Lynk & Co
Native name
领克 (Chinese)
TypeDivision
IndustryAutomotive
Founded2016 (2016)
Key people
Nicolas Lopez Appelgren (CEO)
ParentGeely, Volvo Cars
Websitewww.lynkco.com

Lynk & Co (Chinese: 领克; pinyin: Lǐng kè) is a Chinese–Swedish automobile brand co-owned by Geely Automobile Holdings and Volvo Cars.[1][2] The company was founded in Gothenburg in 2016.[3]

'Co' in the company's name stands for 'connected' and focus of the brand is on internet connectivity and innovative purchasing models, targeting a young professional demographic.[4][5] According to Peter Horbury, the "intention was to position it between Volvo and Geely as a so called ‘near premium’ brand".[6]

Models

Lynk & Co started with three models intended for production, all based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform developed by China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT) and used also by Volvo, Polestar and Geely. The first product announced by Lynk & Co was the crossover 01, the production version first shown at the 2017 Auto Shanghai show.[7] Production of the 01 started in China in 2017,[8][9] in Volvo's production plant in Luqiao district in the city of Taizhou, China. This is the same production line as the Volvo XC40 and Polestar[10][11] but since then, Lynk have opened two manufacturing plants. Model 02, 02 Hatchback and 03 are manufactured at the Zhangjiakou plant, while model 01, 06, 08 and 09 are manufactured at the Meishan island plant 50 km from Ningbo.[12] Model 05 is manufactured at Geely's Luqiao CMA Super Factory and model 07 will be manufactured here soon.

A concept of the second model, the 03 sedan, was first shown along with the production 01 in Shanghai.[7][13] The third model, also based on the platform shared with the Volvo XC40, is the 02. Smaller than the 01, it is also a crossover.[14][15]

Lynk & Co had originally planned to launch the Lynk & Co 04 as a compact hatchback,[16] however, by 2020 it was cancelled and the nameplate was devoted to an electric scooter instead.

Current models

Headquarters

Lynk & Co has its headquarters near Karlatornet in Gothenburg, Sweden.[19] In 2022, the headquarters building won architectural award for best interior design.[20][21]

Sales

Lynk & Co uses a direct-to-consumer sales model in most markets, in contrast to the traditional dealership model, and influenced by Tesla which has had success doing direct sales.[22] Each car is ordered directly by the buyer and customized using equipment packages, either online or via a retail outlet.[23]

The brand opened 221 retail outlets in China as of 2019, and expanded to Europe in 2020.[24]

Lynk & Co also offers a vehicle subscription service to customers.[25]

Lynk & Co reported sales of 120,414 vehicles in China for 2018, the first full year the brand was on the market.[26] The brand reported 180,127 units sold in 2022, totalling over 800,000 units since its launch.[27]

Lynk plan to expand further to a of handful European countries.[28] The sales are steady in China, but the European business are making huge loss and in total for 2020-2021 the company made a loss of 1 billion Swedish kronor, or about 100 million euros.[29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Volvo Cars börjar tillverka Lynk & Co". SvD.se (in Swedish). 26 March 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Lynk & Co revolutionerar bilindustrin med uppkopplade bilar". dagensinfrastruktur (in Swedish). 24 August 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Söderholm, Erik (30 September 2020). "Nu lanseras Volvos syskonmärke i Sverige". Vi Bilägare (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Ciferri, Luca (19 October 2016). "Geely's Lynk brand sets 2018 Europe debut, seeks to redefine car ownership". Automotive News Europe. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  5. ↑ De Feijter, Tycho. "Volvo And China's Geely Collaborate On 'Connected' Car Brand, Lynk & Co". Forbes. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Lynk & Co – Case by Lynxeye". lynxeye.com. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Lynk & Co reveals production-ready 01 SUV at Shanghai Motor Show". Auto Express. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Duff, Mike (20 October 2016). "Volvo's Geely Launches New Auto Brand, Lynk & Co, and It's Headed to the U.S." Car and Driver. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "Lynk & Co Unveils the 02 SUV, Its Third Vehicle". Car and Driver. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Volvo acquires Luqiao plant from Geely to expand local output". Automotive News. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Volvo Cars starts Chinese production of XC40 small SUV in multi-brand Luqiao plant". www.media.volvocars.com. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Bobylev, Denis (28 August 2023). "Lynk & Co 08 rolled off the production line in China with 593 hp and 1,400 km of range". CarNewsChina.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Lynk & Co Debuts 03 Concept and Announces Lifetime Warranty, Free Connectivity". Car and Driver. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "Lynk & Co 02". Car and Driver. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  15. ↑ "Lynk & Co Unveils the 02 SUV, Its Third Vehicle". Car and Driver. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  16. ↑ "2019 Lynk & Co. 04 spy shots". Motor Authority. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  17. ↑ "Lynk & Co 7-Seater SUV Prototype Resurfaces on Public Roads". 12 July 2019.
  18. ↑ Bell, Sebastien (19 April 2021). "Lynk & Co Turns The Volvo XC90 Into The New 09 Plug-In Hybrid SUV". Carscoops. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  19. ↑ "Kinesiskt bolag öppnar huvudkontor på Hisingen". helahisingen.se (in Swedish). 22 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  20. ↑ Magnusson, Johan (24 April 2023). "Mobility brand strived for "perfect imperfection" when designing its Gothenburg HQ". Scandinavian MIND. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  21. ↑ Kesselfors, Sanna (22 March 2017). "Link vinner internationellt arkitekturpris". Byggnyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "Lynk & Co Brand to Do without Dealerships, Sell "Smartphones on Wheels"". Car and Driver. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  23. ↑ "Lynk&Co 01 SUV gets Geely's new global brand rolling | Autocar". www.autocar.co.uk. Autocar. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  24. ↑ "Lynk & Co sold 120,414 cars, established 221 retail outlets in 2018 - first European stores to open in 2020 - paultan.org". Paul Tan's Automotive News. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  25. ↑ "Lynk & Co will "change the industry" with Netflix-style service for cars says Alain Visser". Dezeen. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  26. ↑ "Geely Auto 2018 Sales Reach 1.5 Million Units, Increasing over 20% from Previous Year". Geely (Press release).
  27. ↑ "Annual sales by Geely Holding brands rise 4.7% to more than 2.3m units". Geely (Press release).
  28. ↑ "Lynk & CO looks to further European growth". Automotive News Europe. 23 May 2023.
  29. ↑ Lindgren, Patrik (29 August 2022). "Lynk & Co blöder i Europa – miljardförlust". Teknikens Värld (in Swedish). Retrieved 1 October 2023.

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