05.06.19
Last week, I have released the mega recap from my recent trip to the Shanghai Auto Show' 19. Give it a read if you haven't yet. During the show, we were invited to a sit-down with the CEO of Lynk & Co, introducing Alain Visser. A little background about Alain, he has been in the car industry for the past 30 years and has worked with other automotive brands like Ford, GM and Volvo. For this interview, I would take things a bit differently for our pals from Lynk & Co and by not sharing a conversation per se. The plan of this piece would be more about what I have accumulated from the discussions and also sharing my thoughts on what is coming for Lynk & Co during the year and the upcoming 2020.
As a definition, mobility stands for "the ability to move or be moved freely and easily." Right on eh? More specifically, what is mobility for the car industry? Imagine a car from the world’s fastest growing brand, dedicated to offering unparalleled in-car connectivity, vehicle sharing, online sales, and a true subscription model of usership? Well that's Lynk & Co.
As I mentioned before, ABDZ has been following Lynk & Co ever since their launch back in 2016. Since then, they have launched the car on the Chinese market (in 2017) and sold 120,414 cars on its first year. When I was Shanghai, I did spot a few of the models in the streets which is pretty awesome for the brand. They are launching the subscription-based model in Europe for 2020. The disruptors of the car industry are coming and ready to change its entire nature into a revolution.
The disruptors of the car industry are coming and ready to change its entire nature into a revolution.
Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, Lynk & Co has a European heart and soul. Initiated by Geely, the 3rd biggest car brand that recently acquired Volvo, The London Electric Vehicle Company, Lotus Cars and more. You can read more about Geely on our Shanghai Auto Recap.
I personally love Lynk & Co! Along the years, I have met Alain with some of its team members and they are coming to an amazingly wide range of individuals from different work background. It does not sound right but they are building a lifestyle brand whereas a fact 70% of the Lynk & Co team is NOT from the automotive industry. You heard me right! They truly are promoting a different mindset in terms of their business model and it goes all the way to its core.
I am truly am excited for their subscription-based model launch in 2020. Having spoken to the team, I am most curious about what would be the user experience behind it all. "What would be their day-to-day operations knowing users will be able to book an absolutely fantastic car (having test drove them before) with a little minimum commitment of one month. This is pure digitally-enabled car-sharing and ride-hailing service to a whole new level. Some of my thoughts and knowing:
I am honoring how they are really ambitious to change the car industry just like Apple did the smartphone, Airbnb with the stay rentals business, Spotify with the streaming music business and more. They have a strong belief that the car industry is doing a poor job adjusting to the customer demands and they are completely doing the reverse by giving users, a voice. Which is everything in my opinion. Following that note, Lynk & Co updated their 01 model and engineered from the feedback of over 110,000 users allowing Lynk & Co to adapt and create a refreshed solution.
We are just living up to our brand’s philosophy of being open and challenging in every element. We have always been customer-centric. Our overriding aim is to listen. This is the best way to provide better products and more innovative ownership experience. The consumers know what they want, we need to deliver and elevate to generate that genuine ”Wow!”
Lynk & Co has collaborated with users on suggestions and critiques on its models and the industry. Lynk & Co models already boast high-quality connectivity, unrivaled technology, a sleek, modern interior, and exterior design, but thanks to this new collaborative approach, any idea - no matter how crazy - can be voted on and brought into the brand program. All helping in the push to break down the boundaries and create the ‘new normal’ in changing mobility forever. To learn more about colab.lynkco.com
On my last note, I can't wait to see what Lynk & Co would be releasing next. You should definitely follow their YouTube series called: Lynk & Co Uncut | The New Normal.
Running by the name of François Hoang, I am the Editor and one of the writers on the blog. If you wanna request a feature, tweet me at @AoiroStudio.
Exactly one week ago, we have introduced the Unsplash Awards on Abduzeedo. A celebration made just for you, to recognize the open photography movement. Have you started submitting your photos yet?
Our friends from InVision recently released the latest from their Design Genome Project Report in collaboration with Intuit: Designs for delight.
The process behind designing a product is all about understanding the goals, the audience and what it's intended to do. It doesn't matter if it's a chair or a mobile app, the process is very similar, what changes are the tools and materials.
This is a different approach from our usual feature on ABDZ but this might be greatly useful if you ever get this opportunity.