Geely-owned Lynk&Co has detailed its imminent European market launch, unwrapping the European version of its 01 SUV and detailing a unique business model that does away with the need for vehicle ownership.
The Chinese-Swedish brand will offer the 01 on a membership basis for €500 (£456) per month, with members offered the opportunity to cancel with just one month’s notice, and lower their costs by sharing their car with others.
’Free members’ get access to the app and can use paid members’ cars on a single-use basis, with the company claiming the average car is in use just 4% of the time. Tax, insurance and registration costs for each car are included in the cost of membership.
The car will also be available to buy outright in Europe, as is already the case in China, but final prices have yet to be confirmed. They will likely command a significant premium over the roughly £18,000 starting price of the Chinese version. A UK launch is on the cards, but will not take place before the end of 2021, CEO Alain Visser told Autocar
In line with the company’s ambition to make the membership process “brutally simple”, the car is available in just two colours - blue and black - and is offered in just one trim level, with a comprehensive suite of advanced driver assistance systems fitted as standard.
Two electrified powertrain options, shared with its Volvo XC40 sibling, are available: The first, a hybrid, pairs a 138bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol motor with a 49bhp electric motor for a combined output of 194bhp and 159lb ft. It is capable of covering 0-62mph in 9.0sec and has a top speed of 118mph, with a WLTP-certified consumption rating of 43mpg and CO2 emissions of 150g/km.
The second option, a plug-in hybrid, pairs an uprated 178bhp version of the petrol engine with a 74bhp electric motor for a combined output of 257bhp and 195lb ft. It achieves 257mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and a 17.6kWh lithium ion battery offers an electric-only range of up to 43 miles.
Join the debate
Add your comment
I fear this unknown brand
MaxTorque wrote:
Are you for real? Its a subsidury of Geely/Volvo the model 1 was designed in Gothenburg by Peter Horbury of Volvo design, the man who was responsible for virtualy every Volvo from the 480ES, and his last one being the C30, he was head of design for Fords PAG (JLR/Aston Martin and Volvo), then became head of Ford America design, then went back to Volvo and is now head of Geely group design, its built using a Volvo designed platform, and uses Volvo running gear, and is built in Ghent in a factory that been building Volvos for decades, the only thing that is essentiually Chinese about it is the people who control the purse strings.. Oh and its already recieved a 5 star best in class crash test result - its effectively an XC40 in a different frock.
MaxTorque wrote:
Yeah mate, you should stick to brands like Morris, Rover, Triumph, Hillman and Austin. Oh wait, you can't.
You're going to have to do
Lynk & Co sounds like an
Lynk & Co sounds like an accountants firm. Needs a more memorable name for Europe.
The C-pillar decoration looks odd. The overall exterior is sort of clean and unfussy but ultimately looks awkward.
Interior better.