Lynk & CO plans to expand into U.S. with new EV

Lynk & CO will use its upcoming full-electric car to enter the U.S. market, the brand’s boss Alain Visser said.

The EV will replace the 01 plug-in hybrid compact SUV.

The model, due go on sale in 2024, is being designed to be adapted for U.S. regulations, Visser said.

“There is still some work to be done but [U.S. entry] is definitely very high on my agenda and I am sure it will work here,” Visser said.

For U.S. sales, Lynk & CO will use the same subscriptions strategy it has used to achieve sales of about 28,000 cars in Europe last year.

Visser said the subscription sales method is different than the traditional ways cars are sold but customers are open to it.

Lynk & CO has separated its global business strategy from that of China, where the company operates as traditional car set up with around 350 dealers.

In Europe, almost all its sales are subscription-based with customers paying 550 euros a month for the 01 with the opportunity to cancel with a month’s notice.

The brand would need to work out how to navigate U.S. selling laws for its business model, which assumes most customers conduct transactions online. Lynk & CO remains the owner of the vehicle throughout the subscription.

Visser said the U.S. franchise laws are “insanely complicated.”

He was speaking at the 2023 CES in Las Vegas on the sidelines of a Microsoft event about Lynk & CO’s adaptation of the Teams video conferencing software in the 01 car.

Lynk & CO’s 01 replacement would require some rework for homologation for the U.S., meaning a market entry would follow after 2024, Visser said.

The car is due to go on sale in Europe late 2024.

The EV will use the same Geely-developed SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform as the Smart #1 compact SUV. The Smart model has just launched in Europe but will not be sold in the U.S.

Previously wholly owned by Mercedes-Benz, Smart is now an electric-only joint venture between Geely and Mercedes.

The platform is also used by the 001 electric car from Geely’s new brand Zeekr and is expected to underpin smaller models launched by Geely-owned Volvo including a small electric SUV expected to be sold as the EX30.

Lynk & CO, which debuted in Europe in 2020, currently only sells the 01 in Europe. Its electric replacement will also be the brand’s only car sold in the region.

The company sells in seven European countries but is pausing its expansion into further markets until 2024 when the electric car arrives, Visser said.

Lynk & CO will use the electric car to move into the UK, which the company predicts will be its No. 1 or No. 2 market in Europe.

“It makes no sense to launch a brand and then a year later change the product,” Visser said.