At the unveiling of the Lynk & Co 01 for the European market, Techzle spoke with Alain Visser, the Belgian CEO of Lynk & Co, about the mobility concept that the brand is introducing in Europe. He also opens a book about the future strategy of ‘his’ brand. “I can hardly imagine that we will ever have more than three models.”
You have worked at General Motors, Ford and Volvo. What is the fundamental difference between Lynk & Co and these more traditional brands?
“After 34 years in the automotive industry, I’ve been amazed, especially in the last ten years, that the automotive industry has been doing the same for decades. If I compare my last years in the car industry with the first years, little has actually changed, apart from the fact that the car is much more modern. So I thought, if we start a new brand, let’s do something completely different that is in line with new consumer trends. To give the short answer to your question: I sold cars for thirty years, but now we are going to set up a mobility concept.
Lynk & Co is strictly speaking a Chinese brand. Chinese brands have struggled to take root in Europe to date. Why do you think that is the reason?
“First of all, I don’t call Lynk & Co a Chinese brand. I always say that we are as Chinese as Volvo: wholly owned by a Chinese company, but headquartered in Sweden. Why new brands from anywhere, China or not, have a hard time in Europe, I think, because the market is saturated. The choice is so huge. Why would you go for a new brand that hasn’t built a reputation yet? I think the world does not need a new car brand, but a new mobility concept. ”
That would also be the reason why Lynk & Co will succeed in Europe?
“Yes, I know it sounds arrogant, but a lot of market analysis shows that there is a growing number of customers who are open to something completely new. According to our measurement, that is about 10 percent of traditional car customers. That share is particularly large. Actually, there is not yet a brand that represents that 10 percent. We want to be that. “
Are there still challenges for Lynk & Co?
“Absolutely, of course it is always a risk to start with something completely new. That is why you can also buy the car in the beginning. We believe that that transition to membership will take place in a fairly short time. It will be a challenge to get the customer to embrace that concept, but I think there are enough people who are waiting for that. We deliberately did not announce the prices of the car, because we clearly want to establish ourselves as a mobility brand. ”
Lynk & Co 01
The Lynk & Co 01 is currently the only model in Europe. How does Lynk & Co view electric cars?
“We are convinced that electromobility will be the only solution in the future, but that is not yet today. The technology is there and the costs are falling, but I think the only problem is the infrastructure. Once the infrastructure is there in Europe, we will be there too. In Beijing, we launched the Lynk & Co Zero, a purely electric concept car. In the family there is electromobility at Polestar and Volvo. However, we think that hybrid is still the better answer today if you only offer one car in the mobility concept. ”
Does Lynk & Co in Europe have a wide range of models in mind in the long term?
“No not at all. In China, we deliberately opted for the traditional sales model. A large number of models is an advantage here. The subscription model is all about simplicity. The fewer models, the easier it becomes for the customer. That’s not to say there won’t be a second or third model, but I can hardly imagine we’ll ever have more than three models. This could be a very small city car and a fully electric model, for example. I assume that our second car will be fully electric anyway. ”
Lynk & Co 05
Amsterdam was the first city to be chosen for a physical ‘club’ of Lynk & Co. Why Amsterdam in particular?
“Because Amsterdammers are so anti-cars. We liked that challenge. I lived there for four years and I love the Amsterdam mentality: direct and skeptical. I think that people in Amsterdam are more open to sharing and new concepts than in any other European city. Because of that combination we said: that’s it, that’s what we’re going to do. We have an online presence throughout Europe, but we will gradually expand our physical ‘clubs’. As mentioned, we will be in Amsterdam this month, next month in Sweden and then in other European cities. ”
Lynk & Co planned to start producing in Ghent. Are there plans to move production to Europe in the long term?
“There are no concrete plans, but that is the intention. Our production started in China, but in the long run we must have production in Europe. It was initially intended to go to Volvo in Ghent, but that factory is sold out, because the XC40 runs very well. So we are currently looking for alternatives. ”