It's a new car from a completely new automotive marque, but more than that, the first Lynk & Co vehicle is a totally new way of looking at what a car is and what it is set to become as the definition of personal mobility continues to evolve.
Want to know what the automobile of the future will look like and what it will do? Then look no further than the Lynk & Co 01.
Scheduled to go on sale in China in 2017 and Europe and the US from 2018, the car is the first to come with a host of next-generation digital features, such as constant connectivity and a dedicated app store.
"Our customers' values and preferences have evolved dramatically. It is time for us to step into the future and reinvent the model to become a comprehensive solution for mobility and lifestyle," said company Senior Vice President, Alain Visser.
So every Lynk & Co car will be underpinned by an open source software platform, meaning that it can be hacked, in the positive sense of the term. Just like app developers have redefined how smartphones are used, the same developers potentially have carte blanche to redefine the 01's capabilities.
However, from day one, this car will have an always-on internet connection for communicating with other cars and accessing route information via the cloud. This connection will also enable push-button sharing. Activating the feature will let the owner give others access to his or her car when it's not in use, sending them a digital key.
"Our aim is to enrich and simplify car ownership by redefining how they are bought, owned, connected, serviced and used," said Visser.
Even the ownership model is being disrupted. The car can be bought, leased, used via subscription or shared with others. "While other car brands are undergoing a digital transformation, Lynk & Co is born digital," said the company's chief digital officer, David Green.
But the reason why the Lynk & Co 01 could play a future-shaping role and why it is potentially such a significant automotive moment of 2016 is the company behind it.
Lynk & Co is part of Geely which, as well as owning Volvo, is one of China's biggest car companies. So the finance to make this a reality are well in place. As is the expertise to build a car to European expectations. The 01 will boast the same levels of active safety -- whether through systems such as autonomous braking and blind spot monitoring, or via construction techniques -- as any current Volvo.
"A close working relationship with Geely and Volvo, and years of intense digital and physical testing have delivered really outstanding results," said Mats Fägerhag, CEO of Geely research and innovation center CEVT.
"The architecture and the range of powertrains we have developed are state-of-the-art, helping us produce vehicles that are strong, lightweight, efficient, fun to drive and packed full of technology."
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