Lynk & Co 01 Electric SUV (a Volvo XC40 under the skin) hits Europe with SUBSCRIPTION offering

Lynk & Co, owned by Volvo and Geely, hits Europe with the 01 electric SUV offering a subscription model for £450 per month.

It’s four years since the Lynk & Co 01 arrived in China – in the process becoming the fastest-selling car of all time – as a take on the Volvo XC40 (Lynk & Co is owned by Geely, which also owns Volvo) and now it’s about to launch in Europe, although it looks like the UK will probably have to wait until 2022 to grab an 01.

But if you do want to grab an 01, then you’ll almost certainly be herded down the subscription route Lynk & Co are favouring, with, in Europe, a monthly cost of a maximum of £450 (€500).

For your buck you do get quite a lot of bang, with a choice of either a hybrid or plug-in hybrid 01 (only offered in blue or black paint jobs), and all associated running costs (except fuel) included.

You can become a Lynk & Co member for free and subscribe to a car whenever you need it, rather than on a month-by-month basis, and set up groups of friends and family to share use and cost.

You can opt to buy an 01 (no prices yet, but it’ll be a lot more than the from £20k in China) if you want, but Lynk & Co would rather you didn’t. But if you do, it can be serviced at a Volvo dealer (it’s an XC40 under the skin and built on the same line).

Lynk & Co’s launch statement says:

Today we introduce a new approach to ownership and mobility. We’re offering a radical solution for a new generation of connected customers who want mobility on their terms. 

The automotive industry has continued with a distribution and ownership model that has existed for 100 years. We’re changing that. Customers today value products that reflect their digital and ever-changing lifestyle. 

We are Lynk & Co and our aim is to simplify ownership by innovating and redefining how cars are bought, owned, connected, serviced, and used. 

We exist to change mobility forever.