Design review Lynk & Co 01: ‘perfect example of Chinese product development’

Obviously, outspoken, baseless opinions are rife online. In this case, they draw a group of people who are stuck in old ideas.

While it took Toyota and Honda in the West about twenty years to be taken seriously and to come up with ditto sales figures, Hyundai and Kia completed this job in ten years. An unprecedented achievement: in just three car model generations from mind-numbing Sephia to Stinger GT!

Trendsetting Kia and Hyundai models doubled sales. This can be traced back directly to the strategic design of top car designer Peter Schreyer, who was bought out there after he designed the first generation TT for Audi.

Then the Chinese. The disgrace with the Landwind X6, an Opel Frontera clone, is still very much on the retina for many. Not only the legendary bad crash test results, but also the fact that the importer himself preferred to drive his BMW X5, spoke volumes.

In addition, websites have been written about the endless series of Chinese copies of American or European cars, made of inferior materials. These stories live on in the west, because it’s fun drink talk. In China they are long gone. A few years ago, the Chinese car industry was in its infancy, just as the Japanese started in the 1980s with imitations of Western cars. Imitation is a regular stage in the maturing of the automotive industry. Then comes your own thinking.

Reproduction attitude changes in Chinese brands

China is aggressively catching up: the Japanese gained a foothold in 20 years, the Chinese in five. Reproduction attitudes are also changing: in a lawsuit against Landwind, which was accused of copying the Land Rover Evoque, a Chinese court ruled that the Landwind X7 was too similar to the Land Rover. Conclusion was a production stop!

Chinese car makers also realized the aimlessness of a copy car, which is already outdated at the time of its introduction. More importantly, Chinese customers no longer accept duplicates.

A continuous and radical self-reinvention process underlies the Chinese success story. Cars are developed with overwhelming speed and critical reflection. Twenty-four hours a day, with its own design studios in America and Europe, under the inspiring leadership of top designers bought away – based on the Kia success story.

New visual identities and original design work were applied to entire model ranges in no time. In addition, the Chinese are ahead of Western manufacturers with regard to connectivity and interface design: in the Netherlands we know Nio with Nomi, the voice-controlled AI robot on the dashboard. You can ask them about battery range, music, heating, navigation, chair massage, selfies and more. Construction and material quality is also often at European level.

The Lynk & Co 01 is another perfect example of Chinese product development, built invisibly on the Volvo XC40 platform. That is worth mentioning, because Porsche and Volkswagen not only share the chassis for the Cayenne and Touareg – much more expensive models – but also transfer large parts of the body one to one.

Lynk & Co 01 is expressive, recognizable and confident

The 01 is expressive, recognizable and has a confident appearance. The bodies are done with duo-tone color schemes and voluptuous, muscular hips. The 01 also has pleasant proportions with a slightly rising shoulder line: a wedge-shaped, dynamic body. The powerful graphic elements, such as the wide band in the nose, the headlights high on the fenders, the pronounced side vent and the hooked down taillights, are part of the typical Lynk & Co design DNA, also applied to the 02, 03 , 04 scooter, 05, 06, 07, 08 and 09 in China. Recognizing signs are also the full surfacing: a sturdy skin with completely different shapes than on the Swedish donor car. Well done!

The character of the 01 is further enriched by two contrasting surfaces in optional rims. On the body, these surfaces are complemented by the molding that runs above the DLO: smart and consistent, and much fresher than using chrome around the windows. Lynk & Co has cleverly mastered these truly striking inventions. If a car with two color areas in the rims comes onto the market, this will automatically be traceable to Lynk & Co.

Under the banner of Geely, which also includes Volvo and Polestar, the Dutchman Ivo Groen (who has a design column in AutoWeek Classics magazine; ed.) was recently made responsible for compiling a range of new brand values. Lynk & Co now has design studios in Sweden, China and other countries. They offer interesting insights into our cultures and needs, which are picked up in great detail and translated into products that both Chinese car buyers and Western consumers are waiting for. In addition to a distinctive design, the brand also offers a unique, extremely simple pricing, with flexible ownership models and car sharing options.

Chinese brands unique in the world of car design

Acting extremely fast and experimenting with new design processes, drive technologies and mobility concepts, together with the Chinese willingness to change, makes them unique in the world of car design and not only a formidable competitor for Western car brands, but even a breath of fresh air in our somewhat stiff local car landscape. The kind of intrinsic quality that is highly commendable, even on social media…