Lynk and Co wants a GT sports coupé, and its Beijing motor show concept points to the brand’s next move
Lynk and Co will bring its first GT class concept car to the Beijing motor show. The official teaser shows a low slung two door coupé, a full width rear light bar and the sort of broad shouldered proportions that usually come with serious intent. More important, though, is the strategic message behind it. The brand is trying to evolve from a maker of electric and hybrid models into something more emotional, and more lucrative.
Lynk and Co has officially confirmed that its first GT concept will appear at the Beijing motor show, which opens on 24 April. Official details remain thin for now, but the company itself says the new model is meant to strengthen the marque’s sporty DNA.
The teaser makes it fairly clear that Lynk and Co is not building yet another slippery saloon. It is aiming for a purer grand tourer format. The image reveals a two door coupé silhouette, a broad shoulder line, muscular rear haunches, a full width light strip and a sharply angled rear screen that ties in with the brand’s updated 10 series design language. That matters, because until now Lynk and Co has expressed its sporting ambitions mainly through more powerful saloons and its TCR racing pedigree. This GT concept takes that image into a more elevated, more image driven segment.
When it comes to the powertrain, it is worth separating official information from market speculation. Lynk and Co’s official channels have not disclosed an engine or technical architecture. Some believe the model could use a 3.0 litre turbocharged V6 and some form of battery assistance. For now, that remains unverified. Strategically, though, it would make sense. Chinese manufacturers are increasingly moving towards high performance electrified GT cars, because they can combine strong acceleration, lower official fuel consumption and a sharper marketing angle.
The second important layer sits within Lynk and Co’s wider model line up. On the same day, 24 April, the company will open order books in China for the Lynk and Co 10 and its 925 bhp 10+ version, which the brand is already linking to circuit records and ultra fast charging. In other words, the GT concept is not appearing in isolation. It clearly expands a sporty sub brand, or at the very least a more performance focused product family. Lynk and Co is building two pillars at once: higher volume electric and hybrid models, and lower volume halo cars that lift the perceived value of the entire marque.
According to the company’s own figures, March deliveries rose only marginally year on year, while month on month sales slipped back. At a moment like that, a brand needs news that creates a bigger narrative than another trim level or a facelifted saloon. The GT concept does exactly that. It grabs attention, raises the perceived level of technical ambition and signals to investors that the brand wants to improve margins through a more image conscious premium positioning.
That also fits the wider logic of the Geely Group. In recent years the group has given its brands increasingly clear roles. Zeekr covers the upper end of the electric premium segment. Lotus maintains the aura of the pure sports car. Lynk and Co sits on the border between technology led, youthful mainstream premium and something with a definite performance bent. This GT concept gives Lynk and Co a chance to sharpen that position by adding a car that competes not simply on price, but on a mix of emotion, design and performance.
