMA architecture as the Volvo XC40 SUV.
Inside, it features a touchscreen infotainment system built on Google’s new Android Automotive bones.
Polestar won’t use traditional showrooms for the 2. Rather, the brand will utilising online sales and ‘Polestar Spaces’ to showcase the cars in a retail environment.
