Chinese car-making disruptor shows its first bike.
Lynk & Co is a
Chinese-Swedish car brand that builds Volvo-based machines, but more
importantly, it aims to shake up the way people buy and use their cars. And now
the firm has revealed the first motorcycle to bear its name, in the form of a
Lynk & Co-branded version of Benelli’s latest TNT 600 model.
Shown in China, which is
currently Lynk & Co’s main market, the bike appears to be largely unaltered
from its Benelli form other than the Lynk & Co graphics, but it could well
be a precursor to a more involved connection between the companies. That means
bikes might be offered using the same unusual ownership schemes that Lynk
currently advocates for cars.
Launched in 2016, Lynk
& Co aims to alter the way vehicles are owned and operated.
Dispensing with the usual
dealer sales model, Lynk deals directly with customers, and while the firm will
sell you a car conventionally using cash or financing, the firm’s main
marketing model is a form of monthly “membership” scheme. Last year, the
company expanded into the European market and the firm has long planned to operate
in the USA as well.
In Europe, for instance,
for 500 euros per month the firm will give you a Volvo-based Lynk 01 car,
complete with insurance, tax, and servicing costs covered. But that’s only the
start, as there’s also a membership plan that doesn’t involve getting a car at
all—it simply lets you rent one from another owner when it’s not being used.
From the point of view of a
car-owning member, it means they can hire out their car—for around 40 euros per
day or on an hourly rate for shorter periods—and offset that against the 500
euros they’re paying each month. Rent it out enough and you can even come out
with a profit.
A rating system means you
can pick and choose who gets to rent the car, and the renter must return it to
the agreed location at the end of the rent period. So, in theory, you can drive
to work, rent out the car all day while you’re not using it, then still have it
to drive home at the end of the day. A smartphone-operated key system means
renters are remotely sent the ability to open and start the car once they’ve
hired it.
Although the initial Lynk
& Co Benelli TNT 600 isn’t part of the same leasing scheme, it is being
offered in China via Lynk’s direct-to-customer sales model. The firm has been
clear in the past that it intends to operate vehicles beyond just cars using
the leasing and sub-rental idea, and motorcycles are one of the most obvious
directions to take.
The firm itself is a joint
venture between Volvo and Geely (which is also Volvo’s parent company), and
that means there are already close ties to Benelli. Geely bought the majority
stake in Qianjiang in 2016, and Qianjiang has owned Benelli since 2005, so
ultimately both Benelli and Lynk & Co are owned by the same company.
The bike is
currently on sale direct to consumers in China, but there’s no leasing plan for
it just yet.Lynk & Co
While the idea of letting a
complete stranger loose on your bike might be uncomfortable, the fact that many
bikes spend most of their lives tucked away in garages means they might be well
suited to the sub-rental idea. And of course, if Lynk & Co can prove it’s a
profitable concept, you can be sure other brands will adopt similar schemes.
Source: Cycleworld
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