Lynk & Co. concept. 'The Next Day', showcasing a new design language and hybrid powertrain.

Some time since Lynk & Co. last made a major product announcement, the youth-oriented brand from Chinese auto giant Geely offered a preview of its future plans on Monday.

The preview came in the form of The Next Day concept, a striking four-door grand tourer that is said to preview the brand's new design language. The design inspiration was the morning sun illuminating a modern city of skyscrapers.

Power comes from sophisticated hybrid technology. While most new car brands are focusing on launching electric vehicles, Link & Co. is sticking with hybrid powertrains for now, leaving its recently launched sister brand Zeekr as the way forward for EV enthusiasts.

The Next Day concept is designed to run either a conventional hybrid powertrain or a plug-in hybrid setup. In both cases, the vehicle is powered by a small internal combustion engine with a thermal efficiency of 43% or higher. The thermal efficiency of an engine is a measure of how much of the thermal energy generated by combustion is actually converted into useful work. The thermal efficiency of a typical passenger car is about 40%, whereas the thermal efficiency of an F1 engine is 50%.

In The Next Day's concept, an internal combustion engine powers the front axle and two electric motors power the rear. The proposed plug-in hybrid setup offers the opportunity to choose from several different battery sizes, the largest of which can achieve a pure electric range approaching 100 miles on a charge.

Other technologies teased in the concept include active aerodynamics, an advanced heads-up display with augmented reality, and an autonomous driving system rated Level 4 in SAE's automated driving capability assessment and featuring six lidar sensors. While Link has yet to announce plans for a self-driving car, its sister brand, Zeekr, announced plans in January to launch a Level 4 self-driving car around 2024.