WORLD’S MOST CONNECTED BRAND STRENGTHENS COMMITMENT TO REVOLUTIONISE CAR BUYING AND OWNERSHIP
INTRODUCES NEW MODEL: THE 03 CONCEPT
REVEALS 01 PRODUCTION MODEL
Geely Auto Group launches its LYNK & CO global car brand in China with an international auto show debut in Shanghai, and introduces an all-new model – the 03 Concept – a bold and sporty sedan.
Also confirmed in Shanghai is the LYNK & CO 01 as ‘production ready’. Presented as a prototype at the LYNK & CO global brand launch in Europe last year, the 01 – a tech-laden SUV – is now introduced as a production model for the first time, with vehicles to enter the market later this year.
Alain Visser, Senior Vice President of LYNK & CO, said:
“Having launched LYNK & CO in Europe just five months ago, we are now ready to roll-out our unique brand of connected mobility with a number of new car models featuring the world’s first digital in-car share button. Our promise of a new dimension of vehicle connectivity and shareability, coupled with a revolutionary approach to buying and ownership, is further strengthened with both free connectivity and lifetime warranties as standard with the LYNK & CO package.”
Free Connectivity
Announced in China this week, LYNK & CO will become the world’s first brand to offer free data traffic for connectivity on its cars as standard. Confirmed details of the global connectivity promise will be revealed as LYNK & CO vehicles go on sale later this year. The announcement this week reveals that every vehicle will benefit from complementary data traffic access globally from purchase.
Lifetime Product Warranty
In its boldest statement of quality and confidence, LYNK & CO also announces its intention to offer all cars with a lifetime warranty. Details of the lifetime product warranty and roadside assistance will be revealed as the first new LYNK & CO vehicles go on sale in China in Q4 2017, with sales in Europe and the U.S. to follow in 2019.
LYNK & CO 03 Concept
The new model revealed for the first time this week is the 03 Concept – a mid-size, sports sedan.
Shanghai is a natural starting point for the 03 Concept’s story, a true global mega city, and the heart of the Chinese automotive marketplace, where the sedan segment is of utmost importance.
Executive Vice President of Design, Geely Auto Group, Peter Horbury, said:
“In China, the sedan segment is a crowded, difficult area to make a mark in – that was our challenge as the design team for LYNK & CO. How far can we stretch the rules of sedan design, to ensure we stand out and add the unique LYNK & CO flavour to the car?
We started with some clear defining ambitions: to look solid, have an imposing presence and to make a striking visual impression. The result is the 03 Concept – our first LYNK & CO sedan – which encapsulates muscular solid volumes, our unique brand elements and intricate, high-tech details resulting in a design that is bold and sporty.”
He added: “To put it in everyday language, in the 03 Concept, we have set out to create a sedan that turns heads.”
The 03 Concept offers a unique LYNK & CO twist on the classic sedan look – it maintains the convention of an upright C-pillar and a defined boot, but with a strongly angled D-pillar to create a smoother silhouette, resulting in a much sportier profile. This look is balanced with carefully considered proportions of height, length and breadth to ensure the distinctive LYNK & CO design language is clearly communicated. Achieving this without compromising interior space and the all-important leg and headroom factors has been at the forefront of the 03 Concept’s design.
Particular attention has been paid to the details on the 03 Concept, with the signature LYNK & CO style of LED daytime running lights sitting high on the bonnet, and distinctive parallel horizontal lines down the length of the hood to reinforce the car’s front profile. The sleek roofline is further accentuated with yellow-bronze lines separating the roof and body both physically and visually.
China Euro Vehicle Technology
The 03 Concept has been in development for more than two years, and in keeping with the brand’s commitment to doing things differently, is the second model debuted, following the 01 shown in October. The 02 will be revealed in due course, completing a three-car line up when the first LYNK & CO models go on sale later this year. Further models are also in development, and will follow the 01, 02, 03 nomenclature.
The 03 Concept will be based on the CMA (Compact Modular Architecture), developed by CEVT (China Euro Vehicle Technology) – the shared Geely and Volvo Cars research and innovation centre with its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden. CMA is an advanced, modular architecture capable of accommodating many body styles and sizes, which also underpins Volvo Cars’ new compact vehicle range and many upcoming Geely models.
CMA is also able to accommodate a wide range of different powertrains, electrical systems, passive and active safety systems and technologies. Thanks to CEVT’s focus on digital simulation, the architecture has been developed with advanced quality and far quicker than conventional automotive structures.
LYNK & CO 01 – Production Ready
The LYNK & CO 01, having undergone a comprehensive programme of testing and development around the world, from the frozen plains of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia to the unforgiving heat of the Turpan desert in China, is now confirmed as ‘production ready’.
Series production of the 01 will begin this year at a dedicated factory in Luqiao, Zhejiang Province in Eastern China – a factory purpose built for LYNK & CO and Volvo Cars production by Geely, and delivered by Volvo’s world-renowned team of production engineers.
LYNK & CO cars are developed by experienced and expert engineering teams in both Europe and China, and are optimised from the ground up to suit global tastes with quality and performance benchmarks set against the world’s premium auto manufacturers. At launch in China, the 01 will be powered by a family of engines shared with Volvo Cars; including 1.5T and 2.0T petrol options, and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) derivative.
New Business Model With Connectivity and Hassle-Free Ownership At Its Heart
At the core of the LYNK & CO brand is connectivity. Customers will find a range of connected technologies on offer in the vehicles, all aimed at making life easier. Described as ‘smartphones on wheels’, all models come with a large central touchscreen and telematics systems that are always connected to the internet and the car’s own cloud.
Designed and engineered in Sweden, the LYNK & CO brand and its products will introduce a new business model to the automotive sector as a mobility service provider. Personalised services, an open API (application programming interface – the first in the automotive sector to be ‘open’), unrivalled connectivity with vehicle sharing at its heart, e-commerce, simple, subscription-based ownership and the first dedicated app store for cars, make up the key offerings of LYNK & CO.
Over the course of the next 12 to 24 months, a new range of state-of-the-art cars, with simple, hassle-free ownership options at accessible price points will be introduced, with the aim of challenging and redesigning the way in which automotive products are bought, owned and used across the world. The key aim of LYNK & CO is to enrich and simplify vehicle ownership through connectivity, e-commerce and by addressing the needs and preferences of a new global generation of customers.
LYNK & CO has abandoned the traditional concept of base models, entry points and endless options lists that create infinite build configurations and costs in manufacturing. Inspired by the fashion and technology business models, LYNK & CO has replaced trim levels and options lists with a simple selection of fully equipped, fixed priced collections themed to meet customer and seasonal preferences.
LYNK & CO products are designed and engineered in Sweden for the global market, with the first models going on sale in China later this year, followed by Europe and the U.S. in 2019.
