Lynk & Co. a new-ish automotive brand owned by Geely, is trying its best to be cool. Even after CEO Alain Visser admitted that “trying to be cool is not cool.” Still the company is seriously banging the millennial drum. It held a virtual introduction event late last month that was so popular, Lynk & Co. claims, its computer servers crashed.
At the reveal Lynk & Co. announced that its “mobility membership” will cost 500 euros, which converts to $584 per month. Remember, kids don’t want cars they want mobility solutions. The subscription gets buyers an 01 crossover (Lynk & Co.’s cars are named 01, 02 and 03) on a month-to-month basis. It also includes insurance, tires, repairs and service, which does make it an attractive offer. They only things a “member” covers are gas and electricity.
The Lynk & Co. 01 will be offered in just two colors, black and blue, and the plug-in hybrid’s range will be about 42 miles on a charge. It will also offer a regular hybrid. The 01 shares Volvo’s small crossover CMA platform with the XC40.
The membership doesn’t just come with a car, “it connects you with our community, curated events, exclusive gear and, yes, some very good cars,” according to its website. That includes meet ups, product drops and other perks. You can cancel anytime.
If you don’t want to own a car—get outta here hippie—you can still become a member and borrow a car from other owners. The Lynk & Co. is built on a sharing platform that allows members to agree on a price, share a digital key and allow use of their car for an allotted time. The company makes that case that if you share your car enough, it’ll be free!
Lynk & Co. chose Amsterdam as its test bed for car sharing, which makes sense. The area already has a few sharing services in the mix, but not like this partial ownership setup. The company will be shilling its cars not at dealerships, but at “clubs” where members can hang out with artist and DJs and just let their coolness ebb.
All we know about a U.S. launch is that is will come after Europe. Owner Geely currently has a design center in Southern California.
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