China's Lynk & Co Coming To America With New EV

Mar. 04, 2023 6:03 AM ET by Jay Traugott Electric Vehicles / 14 Comments

The vehicle will first go on sale in Europe late next year.

Chinese-Swedish automaker Lynk & Co has confirmed to Automotive News Europe that it will begin selling its first vehicle in the US in the near future though no specific date is available. Lynk & Co CEO Alain Visser said the car, which will be all-electric, has been designed and updated for the US market in accordance with government regulations.

"There is still some work to be done, but [US entry] is definitely very high on my agenda, and I am sure it will work here," said Visser.

The automaker is a sister brand to Volvo and Polestar. These three automakers fall under the Geely Auto Group banner, privately owned by Chinese billionaire Li Shufu. Once it enters the highly competitive US market, Lynk & Co will continue using its European subscription model, which accounted for nearly 28,000 units last year.

Lynk & Co

In China, the brand still operates a traditional dealership model, and Visser is confident the subscription strategy will translate well to American consumers. What vehicle the brand will offer in the US remains unknown, but it won't be the 01 plug-in hybrid crossover, which shares a platform with the Volvo XC40. Europeans are currently paying 550 euros monthly for the 01 with the option of canceling with only one month's notice.

What still needs to be finalized before arriving in the US is how the carmaker will function within the "insanely complicated" franchise laws.

Lynk & Co

Lynk & Co

Lynk & Co

Dealerships are still getting accustomed to working with subscriptions, so this is a critical area that must be resolved before the carmaker can open up shop here. The EX30, we recently reported, is also designed around a subscription model.

The vehicle will ride on Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), the platform underpinning the Smart #1 compact SUV EV. The #1 has already gone on sale in Europe, but it won't be coming to the US. The Smart brand is now jointly owned by Geely and Mercedes-Benz. This platform is expected to be used for the upcoming Volvo EX30 compact SUV EV.

Lynk & Co may operate out of US Volvo dealers since a national infrastructure already exists, but this is pure speculation.