Lynk&Co 01 prototype first drive

Although Lynk produces cars in China, it wants to be seen as a global brand and is keen to emphasise that design and engineering is thoroughly European. As boss Alain Visser puts it “we’re as Chinese as Volvo is”, with the brand wanting to be compared to established players. That’s a high bar to jump. 

Our drive took place at Geely’s privately owned Ningbo circuit, which is about four hours from Shanghai. While most manufacturers’ proving grounds are bleak and desolate places, Geely’s is a proper 2.6-mile long racetrack that has been built to FIA standards and which regularly hosts motorsport. It is not, however, the most appropriate place to experience an SUV for the first time.

No matter, the 01 coped well with the unlikely challenge. The cabin impresses on initial acquaintance, but starts to feel less upmarket after you’ve explored it thoroughly. Design is good with lots of emphasis on technology, including what will be a standard 10.2-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard as well as a full digital instrument display. Materials look expensive, but many turn out to be considerably more humble when inspected. The dashboard top looks like stitched leather but is actually a moulding; most of the interior’s shinier finishes were plastic rather than real metal. Space is reasonable in the front, although the bulbous contours of the dashboard cut down on knee room, and the back feels roomier than the segment norm. 

We drove the 2.0-litre engine in both front-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations. The motor is effectively in the same tune as Volvo’s ‘T4’ models, and produces strong torque at low revs, although with a slightly over-keen throttle creating some surging sensation. It revs, too – not as willingly as Volkswagen’s EA888 2.0-litre, but without the top-end tightness that affects cars such as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.0T. The engine is vocal when worked hard, but rarely needs to be pressed. Refinement seems to be good at cruising speeds.

The automatic gearbox of the front-drive version felt dull-witted when asked to deal with the track; it lacks steering wheel paddles to manually shift gears and also seems to kick down too aggressively when being driven gently. There’s also an entirely unsurprising amount of understeer in slower corners, although the nose tightens without drama on a lifted throttle. Steering is direct and accurate, although lacks sensation (the all-wheel-drive version has switchable modes, with the punchier Dynamic adding weight but no more feel).

The big story here isn’t really the car itself, rather the way Lynk plans to bring it to market. It will be possible to buy directly, but most volume will be through what is being described as a subscription model. It's basically an all-inclusive package that will feature a much shorter commitment than a regular lease; probably a month-by-month contract that’s likened to Spotify or Netflix, and which will also include the possibility of sharing other owners’ cars when they are not using them (when, for example, flying into a city). Servicing will be carried out by Volvo dealerships, but Lynk is not planning to use a conventional retail model in either Europe or the US, instead aiming for direct sales like Tesla. 

In China the range is priced from the equivalent of £18,200 at current exchange rates, but European prices will be higher. Sales start on the Continent in the second half of 2019 with right-hand drive following a few months behind. Realistically it is likely to be 2020 before the 01 reaches the UK, meaning it will launch alongside the 02 crossover and 03 saloon which will share the same architecture.