China
Lynk & Co has updated the electric car it launched in China as the Z20 at the end of 2024, and renamed it the 20. The bodywork and interior are reworked and the car is 35 mm longer, at 4,495 mm, but the main change is electrical: the 20 moves from a 400-volt system to an 800-volt silicon-carbide architecture with 6C charging. Chinese sales start in the third quarter, and prices have not been published.
Twelve minutes to 80%
A 6C rate means the pack accepts current at six times its own capacity. Lynk & Co quotes a peak of 460 kW on a DC charger and 10 to 80% in 12 minutes, against about 30 minutes for the 400-volt car it replaces, provided the charger can supply that rate. The rear motor is a new 16-in-1 silicon-carbide drive unit rated at 245 kW, which is 333 PS or 329 hp, spinning to 23,000 rpm at a claimed 93.8% efficiency.
Lynk & Co has not published battery capacity or range for the 20. The listing in China’s purchase-tax exemption catalogue, which manufacturers have to file before sale, shows two lithium-iron-phosphate packs of 61.52 and 70.01 kWh and CLTC ratings between 535 and 630 km.
Lidar on every version
The other standard-fit change is the sensor set. Every 20 carries a roof-mounted lidar and the Qianli Haohan H5 assisted-driving system, built around a Horizon J6M chip, with 28 sensors in total: the lidar, three millimetre-wave radars, twelve ultrasonic sensors, eleven exterior cameras and one in the cabin. Lynk & Co lists highway and urban navigation assistance and parking-space-to-parking-space driving among its functions. Making lidar standard rather than an option on the top trim is unusual on a car in this price class, where the sensor is normally what separates the expensive version from the cheap one.
Inside, the dashboard is new, the centre console is split into two levels and some physical controls return alongside the touchscreen. The equipment list includes a 23-speaker Lynk Sound audio system, a 37.5-litre refrigerator under the front console and a 6.8-litre cooler in the centre armrest, CCD adaptive dampers and heated, ventilated and massaging front seats.
What it means for the European 02
The same car is sold in Europe as the Lynk & Co 02, where it is the brand’s first battery-electric model. Europe’s version is the pre-update specification: a 200 kW motor, a 69 kWh NMC pack, 445 km on the WLTP cycle, 150 kW DC charging and no lidar, from EUR 35,995 in Germany. Lynk & Co has said nothing about bringing the 800-volt car to European showrooms, so for now the update is a Chinese-market change.
The outgoing Z20 sells in China from 109,900 to 150,900 yuan ($16,300 to $22,400). Lynk & Co has not said whether the 20 holds that range.
