Lynk & Co 01 is a ‘Sharing’ Compact SUV with Volvo XC40 DNA

The new car from Geely’s new brand Lynk & Co has been revealed as the Lynk & Co 01, a compact, connected SUV with the DNA of the new Volvo XC40.

We can’t pretend we understand what Geely, owners of Volvo, are playing at with their new brand – Lynk & Co – as they deliver this, the Lynk & Co 01, as a compact SUV designed for the connected world.

To us, the Lynk & Co 01 seems to be the Volvo Xc40 that’s yet to come, but in different clothes and with a different badge.

And that’s exactly what it is, using the same CMA platform Volvo developed for their new 40 Series cars and the same architecture.

We had expected Geely to use the underpinning of Volvo’s new 40 Series and use them for a ‘budget’ version in China, but it seems, although sales of the 01 will start in China, that Geely has global ambitions for Lynk & Co. Which doesn’t seem to sit well with Volvo’s ambitions.

Designed in Sweden by former Volvo design boss Peter Horbury, the 01 is a bit generic looking – but really quite appealing – and clearly aimed at a sophisticated buyers market like Europe.

The 01 is permanently connected to its own cloud, with everything you could want to do with your 01 doable online via an App, through which you can remotely control many functions, book maintenance or even sell it.

Inside the 01 looks upmarket, with a big 10.1″ touchscreen which includes a function to ‘Share My Car’, allowing others access to a digital key to rent or just share your wheels.

As a new brand with no existing infrastructure, Lynk & Co are able to do what every other car maker would love to, and forget about expensive dealers and move the who sales thing online with shops in Malls. Just like Hyundai and Jaguar Land Rover are starting to do, with new sales models including a rental contract just like your mobile phone.

The 01 will also come as a proper ‘Off the Peg’ range, with no options but 10 different collections a year, saving Geely a chunk of change in the manufacturing process.

Powertrains will be from the Volvo stable, including the current 2.0 litres and the new 1.5 litres three-pots, including a hybrid and BEV and with FWD or 4WD.

Geely are aiming for 500,000 sales a year within five years, and as we reported earlier this week the 01 will be followed by 02, 03, 04 and so on as Lynk & Co roll out a saloon, a hatchback, a crossover and, perhaps, even a sports car.

It’s all very sensible, and perhaps Geely has decided that the upcoming generation view cars like mobile phones and just want the latest but without grief or emotional connection. So maybe Lynk & Co for under 35s and Volvo for the older generation is the plan?