Alain Visser is CEO at Lynk&Co, having taken the helm of the disruptive Chinese car maker after a glittering career at manufacturers including Volvo, Opel and General Motors.
Having been founded in 2016, Lynk&Co launched initially in China in 2018 and expanded into Europe in 2020, taking advantage of its Geely ownership to use the CMA platform also exploited by Volvo.
Its first car, a compact SUV, is simply titled the Lynk&Co 01, with the 02 crossover and 03 saloon following. A hatchback was also under development, but its future is uncertain, the 04 name now tipped to be given to an e-scooter.
The 01 is sold in Europe as a hybrid and plug-in hybrid, with prices starting from €39,000 (£34,000). It's also available on a monthly subscription - with a one-month cancellation period at any time - for around €550 (£472) per month, and so-called members can recoup some of those costs by sub-letting their cars.
Here Visser details the firm’s unique selling points and extraordinary success to date and talks about changes that he expects in the future.
What makes Lynk&Co different?
“We have three key differentiators. One is that if you choose not to buy, it's only one month you have to sign up for. The other is that during that month you can share the car. So when it’s idle, you can sublet it and reduce your fees. The third one is that we don’t have dealerships, but we do offer membership - and part of that community is that you get perks beyond the mobility from the car itself, such as concert tickets. That side has only just kicked off, because of Covid, but it’s ramping up.
“Beyond that, there's also another key point of the concept: its simplicity. Our specifications are straightforward: there are no options and you can have the car in blue or black, that’s it. It’s super-simple, so you don’t drive away with any regrets, except maybe that you chose the wrong colour. And if you feel that way and join as a member, yes, you can swap each month.”
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