To test the Lynk & CO 01, the CEO takes the wheel

With auto shows and most test drives canceled because of the pandemic, automakers have had to rethink how they launch new models. 

Lynk & CO, the new automotive brand from Geely Auto and Volvo Cars that is based on a subscription model, enlisted its CEO, Alain Visser, as a test driver for the 01 compact SUV, which will be available in Europe starting in May.

On a recent afternoon, Visser answered questions about the new car as he piloted an 01 around Gothenburg, Sweden, home of Lynk & CO's fellow Geely brand Volvo Cars. 

First off, I can say that Visser is a pretty good driver. 

With that out of the way, he pointed out a number of interesting points about the 01:

• The car may be similar to the Volvo XC40 (it was originally planned to be built at Volvo's plant in Ghent, Belgium), but it has different suspension tuning (focused on comfort), fewer powertrain options (1.5 liter, three-cylinder, either full-hybrid or rechargeable) a different interior and just two color choices (blue or black). 
• Battery-only range on the plug-in hybrid model is 70 km (44 miles), Visser said, more than the XC40 Recharge. 
• The subscription price remains 500 euros ($600) a month, but the retail price and options are being calculated to take advantage of local incentives. For example, only the plug-in model is being offered, at 41,500 euros, to qualify for government incentives and scrapping programs.
• The 01 has a different, satellite-based navigation system than the XC40. It can be activated by voice-recognition software that Lynk & CO has named Frank. ("Hey Frank, take me to the closest pizza restaurant" was Visser's example.)

Lynk & CO has promoted sharing as a way for owners or subscribers (the automaker prefers to call them "members") to defray their total cost of ownership. The cars can be made available through the central screen or via an app.

Visser clarified the handover process: If you are looking for a car, the app will send a notification of which ones are available, and their prices (set by the owner). You then choose a car, without having to personally talk to the owner, and your app becomes a "key" to unlock it.

"It's a very simple handover transaction that doesn't need direct communication between the borrower and the lender," is how Visser described it. 

The 01 is not being positioned as a lower-priced or de-contented XC40, Visser said, but rather as alternative transportation. "We are not targeting any specific brand, and of course not Volvo," he said. "We think we are also targeting people who wouldn't have bought a car, who might use public transportation or Uber."

Current subscription or long-term rental models have fallen short, Visser says, because they are too much like leases. "If you're stuck for more than three months, you can't say that is a subscription," he said. "I have always made a comparison with Netflix and Spotify. You pay your monthly fee and if you stop, you're out. In our case, it's the same."

"Membership" is a better term for what Lynk & CO is offering, Visser said. "We changed the name from ‘subscription' to 'membership' because the name subscription, from my point of view, has been abused," he said. 

Options are deliberately "brutally simple," Visser said, to better control availability and stock, important for a car imported from China. Two colors, two engine choices. "If you decide you want a car on Monday, we should be able to get it to you on Wednesday," if the paperwork goes smoothly, he said.

The first batch of 01s have been shipped to Europe, Visser said, and the automaker is setting up "clubs" (in place of traditional showrooms) around Europe, starting with Amsterdam last October and Gothenburg in January. Next up are Antwerp, Berlin, Milan, Barcelona and Paris. The U.S. is still on Lynk & Co's to-do list, but only after Europe has been successfully set up, he said.

The Lynk & CO lineup in Europe will remain small, with two or three models, including a full-electric vehicle sometime in the next five years, he said. The 01 -- as a hybrid -- should be sufficient for the next two to three years, Visser added.

"We want to be a hassle free company," he said, "so my strong opinion is that the battery-electric vehicle is not the best solution, because you still have range anxiety and you still need to figure out, if you go on vacation, where the charging stations are."