Can Super Hybrids Win In European Market?

There’s a new automotive trend coming out of China. Although the country leads the world in pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) adoption, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have been growing fast too since the beginning of 2024. These are not the compromised cars of ten years ago, however. China is calling them “super hybrids”, and the first to arrive in Europe is the Lynk & Co 08.

Lynk & Co 08: What Is A Super Hybrid?

The big difference with super hybrids is the size of the battery they use, giving them a much larger electric range. The first plug-in hybrids offered under 30 miles of real electric range – only enough for short local urban trips. For all other kinds of journey, these cars are effectively just hybrids with pointlessly heavy batteries. There was also some evidence that they were being purchased as company cars for emissions-based tax credits and never plugged in and charged at all. For so little EV range, there wasn’t much incentive to do so.

Super hybrids are different. These have much larger batteries and can effectively function as battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) for all but the longest journeys. Their growing popularity in China is probably because the place is vast, and so are the cities. A super hybrid can be an EV in even a huge conurbation like Shanghai or Beijing. But China can be very rural outside its cities, and charging availability unreliable, so having fossil fuel as an alternative makes sense.

In the Lynk & Co 08’s case, a 39.6 kWh battery is included, delivering 120 miles of WLTP range. That’s more than the first generation of Nissan Leaf BEV and not far off the second generation. The average European driver covers just 21 miles a day, so the 08’s battery could last most of a week’s regular journeys. Lynk & Co is part of Chinese giant Geely, alongside Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr and Lotus, so the technology was available in China first. The 08 was launched over there about two years ago, although the European version has some tweaks compared to the Chinese one, including stiffer suspension.

Filling A Gap With The Lynk & Co 08

“An electric car doesn’t work yet for some people,” says David Green, VP Strategy, Products and Offers, Lynk & Co. “You don’t buy the car for 98% of the year. You buy the car for 100% and in that case, people feel an EV won’t work for them. Maybe the house in Italy doesn’t have charging, or you’re a businessperson that does long journeys, stops at night and can’t charge there. These reasons create a space for a long-range PHEV. It’s an electric car, but with no boundary. You can do the trip down to your small apartment in Italy that has no charger. The future will probably be fully electric. But there are some steps in the way.”

“The 08 was launched in China almost two years ago,” says Nicolas Lopez Appelgren, CEO Europe, Lynk & Co. “Ever since, we have gotten a lot of questions from media, but also from customers asking when the 08 would come to Europe. None of the other vehicles that we haven’t brought to Europe has been asked for as much as the 08. Another reason is that electrification in Europe has clearly not gone as quickly as everybody thought five years ago. OEM after OEM has had to back down from their commitments of 100% electrified by a certain date, realizing it will take a longer time. This makes us believe that the 08 is the perfect segue into electrification. We believe very much that electrification will come, but the big question is exactly when. In the meantime, we believe that this is a very good product that will attract a lot of customers.”

However, there’s another reason for the increased interest in hybrids from Chinese companies. Chinese BEVs imported into Europe are subject to a tariff of up to 45.3%. However, Chinese PHEVs only receive a 10% tax, making the opportunities for profit far greater.

The Lynk & Co 08 Super Hybrid System

The Lynk & Co 08 is a bit more than just a regular PHEV with a bigger battery, though. It has a new system from Horse Powertrain that has been specifically designed as a hybrid. “It has one internal combustion engine (ICE) and two electric motors,” says Green. The ICE has a 1.5-liter capacity and is turbocharged. “The first electric motor mainly charges up the battery. The second electric motor is mainly driving the wheels. You can blend and merge these. Then the combustion engine is mainly charging up the battery along with regeneration, but in certain circumstances, it can drive the wheels as well.”

These motors work through a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission with three gears. Green claims the way the three different motors work together means the ICE can run at 43.3% maximum thermal efficiency, which means even when running on combustion the fuel usage should be frugal. On its own, the ICE delivers a decent if not incredible 51.4mpg (42.8mpg with US gallon). But most of the time you will have some battery available to increase that.

During my test drive of the 08, it was a smooth experience like a BEV. This is also a quick car, capable of hitting 62mph in just 4.6 seconds. The three motors combine to deliver up to 585hp. It has 905Nm of torque, giving it the immediate response of a BEV and mostly drives like one. You also can barely tell if the ICE kicks in, it’s so quiet – unlike the serial hybrid system of the Nissan e-POWER drivetrain. However, weighing in at 2,544kg, the 08 makes its mass known in corners, so this is more of an effortless highway and A-road cruiser than a sports SUV you can chuck around bends with abandon.

You could, in theory, drive it entirely on electric power and never use any fossil fuel at all, although in that case you’d be better off with a BEV. However, while the Lynk & Co 08 does offer DC charging, this only operates at a maximum of 85kW, meaning it takes 28 minutes to go from 30% to 80% capacity. If you’re taking a break somewhere with public charging that works out cheaper than fossil fuel, you might as well plug in. But the point is you don’t have to worry about this, which appeals to some people.

Lynk & Co 08: Part Of A Plan For European Domination?

Lynk & Co’s first two cars were smaller than the 08. The original 01 was another PHEV, but with a more conventional system than the 08. It has subsequently been updated to have the purpose-built Horse Powertrain system. The 02 (called the Z20 in China) is a BEV using the same architecture as the Zeekr X, Smart #1, and Volvo EX30. The 08 is a larger SUV aimed at a more grown-up family, with a comfortable amount of space in the rear for adult passengers and plenty of luggage space. There’s 545 liters with the rear seats up, and 1,277 liters with them dropped forward.

Talking about Lynk & Co’s strategy going forward, Appelgren says: “We believe very much in long-range plug-in hybrids. We have an electric vehicle (the 02). Let’s see when we bring out the next one, but for now, we believe PHEVs will be very appealing. It is a step change from where PHEVs were a couple of years ago, which was literally a combustion engine that you coupled with an electric motor, a battery and a cord. The 08 car is developed from scratch to be a PHEV. It has a very useful range. Five to ten years ago, I thought PHEVs would be dead by now, because they were only a step into electrification. But the way they are now developing with the longer range built bespoke to be a PHEV with DC charging, they are more relevant than ever.”

That would be big departure for the “funky and youthful” image Lynk & Co has cultivated in Europe so far. The 08 already signals a change towards a different customer. “The D-segment SUV market is predominantly populated by premium brands,” says Appelgren. “There are a few mainstream models in there, like the Kia Sorrento and Hyundai Santa Fe, but it’s otherwise predominantly premium marques. Having an offer in that segment with the features the 08 has will help us to be established as a more premium brand in Europe. When we launched Lynk & Co with the 01, we were very heavily relying on subscription. The 08 will give us more maturity. It’s a serious contender in a very serious and competitive segment.”

Lynk & Co has another PHEV SUV available in China – the 900, which is strongly channeling Range Rover vibes, offering immense performance, comfort and luxury. I drove it in China and was very impressed by the power delivery, ride and interior quality. But we won’t be seeing that in Europe anytime soon. “The 900 is very nice, but it’s 5.25m long,” says Appelgren. “When cars get to five meters in Europe, it’s difficult, and then adding 25 centimeters to that is very difficult. So there is no plan to bring that to Europe right now. We are a company that listens to customers, so we don’t say no forever, but right now, I don’t see that we can. If we would bring it, it would be an extreme niche product in Europe.”

Lynk & Co is planning to enter the UK market, too. However, unlike other Geely brands it has no right-hand drive models yet. So the timeframe is not set, and this expansion will depend on whether the 08 fulfils its expectations. Priced at EUR 52,995 ($60,000) for the Core version and EUR 56,995 ($65,000) for the More version I drove, it’s very reasonable for the performance, economy and equipment level on offer.

“The Lynk & Co 08 has a big chance to be our real breakthrough,” says Appelgren. “We have good brand awareness in several markets, but with this product we will make a real difference. A lot of people will learn about the brand through the 08. The retail partners we have across Europe are thrilled about it and have high expectations on sales volumes. They believe that this will attract people that weren’t acquainted with us before. The aim is for 6,000 sales in Europe in 2025, and next year, for now, we have 12,000 in the plan. Retailers think we might sell more. Supply won’t be an issue. In China, they sell 10,000 of these a month.” There were over 79,000 Lynk & Co 08 cars sold in China in 2024. “This will be the car that will put us clearly on the map.”