Lynk & Co Launches as the First Car Company That Doesn’t Want To Sell Cars

Having the use of a car will be as easy as owning a mobile phone if Lynk & Co get their way. As part of Geely, the company that owns Volvo, the new mobility brand promises high-quality motoring based around a simple subscription package.

Lynk & Co: The Proposition

With no long term commitments, the ability to cancel membership at any time, and even share the car with other users, it’s possible to reduce the ownership costs of the Lynk & Co car to a fraction of the full price.

Insurance, scheduled maintenance, and access to a car-sharing platform are all included in the price of the membership. Alternatively, if you don’t need a car of your own, you can sign up for a free membership and only pay when you borrow a car.

Lynk & Co’s dealerships, or clubs as they’ll be known, will be able to provide an offline service, while online sales and subscriptions will be readily available.

Hassle-free car sharing is a key perk for members, allowing them a sustainable way to reduce the number of individual cars on the road. Members with a car will be able to share with friends, family, or other members to offset their monthly costs. To make it simple, Lynk & Co has developed a sharing platform that will let members manage bookings, share the car location, and send a digital key from their smartphones and in the car.

Lynk & Co 01 Rear

Lynk & Co: The Car

Lynk & Co’s first car, unimaginatively named ‘01’, is available with a range of efficient electrified powertrains. A plug-in hybrid option is available, with a pure-electric range of as much as 43 miles, while self-charging hybrids will allow for improved economy. External paint colours are limited to black or blue.

Engine and paint choices will be the only decision buyers, or subscribers, need to make, as trim levels and options lists have been consigned to the scrap heap. Equipment will include a large central touchscreen, online navigation, third-party apps, a social media camera, and cloud storage.

Lynk & Co will be able to check the health of the cars, maintain features, solve issues over the air, and let members know when it’s time for their scheduled maintenance, all included in the price of membership.

Lynk & Co 01 Interior

Lynk & Co: Green Credentials

Surprisingly, Lynk & Co’s focus won’t be on selling as many cars as possible but instead will revolve around growing its membership community, encouraging more efficient use of mobility. The membership model itself encourages people to share vehicles and reduces the overall number of cars on the road.

The average car is only in use for 4% of the time and the rest of the time, it’s parked. By using the sharing platform, members can share resources and reduce the overall number of cars on the street.

The 01 will be offered exclusively in electrified powertrains, and the interior of the car will be outfitted in Econyl, a material made of recycled fishing lines.

Lynk & Co 01 Profile

Lynk & Co: Who?

Engineering and technology for the 01 have been developed under CEVT, the shared Geely and Volvo research and innovation centre based in Gothenburg, Sweden. The 01 is based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), the same architecture underpinning the popular Volvo XC40. Thanks to CEVT’s focus on digital simulation, the architecture has been developed with advanced quality and far quicker than conventional automotive structures.

Lynk & Co is launching into Europe with plans for a physical presence in key cities across their seven target markets. That doesn’t mean a traditional dealership network, but several ‘clubs’ to be the centre of the user community. The company is collaborating with local artists and designers to outfit the clubs, with a special focus on uplifting ethical, eco-friendly brands, to create places where Lynk & Co members can sip their signature drink, shop, engage with the community, and attend members-only events.

The first club will open in Amsterdam this year, followed by a second club in Gothenburg, Sweden. Further locations will be announced in the coming months, as well as a pop-up tour bringing the Lynk & Co experience to cities around Europe.

Lynk & Co 01 Interior

“Today we introduce a new approach to ownership and mobility,” exclaimed Alain Visser, CEO Lynk & Co International “We’re offering a radical solution for a new generation of connected customers who want mobility on their terms.

“The automotive industry has continued with a distribution and ownership model that has existed for 100 years. We’re changing that. Customers today value products that reflect their digital and ever-changing lifestyle. Our aim is to simplify ownership by innovating and redefining how cars are bought, owned, connected, serviced, and used.

“We exist to change mobility forever.”

Phil Huff