The Geely premium subsidiary celebrates turning 4 years old with over 360,000 cars sold.
Lynk & Co has just celebrated its forth birthday this week. Launched back in October 2016, this Geely-Volvo joint venture has been a particularly successful one. Having sold over 360,000 cars in the last three years.
Established in the Swedish City of Gothenburg, over 5 models have been launched since the brand’s debut into the Chinese market in late 2017. These include the 01 SUV, 02 crossover, 03 sedan and 03+ performance model, 05 SUV coupe, and most recently, the 06 crossover. Designed and engineered in Sweden, all these 5 models are offered with a range of petrol, hybrid or PHEV configurations in the China, with the sole exception of the 05 SUV.
Speaking of its Chinese home market, nearly 300 of Lynk & Co’s Experience Centres have opened its doors for customers to experience this Sino-Swedish marque across China, with a further 200 to come in the coming years. This rapid expansion has earned them the stellar title of the fastest growing automotive brand in the region. No small feat considering the competitiveness of the booming Chinese auto sector.
Moreover, Lynk & Co has recently announced that its 01 SUV is to be manufactured at Geely’s new flagship Digital Factory in Yu Yao, China. A factory that not only has leading green credentials for emissions and sustainability, but also has reached 100% automation capacity.
Continuing on the topic of the 01 SUV, Lynk & Co have also recently announced its intention to begin its expansion into the European market. Opening its first European Club a few days ago in Amsterdam, the automaker is planning to offer 2021 01 SUVs to European customers on a subscription plan. Part of Lynk & Co’s “Mobility Membership” business model, 2021 01 SUVs in both hybrid electric and a plug-in hybrid form will be up for Mobility Membership for up to 500 euros (RM 2,460) per month, beginning in April 2021.
Aside from its commercial success with its road cars, Lynk & Co has also enjoyed considerable success on track with its motorsport division. Becoming a force to reckon with on the World Touring Car Championship (WTCR) despite stiff competition from established rivals. An achievement as evidenced by becoming world champion in its first year of operation last year, and maintaining the lead in the both the team and championship this year under their Lynk & Co Cyan Racing outfit.
Looking towards the future, on the horizon for the automaker will be the official launch of its all-electric Zero four-door fastback. The first vehicle to be built on Geely’s Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA), this EV has a claimed range of 700 km. Add to that the concept car design, and there is little doubt that this latest addition to the Lynk & Co lineup will add to the brand’s current successes when production begins in late 2021.
Based on the brand’s current trajectory, the future looks bright for Lynk & Co. The question now though is when will Geely bring this brand over to Malaysia? Proton could perhaps benefit from a premium division.
PRESS RELEASE: Lynk & Co – the premium brand from Geely Auto Group celebrated its fourth birthday this week. The Lynk & Co premium brand was formally launched at joint events in Gothenburg and Berlin in October 2016 and has since grown to become a global brand with over 360,000 vehicles sold in 3 years of sales.
Lynk & Co was created in Gothenburg, Sweden with both engineering and design operations being based in the city. Over 2000 global engineers and designers were key to developing the Lynk & Co brand and model range ahead of the launch in China in late 2017.
To date, Lynk & Co has launched five models – the 01 SUV, 02 crossover, 03 sedan (and 03+ performance model), 05 coupe-SUV and the recently 06 crossover – all of which have been offered with gasoline, hybrid or plug-in hybrid configuration with the exception of the 05 within the Chinese market.
In just four years of operations nearly 300 Lynk & Co Experience Centers have been opened across China with a further 200 being added in the coming years to support the brand’s growth in China.
In Europe, the Lynk & Co brand will operate in a new first in industry “Mobility Membership” business model. Lynk & Co’s first European Club opened on October 21st 2020 in Amsterdam with the 2021 Lynk & Co 01 SUV available in a Hybrid Electric and a Plug-in Hybrid form for mobility membership on the European market for up to 500 Euros per month.
For the first time, the Lynk & Co 01 will be available for both Europe and China markets. All 01 models will be produced at Geely’s flagship ‘Digital Factory’ in Yu Yao, China, where automation has reached 100% capacity, with leading green credentials for emissions and sustainability. European deliveries of the 01 HEV and PHEV models are scheduled for April 2021.
The brand’s exceptional production quality and advanced vehicle technologies have been confirmed with it becoming the World Touring Car world champion in its first year of operation in 2019 despite stiff competition from established rival brands. In 2020, the Lynk & Co Cyan Racing remains on top of the championship grid in the WTCR for the team cup and driver cup.
Since its inception in late 2016, Lynk & Co has put users’ needs at the forefront of its operations, allowing Lynk & Co to rapidly grow and become the fastest growing automotive brand in the Chinese market.
Geely Auto Group CEO Mr. An Cong Hui said: “Our end users aren’t just satisfied with a good product experience, they also demand a sense of participation and recognition. The boundary between a brand and its users is being eroded each day and we at Lynk & Co must continue to have direct communications with end users – this communication must be two way, allowing users to have a say on our R&D, design, production, sales and service. Ultimately, understanding the user’s needs, wants and desires is key to our success both in China, and in Europe.”
At the 2021 Beijing Auto Show in September 2020, Lynk & Co showcased its first pure electric vehicle, the Lynk & Co Zero which will be the first vehicle from based on the Geely Holding Group’s Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA) with a segment leading range of over 700km. The Lynk & Co Zero will go into production in the second half of 2021 with consumer deliveries to begin in due course.
