Lynk & Co 06 EM-P – updated Proton X50 twin gets 299 hp PHEV system with 2 motors, 102 km electric range
The car looks neat and contemporary, but what’s truly caught our eye is the Lynk & Co 06 EM-P’s technical specs. The 06 is a B-segment SUV that can be considered as a Geely Group twin of the Proton X50, and it has been refreshed with Lynk & Co’s new design language.
The 06 EM-P is a plug-in hybrid, and the system has 299 hp and 568 Nm of torque! All that with just a 1.5 litre turbo engine, just like the X50.
With help, of course. This PHEV powertrain combines the BHE15 engine with two electric motors, which take juice from a 19.09 kWh battery. With 102 km of claimed electric range, one can use this as a pure EV for the daily commute, but with zero range anxiety. The CLTC fuel consumption rating is 4.98 litres per 100 km.
As mentioned, the car itself looks pretty good. The previous 06’s round shape and details have made way for sharper lines and the marque’s trademark bonnet-mounted LED daytime running lights are now shaped like a bird’s claw, to my eyes at least. The profile sees the daylight opening visually connected to the rear screen by a black piece, a very common cue that also creates the ‘floating roof’ effect. As seen on the old 06 and X50.
The 06 EM-P’s rear end is simple and clean, with the main element being the full-width light bar, which also houses an illuminated Lynk & Co logo. With its minimalist design and light grey melange tones, the SUV’s cabin has a Scandinavian feel about it – unsurprising, as Lynk & Co is a JV between Geely and Geely-owned Volvo, and ‘designed in Sweden’ is used as a selling point.
Everything is in the large central touchscreen, and the centre console is populated only by a long, lidded storage space and wireless phone charging slots. The gear selector has been moved to the steering column. This is a huge departure from the original 06’s dashboard, and it looks good. Also, check out the size of those vanity mirrors!
All of this have been shoehorned on to the existing BMA modular platform that also underpins the Binyue/X50 and Geely Emgrand sedan, which is the base car for Proton’s upcoming S50. This means that whatever tech you see here, and the impressive-sounding PHEV system, is available for Proton. The barrier will then be cost, for both Proton and the consumer.
Speaking of cost, the Lynk & Co 06 EM-P will start at about 180,000 yuan (RM116,363) in China, where it will hit showrooms this year. Mass-production permission from regulators are already in hand and the new SUV will soon roll off Lynk & Co’s Meishan plant.
What do you think of the 06 EM-P and its PHEV system? A gallery of the original 06 is below for you to compare the difference in exterior and interior design languages.
GALLERY: 2020 Lynk & Co 06
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