Lynk & Co 01 History
Lynk & Co's founding compact SUV — built on the CMA platform alongside the Volvo XC40, offered in petrol, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid forms.
Photo: “2018 Lynk & Co 01, front 8.4.18.jpg” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
The 01 went on sale on August 4, 2017, making it the first production vehicle from Lynk & Co. Initially assembled at Volvo's Taizhou plant alongside the XC40, it later moved to Lynk & Co's own Meishan facility near Ningbo.
Built on the CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform co-developed by Geely and Volvo through CEVT, the 01 shares engineering DNA with the Volvo XC40 and Polestar 2. Powertrains span a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, a hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid with roughly 70 km of electric range in its 2022 facelift form.
The 01 was central to Lynk & Co's European push: when the brand opened its first European showroom in Amsterdam in October 2020, the 01 — offered only as a hybrid or PHEV in Europe — was the sole model available. European customers accessed it via a monthly subscription covering insurance and maintenance, cancellable at any time, distinguishing Lynk & Co from traditional ownership dealers.
Generations
First generation · CMA-based
Photo: “2018 Lynk & Co 01, front 8.4.18.jpg” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Single continuous generation with mid-cycle facelifts in 2021 and 2022; the 2022 refresh added a PHEV with ~70 km WLTP electric range.
2017 Photo: “2017 Lynk & Co 01 (front).jpg” by User 3204 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2018 Photo: “2018 Lynk & Co 01, front 8.4.18.jpg” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2019 Photo: “2019 Lynk & Co 01 PHEV (front).jpg” by User3204 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2020 Photo: “Lynk & Co 01 2020 facelift 001.jpg” by Jengtingchen / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2021 Photo: “2021 Lynk & Co 01 1.5T PHEV front.jpg” by Rutger van der Maar / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2022 Photo: “2022 Lynk & Co 01 facelift.jpg” by User 3204 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2024 Photo: “2024 Lynk & Co 01 IAA 2025 DSC 2314.jpg” by Alexander-93 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Body styles
- 5-door SUV
Notable special editions & performance variants
01 PHEV
Plug-in hybrid launched in 2018 (51 km range); updated for 2022 with a 70 km WLTP range, 132 kW petrol engine, and combined output of 261 PS.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Lynk & Co 01
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.