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Chinese brand Lynk & Co has just shown off its first ever car, the 01 SUV, and it's set to go on sale in 2017, initially in the US and China, with European sales to follow. What makes this Chinese car launch significant is that Lynk & Co is owned by the vast Geely conglomerate, which also owns Volvo. Volvo has done most of the engineering heavy-lifting work to develop the 01, and most of the mechanical package that lies beneath the skin is that same as that which we'll see under next year's new V40.
So that means a choice of 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, and eventually the option of 1.5-litre three-cylinder units too, plus a plugin hybrid. A full-electric option will also be offered, but that's a way off yet.
This 01, a compact SUV about the same size as a Skoda Yeti, will be shortly joined by 02 and 03 models, which will most likely be a compact hatchback and saloon. Lynk & Co says that "the brand and 01 have been developed to address the needs and preferences of the new global and connected generation of consumers. Its natural habitat is the mega-city and these frantic and culturally diverse places have provided much inspiration."
Much of the design was overseen by Volvo's styling guru Peter Horbury, and Andreas Nilsson, Head of Geely Design. The design brief for Lynk & Co was simple: the cars should stand out from the crowd and appeal to a truly global audience. From a distance, we have a European design approach. Get closer, and you see more and more detail, such as the intricate lights, and the type of grain on the interior leather. A strong wide grille completes the distinctive 'face' of the car. We wanted to acknowledge that our users are extremely tech-savvy - a smartphone is an integral part of their lives and our interior design reflects that and feels familiar in the context of new technology" said Nilsson.
Inside, the 01 is said to be fully connected, both to the internet via an LTE connection and to its own internal cloud server. Lynk & Co has teamed up with Microsoft, Alibaba and Ericsson to develop and 'open source' electronic platform for the car, which like the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, will be opened up to third party app developers to design new widgets and gadgets.
Under the skin, thanks to Volvo's involvement, the 01 should be very safe, something that consumers wary of Chinese brands may find reassuring. Standard safety equipment includes Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Autonomous Emergency Brake (AEB), Pedestrian Detection with automatic emergency braking, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Blind Spot Detection (BSD) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) to name just some of its active safety systems.
"While other car brands are undergoing a digital transformation, Lynk & Co is born digital. The lack of legacy systems and the ability to build solutions in the cloud enable us to depart from the old model of car sales and service to bring the customer seamlessly through an omnichannel platform, with intuitive interaction at every touchpoint - from researching and purchase and all the way through to owning, sharing, servicing and re-selling" said David Green, Chief Digital Officer of Lynk & Co.
On the sales front, Lynk & Co is claiming that it's both sidestepping tradition and potentially saving as much as 25 per cent of the purchase price by not using the normal big glass dealership route. Lynk & Co sales will mostly be taken care of via the brand's website, with cars being delivered to customers directly. Collection and delivery services will be used any time the car needs attention and Lynk & Co says that "new solutions for car usage and access will be offered - from traditional ownership and leasing to subscription and sharing-membership." The existing Volvo global dealer network will be used for servicing and some aftersales and there will be some city-centre and shopping-centre Lynk & Co stores. The company also says that it's doing away with traditional model range structures, and says that there won't be a basic 01, but instead a selection of different fully-equipped models, designed to suit different tastes.
"Our industry has been refining design and engineering successfully for decades - but not so much the distribution and ownership model. Our customers' values and preferences have evolved dramatically. It is time for us to step into the future and reinvent the model to become a comprehensive solution for mobility and lifestyle. This is Lynk & Co - introducing a premium, state-of-the-art range of cars - at the most accessible of price points, challenging and redesigning every link in the chain. Our aim is to enrich and simplify car ownership by redefining how they are bought, owned, connected, serviced and used" said Alain Visser, Senior Vice President of Lynk & Co.