As the new post-pandemic normal settles in and people adapt to a context of uncertainty, constant adversities, and pessimism, we are moving away from a moment in which consumers expected brands to rise up to society's challenges and into one when they’re demanding genuine allyship from businesses.

Shared Values

From airbags to parking sensors, the modern car has undergone decades of refinement in design and engineering. But what about how they’re bought and owned? Chinese automaker Geely is seeking to bring the car distribution and ownership model up to speed with Lynk & Co, a new brand that’s ready to challenge the conventions of the auto industry.

Lynk & Co’s first model is a hybrid SUV that’s set to go on sale in China in 2017, followed soon after in Europe and the US. And the brand has grand ambitions, looking to reach 500,000 sales annually within the next five years. “Our aim to is to enrich and simplify car ownership by redefining how they are bought, owned, connected, serviced and used,” says senior vice president Alain Visser. While the industry has traditionally relied on a dealership model, Lynk & Co will interact directly with its customers, with cars sold online or at stores in strategic retail locations (like shopping centres), with fixed and transparent prices. Cars will be delivered, and picked up for service, directly at the door of the buyer. With traditional distribution costs accounting for around 25% of the price of a car, this strategy aims to keep the brand competitive on costs. 

When it comes to the car itself, Lynk & Co is embracing full digitalisation, electrification and connectivity. Each vehicle comes with a central touchscreen and telematics systems that are always connected to the internet and the car’s own cloud, and a share button enables the owner to provide others with access via a digital key, potentially turning car ownership on its head in the process. Additionally, mobile apps let owners manage the car remotely, while open APIs mean third parties can develop the car even further.

For chief digital officer David Green, it’s this digital focus that sets the brand apart – and that will allow Lynk & Co to reinvent the auto industry. “While other car brands are undergoing a digital transformation, Lynk & Co is born digital,” he says. “The lack of legacy systems and the ability to build solutions in the cloud enable us to depart from the old model of car sales and service to bring the customer seamlessly through an omnichannel platform, with intuitive interaction at every touchpoint.” 

Could car sharing become the norm in the auto industry?

“Our industry has been refining design and engineering successfully for decades – but not so much the distribution and ownership model,” says Visser, highlighting how this part of the auto market has changed little since cars became widely available at the beginning of the 20th century. However, “customers’ values and preferences have evolved dramatically.” 

 So how exactly have values evolved? For starters, today’s consumer is incredibly tech-savvy; 80% of prospective car-buyers use some form of digital tech to research, and 66% say that in-car technology is more important than driving performance. 

With this in mind, it makes sense to build a car around modern technology – and Lynk & Co isn’t the only brand taking this to task. Toyota, for instance, is testing the Smart Key Box, a Bluetooth device that sits on a car’s dashboard, validating approved smartphones when they come close, allowing for safe and efficient car-sharing. 

, a device that plugs into a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics port and can support up to five wireless devices on its network.

Our aim to is to enrich and simplify car ownership by redefining how they are bought, owned, connected, serviced and used

Perhaps the most important aspect of changing consumer preferences, however, relates to ownership. With ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft so popular, people are adjusting to a future where the need to own an individual car is much less pressing than in the past. In fact, between 2007 and 2011, the number of cars purchased by Americans aged 18 to 34 fell almost 30%, and only 44% of teens obtain a driver’s license within the first year of becoming eligible. 

 Visser suggests that the market is "moving toward a model of usership rather than ownership" – and Lynk & Co’s share button allows for just this kind of freedom. 

Other car brands are starting to explore similar initiatives. Ford, for example, has launched a free app called FordPass, which helps users locate and pay for parking, pay for services via a mobile wallet, get directions and vehicle assistance, and access exclusive merchandise and experiences like curbside pick-up at McDonald's and 7-Eleven. The carmaker also plans to expand the service to offer car sharing and on-demand shuttles, and with the brand’s research finding that Gen Yers are twice as likely as other age groups to choose alternate methods of car access, such as car sharing or leasing, it’s a big part of Ford’s future, and of the industry as a whole. 

Lynk &amp; Co’s embrace of tech and the sharing economy is directly geared towards Gen Y

While Lynk & Co’s digital focus is relatively fresh for the car industry, brands will increasingly have to put tech first as vehicles become ever more connected. “Cars are increasingly becoming mobile technology hubs,” says Nitin Rakesh, CEO of Syntel, a digital modernisation provider, “and digital features are no longer just a fancy option, but an integral part of the vehicle itself.” 

 With forecasts showing that 75% of cars shipped in 2020 will have internet connectivity – up from 13% in 2015 – and McKinsey estimating that connected cars will account for 22% of all vehicles on the road in just four years’ time, Lynk & Co is arguably paving the way for the future automobile. 

The brand’s distribution model also illustrates the benefit of having a presence in a retail space. While driving to the nearest industrial estate to visit a dealership can feel daunting and like a big deal, purchasing a car from a store next to a clothes shop or a newsagent makes for a much more relaxing experience. It’s something that 

 is already doing, opening a store in London’s Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, focusing on customer experience. “So many manufacturers are looking at this now and, while this doesn't replace the traditional dealership model, it acts as an alternative from a customer experience perspective," says Paul Stokes, managing director of Rockar. “We have to listen to consumer behaviour and what the consumer wants." 

Cars are increasingly becoming mobile technology hubs and digital features are no longer just a fancy option, but an integral part of the vehicle itself

It’s with this final point that Lynk & Co excels, bringing an industry that has so far had one foot in the present – with design and engineering – and one in the past – the distribution and ownership model – into modernity, by listening to consumers. "I don't think my generation hates cars, but the way we look at cars is different now," says Brandon Perez, an 18-year-old student at California Polytechnic State University. "For my parents' generation [...] buying a car was a big goal. Cars are still important and kids in my age group still want to drive, but we're not as auto-centric." 

 Lynk & Co’s sharing feature provides the perfect alternative to the old ownership model, allowing people to own part of a car, or pay for access when they need it.

“The design brief for Lynk & Co was simple: the cars should stand out from the crowd and appeal to a truly global audience,” says Andreas Nilsson, head of design at Lynk & Co. 

 This has been achieved, but Lynk & Co doesn’t just appeal to a global audience the way a car should – fair priced, safe and eco-friendly. It appeals to a global audience the way the best 

do, be it a smartphone, a pair of jeans, or a car. Lynk & Co is a brand built for consumers, designed for the future.

 is a researcher and music lover. Outside of work he occupies himself with coming-of-age movies and American fiction.

In the US, the number of cars purchased by people aged 18 to 34 fell almost 

 of American teens obtain a driver’s license within the first year of becoming eligible

 of cars shipped in 2020 will have internet connectivity, up from 

Lynk & Co wants to simplify car ownership by redefining how they’re bought, owned, connected and used

While the industry has long relied on a dealership model, Lynk & Co will interact directly with customers, with cars sold online or at stores in strategic retail locations

When it comes to the car itself, Lynk & Co is embracing full digitalisation, electrification and connectivity

Global

Asia

China

Getting Around

Automotive

‘LYNK & CO 01 SUV launches Geely’s radical new car brand’, Auto Express

'LYNK & CO, the innovative Swedish car brand looking to change an industry', Luxurious Magazine

'Car buyers want better digital experience, most ready to complete entire process online, Accenture study finds', Accenture

'Car tech more important than driving performance', Allianz

'Toyota is testing a Smart Key Box that makes it easier to share your car with strangers', VentureBeat

‘Millennials don't care about owning cars, and car makers can't figure out why’, Fast Company

‘Lynk & Co is a car company that's refreshingly cynical about car companies’, The Verge

'Ford is preparing for the post-car ownership era with its new mobile service', Adweek

‘Connected cars and the Internet of Things’, EngineerLive

‘Connected cars in the next decade: 4 numbers everyone should know’, The Motley Fool

‘Jaguar Land Rover opens experiential store with Rockar’, Event

‘Millennials are shifting car ownership model; ask Toyota’, Reuters

From airbags to parking sensors, the modern car has seen decades of functional refinement. Chinese automaker Geely is now seeking to bring the car distribution and ownership model up to speed with Lynk & Co, a new brand that’s ready to challenge the conventions of the auto industry.

Shared Values

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