Lynk & CO launches in Europe with 01 compact SUV, focus on subscriptions

Lynk & CO, the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group brand that hopes to upend the traditional ownership model with monthly subscriptions, has launched its first model in Europe, the 01 compact SUV.

The 01 is a close cousin of the Volvo XC40, with which it shares the CMA platform and many drivetrain components. But while the XC40 is available with a full-electric powertrain, the Lynk & CO 01 is available in Europe only as a full hybrid or a plug-in hybrid, depending on country.

Lynk & CO, which is jointly owned by Volvo Cars and Geely Auto, has been a sales success in China, where the 01 was first launched in 2017. Total sales since then of the 01 and four other models stand at about 570,000, the automaker said in October, with 147,960 sales in China in the first nine months of this year, a 40 percent increase over 2020.

But in Europe, Lynk & CO is pushing the subscription model, at 500 euros a month for up to 1,250 km, with cancellation available at any time. Aftersales service is handled through Volvo’s network as well as a dedicated Lynk & CO call center in the Netherlands.

Lynk & CO CEO Alain Visser said in mid-November at a press test drive in Paris that 95 percent of sales in Europe had been to subscribers rather than buyers. Prices vary slightly by country; in France, only the plug-in version is available to buy, at 41,500 euros; in comparison, a plug-in hybrid XC40 Recharge starts at 47,600 euros in France.

Subscribers or owners can also make their cars available to share with Lynk & CO members for a fee, as a way to defray the cost of ownership.

First-year deliveries in select European countries are expected to total 9,000, Visser said, with 400 to 500 01s arriving every few weeks from China, where they are built in Luqiao. A plan to build Lynk & CO models in Volvo’s factory in Ghent, Belgium, was scrapped because of strong demand for the XC40 and new C40, which is sold out for 2021.

Lynk & CO currently has 30,000 orders in Europe for the 01, Visser said, but he added that cars can be in customers’ hands in as little as a few days, depending on the country.

The main retail channel is online but Lynk & CO is quickly opening up “clubs” in major European cities, where potential buyers can kick tires and learn about the subscription plan from representatives.

Subscribers and buyers of the Lynk & CO 01 have almost no options, which is by design.

The 01 comes only in blue or black, and the single Econyl interior choice combines those colors. It is available only with front-wheel drive. There are no other options, which cuts down on production costs and makes it easier to move cars from the factory into buyers’ hands.

“There’s only one choice to make, two colors,” Visser said. “So, we always have the right car in stock. Whatever arrives from the plant, we can deliver it.”

Standard equipment includes a panorama roof, a 12.7-inch horizontally oriented central touchscreen, a front-facing “journey camera” to record images from road trips for sharing on social media, an induction charger for mobile phones and an app-based digital key.

Performance-wise, the plug-in hybrid Lynk & CO 01 has an electric-only range advantage over the XC40. Although they share the same turbocharged three-cylinder, 1.5-liter gasoline engine, the 01 has a larger battery, which gives it 69 km of range versus 45 km for the XC40; eventually that model will get a longer-range version.

The conventional hybrid 01 has a 1.8-kilowatt-hour battery and a 40-kilowatt electric motor coupled to a 140-hp version of the 1.5-liter engine. Acceleration from 0-100 kph takes 9 seconds; CO2 emissions are 150 grams per km.

The plug-in hybrid 01 has a 17.6-kWh battery and a 60-kW electric motor, with a 180-hp gasoline engine. That improves 0-100 kph time to 8 seconds; CO2 emissions are 27 g/km. Charging time is five hours.

At 4541 mm long, the 01 is 116 mm longer than the XC40; it is 40 mm taller, at 1694 mm.

Inside, the 01 has significantly more rear knee room than the XC40, at 999 mm, compared with 917 mm for the XC40. Otherwise, interior dimensions and luggage space not noticeably different.

The compact mainstream SUV segment is poised to become the largest in Europe, and buyers have a dizzying choice of models and drivetrains.

Rivals to the Lynk & CO 01 include the Ford Kuga plug-in hybrid; the Peugeot 3008, Opel/Vauxhall Grandland and Citroen C5 Aircross from Stellantis (plug-in hybrid versions); the Nissan Qashqai full-hybrid version; the Toyota RAV4 and CH-R full-hybrids; the Volkswagen Tiguan plug-in hybrid; and the Hyundai Tucson full hybrid and plug-in hybrid.