Geely reveals LYNK 01 global compact SUV

Chinese car-maker Geely Automobile has revealed the first model under its new global brand LYNK & CO, a day after it released a teaser image of the all-new small SUV it claims will be the world's most connected car.

Dubbed '01' and based on the same new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform that will underpin Volvo's next-generation 40-series (S40, V40, XC40) small-car family, the all-new compact crossover is powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid powertrain incorporating both manual and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions.

A larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which will also be built under license from Volvo in China, will also be offered in the 01, which was designed in Sweden under the direction of Geely design chief Peter Horbury, who previously worked at Ford and Volvo.

LYNK & CO, which along with Geely Auto and Volvo Car Corporation is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, says it will launch its inaugural model in both North America and Europe in 2018, following the 01's release in China late next year.

The brand's Australian plans remain unclear, but the Nissan QASHQAI-sized SUV will be produced in both left- and right-hand drive guises from the outset, making a local rollout also possible as early as 2018.

Aimed at the mainstream market and positioned below equivalent models from Volvo, the LYNK 01 will be followed by a compact sedan – which was also previewed by a four-door 'coupe' concept today -- and other models also bearing numerical names including 01 and 03, with plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles to follow.

In what could further shake up the traditional automotive retail model, LYNK says its unique sales and distribution plan will involve sales via both the internet and its own showrooms, with cars delivered directly to customers and picked up for servicing.

“Our aim is to enrich and simplify car ownership by re-defining how cars are bought, owned, connected, serviced and used,” said LYNK senior vice-president Alain Visser in a statement accompanying the 01's reveal in Berlin, Germany today.

The company says this and a limited number of model variants – rather than the production complexity of a wide variety of build configurations -- will allow it to deliver high-tech vehicles at "highly competitive" prices globally.

LYNK will also promote a car-sharing plan, in which owners can potentially earn money by sharing their vehicle with others when it's not in use, thanks in part to a high level of connectivity that will allow owners to provide others with access to the vehicle via a shareable digital key.

Owners will also be able to use the LYNK app to control and monitor their car via a smartphone or directly from the car, which will be fitted with a large central touch-screen and telematics system that are always connected to the internet and the car’s own cloud network.

The cloud-based car-connectivity platform was developed with Ericsson and incorporates an application programming interface open to third-party developers, while LYNK partnered with Microsoft and Alibaba to build a new digital customer infrastructure comprising order, supply, sales and customer relationship management systems.