Geely's Lynk & Co launches new SUV in China

Alain Visser, senior vice-president at Lynk & Co, says Lynk & Co's business plan is nontraditional. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Lynk & Co targets young generation in cities. Alain Visser, senior vice-president at Lynk & Co, said its business plan is quite different and nontraditional. It forgoes the standard dealership format in favor of online sales and in-store ordering, after which cars like the 01 will be delivered straight to customers.

Visser noted, as a car brand for the "sharing economy", Lynk & Co is fully connected to the network and offers an entirely new way to buy, own, and operate a vehicle, while also pushing the boundaries of connectivity and personalization.

Mats Fagerhag, CEO of Geely's China Euro Vehicle Technology, says Lynk & Co has a wide range of safety and convenience technologies. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Mats Fagerhag, the CEO of CEVT, said Lynk & Co has a wide range of safety and convenience technologies, including forward collision warning, lane departure warning, pedestrian detection, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection.

At this year's Guangzhou auto show, customers pre-ordered 6000 Lynk & Co's 01 online in 137 seconds, An said.

In recent years, the automobile industry has undergone profound changes due to the rapid development of new intelligent, connectivity, new energy, and shared mobility technologies.

"Automobiles are becoming a third living space as they shift from being just a means of transportation to intelligent mobility solutions. The automobile industry was calling for the birth of new products and Lynk & Co answered that call," An said.

Besides Lynk & Co, other Chinese automakers are showing strength and striving to compete in high-end markets, aiming to face the industry changes and grab technology-savvy motorists.

The VV7 from Great Wall Motors' Wey brand and flagship H7 from Hongqi or "Red Flag", the country's homegrown car brand, both hit the Chinese market and are aimed at the high-end car sector.

Many industry insiders especially compare the VV7, an accessible premium SUV brand, with Lynk & Co.

As China begins a new journey toward building a modern and prosperous country, a historic new opportunity is presented to the Chinese manufacturing industry to improve and make products that are high-tech, high quality, high value, and high-end.

"Manufacturing is the foundation for the rejuvenation of China," An said, adding that "Geely is duty-bound to continuing that rejuvenation by making China an internationally competitive automobile manufacturer."