Still quite discreet in France, the Chinese brand Lynk&Co plans to expand next year. By installing new exhibition centers, but also with a new electric model.
Launched in China in 2017, Lynk&Co landed in Europe shortly before the pandemic with a sales concept then unheard of in the automotive world. Its only model offered on our continent, the plug-in hybrid SUV 01, is mainly offered with an all-inclusive, non-binding rental formula.
For €550 per month (in France), the monthly payment includes use, maintenance, insurance, warranty, associated services (assistance…)… And you can part with the vehicle at any time, not need to commit to a year or more. For those refractory to the formula, it is still possible to buy it, for €44,500. Its network is made up of exhibition centers which are also a place of exchange and culture. Sometimes the vehicle is not even on display…
A formula that appeals, since the manufacturer has sold some 40,000 vehicles in Europe in 2022, and nearly 200,000 since its arrival. Mainly in the Netherlands, where it ranks among the 10 most registered cars. In France, we mainly come across the 01 in the Paris region, always in blue with black decorations or black with blue decorations, the only two shades available.
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Already 800,000 Lynk&Co on the meter, but no electric yet
In the coming months, the Geely group brand will set out to conquer new markets: Great Britain, Austria, Switzerland, Norway. And it will notably launch a second model. Alan Visser, boss of Lynk&Co, thus evokes a 02 EV. A second model which will be electric and no longer hybrid. A first, since the brand does not currently offer any electric model in its range, including in China.
However, this 02 will not be an electric version of the current 02 crossover sold in China. It will be a completely new model that can be assumed to be based on Geely’s SEA2 platform. It will therefore be a cousin of Smart #1 and #3, Zeekr X or the next Volvo EX30.
Alan Visser also raised the subject of imports from China, indicating that it was inevitable in the medium term that Lynk & Co produce in Europe. This can in particular be done in the Belgian or Swedish factories of Volvo…
