In recent years, Chinese car manufacturers have been adopting a variety of penetration strategies in an attempt to establish themselves in the European car market. Some manufacturers choose to jump headlong into the deep waters of Europe with models destined for the Chinese market with almost no changes, and some also crash on the bottom of the pond. Others choose the “smooth page” strategy and invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the development of models, which are specifically intended for the European market.
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The Chinese GEELY group, on the other hand, successfully implements the “Trojan horse” strategy – its “horse” is the Swedish company Volvo, which the Chinese bought more than a decade ago. Since then, Swedish society has undergone an “enlightened occupation”. They poured generous financial resources into it and opened the Chinese market to it. At the same time, they “absorbed” the advanced R&D capabilities of the Swedes for the benefit of the group’s other brands in China, annexed their knowledge in the field of safety and plug-in propulsion, and turned Volvo’s headquarters in Sweden into their front base in penetrating Europe.
The “subscription club” model
The Link & Co brand from the GEELY group is also a kind of “spin-off” of Volvo. The brand’s first model, 01, is based on the platform and drive technology of the Volvo XC40 plug-in, and therefore it relatively easily passed the technical hurdle of entering Europe and the high safety bar.
Therefore, the captains of the brand, most of them Europeans, were given “creative freedom” when it comes to design, branding and differentiation from sister Volvo. This means adopting a smart brand name, which appeals to established European hipsters (but has difficulty being absorbed in Hebrew-speaking countries); passes through points of sale with a “colorful” and noisy design; And it goes as far as adopting a unique marketing model of an “appointment club” – customers in Europe purchase the use of cars, according to needs, rather than the cars themselves and can exchange or return cars frequently.
In Israel, on the other hand, the brand does not have the privilege of “marketing sophistication” and it enters directly into an aggressive and hyper-competitive market. What remains of the “colorful” European branding of Link & Co is mainly the exterior design signed by Peter Hornbury, the legendary designer of Volvo.
Unique light configuration
The most striking feature is the unique nose, which features bug-eye-like headlights that protrude above the hood surface that sits above a grill that appears as a broad smile. At night, these lights spread a unique light configuration, as do the interesting rear lights at the back. If you add to that large and colorful rims and cosmetic decorations along the door sills and the roof line, you get a car that looks bigger and sportier than its Swedish brother and gets a lot more looks.
The design of the passenger compartment also received a creative touch. The digital dashboard is very reminiscent of Volvo’s. On the other hand, the large and horizontal multimedia position is a faithful representative of the Chinese car market, as is the elliptical and ornate steering wheel. With the exception of an oddly operating gear stick, the human engineering is quite successful and includes a reasonable amount of essential physical switches and an effective voice command recognition system. The comfortable front seats and the respectable space for legs and head in the back also receive a high score. The trunk is certainly useful for a mid-size vehicle with a plug-in drive and with a volume of 466 liters.
The standard equipment demonstrates Chinese generosity and includes, among other things, a panoramic sunroof, leather-like upholstery, heated seats and a quality sound system. As befits a vehicle designed in Sweden, you also get a fairly comprehensive set of advanced safety systems, although the “driving assistance” function intervenes excessively aggressively.
The drive system of the 01 is an upgraded version of the Swedish sister. It combines a 1.5-liter turbo gasoline engine with three cylinders, an electric motor and a battery with a respectable capacity of 17.2 kWh, which allows a theoretical electric range of up to 75 km in WLTP and driving on electricity alone at a speed of up to 120 km/h. The combined power is 261 hp, at the front wheels, and the coordination is entrusted to a dual-clutch automatic box.
The result is pleasant and refined as long as you don’t force the drive system out of its comfort zone. Moderate drivers, who consistently charge the battery “according to the book”, will enjoy a quiet and pleasant electric cruise in the city and beyond and can expect a realistic range of about 40 km before the battery is drained and the command is transferred to the gasoline engine. Under such conditions, you can visit the gas station quite rarely On the other hand, heavy-footed drivers, who choose the sports programming mode, will enjoy more aggressive and enjoyable accelerations, but at the price of somewhat harsh sounds, especially on uphills and at high rpm. Of course, the fuel consumption will also jump into the territory of gasoline vehicles with about 17-18 kilometers per liter.
European chassis calibration
On the road the vehicle feels “European” with good grip and restrained body roll in turns. A large part of the credit goes to the standard 20-inch rims, which are covered by tires with a sporty cut (45′). But there is no doubt that behind the scenes European hands contributed to the chassis and steering calibration, which is one of the most accurate we have encountered in the Chinese community. The ride comfort is also good, maybe even better than that of the Volvo sister, and the suspensions skillfully absorb the disruptions of the Israeli asphalt.
Link and Line 01 costs NIS 230,000 in Israel, although it is likely that when the stock that was released before the purchase tax increase in January runs out, the price will also climb. Although this does not sound like an aggressive penetration price for an unknown Chinese brand. But in the illusory reality of the Israeli car market, when “popular” crossover models of established brands frequently sail into the territory of NIS 200,000 and above, this Chinese-Swedish plug-in is pleasantly surprising and climbs high in the value for money matrix.
MG HS
The HS of the MG brand from the Chinese company Sayk costs NIS 191,000. Its external dimensions are similar to Link, but it is lower. A 1.5-liter turbo engine is responsible for propulsion, which together with an electric motor produces 258 hp and achieves an electric range of up to 52 km.
MG HS / Photo: Yeh’ach
Kia Niro plug-in
NIS 185,000 for the plug-in version of the new Nero. The vehicle is shorter than the Link but stands on a wheelbase of 2.72 m and offers a spacious and well-equipped passenger compartment. A 1.6-liter gasoline engine, an electric motor and a battery with 183 hp and an electric range of up to 61 km are responsible for propulsion.
Kia Niro Plug-in / Photo: Yeh’ach
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Plug-in
NIS 220,000 for the base version of the new Mitsubishi Eclipse plug-in, identical in dimensions to the gasoline version, with a wheelbase of 2.67 m. It is powered by a 2.4-liter gasoline engine and two electric motors with a combined power of 188 hp and an electric range of up to 45 km.
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Plug-in / Photo: Yeh’ach