Lynk & Co is a new mobility brand addressing the needs and preferences of a global connected generation and challenging car industry conventions.
This isn’t your typical car company. Not only are Lynk & Co making high end cars, but the company are also creating a better way to own and use cars. Whether you buy, borrow, or subscribe, you get an excellent car plus access to services that make your life simpler.
MOVE caught up with Alain Visser, CEO at Lynk & Co to talk about moving away from traditional car ownership and why the future of mobility must be much more than electrification
Q: For those who don’t know, tell us about Lynk & Co and what you do.
Lynk & Co was created to provide mobility solutions for the connected generation. We do make really, really good cars (the kind that have all the features you want without you having to ask for them), but we also offer a new way of using those cars. Our membership-based approach makes it simple to get on the go. Members can access a car on a flexible, month-to-month basis and share with friends, family, and the Lynk & Co community.
Our car, the Lynk & Co 01, is designed in Sweden and built to last. It comes with all the usual optional extras as standard. You get a great car, filled with unique features, high-tech details, and a 69 km pure electric range for the plug-in hybrid motor. In fact, all you have todo is choose if you want your 01 in blue or black.
Q: Some people have suggested that owning a car is going out of fashion. Lynk & Co avoids traditional car ownership and showrooms with direct to consumer ‘sales. What are the benefits of this approach?
At Lynk & Co we are on a mission to change mobility forever. We live in a time where consumers are craving hassle-free options that are flexible, straightforward, and sustainable. Taking this bold approach is in our DNA, and we’re constantly challenging ourselves to give you the complete freedom to move when and where you want. We offer a monthly subscription to the Lynk & Co 01. Maintenance, insurance, and taxes are all included in the fixed price. And yes, the 01 can be shared with other users, reducing the monthly fee, allowing more people to have access to flexible mobility. Since day one, the aim is not to sell more cars but to make better use of fewer vehicles.
Q: How do subscription or package services help to reach that next zero goal? Do you think many people are aware of the benefits?
In 2022, we had 200% more users joining, growing from 60,000 to over 170,000 members across our current seven markets: Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Belgium, so people are definitely aware of our benefits!
Last year we commissioned a survey by Ipsos that delved into how Europeans want to interact with their cities and their cars. The average car is only in use 4% of the time, so at Lynk & Co we are challenging the industry to take a new approach on mobility! We want to make the most of the cars that are already on the road. Additionally, we are working to lower our cars lifecycle footprint, increase the share of sustainable materials and establish car sharing as the new normal… Our aim is to go further than product development and electrification by shifting traditional business models and behaviours. Enabling shared, sustainable mobility.
As a company, we are also dedicated to creating a more fair, progressive, and sustainable society. We use 100% renewable electricity in our seven offices and in all our Clubs and are shifting towards renewable electricity across our chain of operations.
Q: What can we expect to see from Lynk & Co in the next 12-18 months?
The next 18 months is going to be an exciting one for Lynk & Co, as we will expand into more markets and open more Clubs in key cities, more details on that to come in the following months.
Q: You will be talking about putting electrification at the centre of future mobility at MOVE 2023. Can you give us a bit more detail about some of the things you will be touching on in your talk?
At the show I will talk about why the future of mobility must be much more than electrification. I think right now, everyone’s focus is on EVs and tailpipe emissions and supply chain issues and environmental consequences of this transition, which is correct. But I think what we are really trying to do and to get people to appreciate EVs are just a steppingstone to realising that cars are a device used rarely. It is our mindset towards usage and ownership that should shift. If our cars sit idle for 96% of the time, on a street, in a car park or garage, and are not being utilised to its full capacity, then it’s just a waste. Separate from this, in an era of BEVs, where brand differentiation is critical as cars essentially become dishwashers, what are others doing to stand out? For me OEMs are in danger, and in some cases, already have signed themselves to becoming a supplier to third party service provider – like Uber. But more on that in June…
