Since at least 2010, attempts have been made to bring the subscription model to the car market without much success. However, in recent years, popularizing this business logic across industries reveals that ownership of a commodity is no longer a critical success factor and that the world is starting to get used to the idea of paying when you use it.
Lynk & Co brand, born in 2016 by A joint project Among the Swedes at Volvo and the Chinese at Geely (which, by the way, owns Volvo Cars), is one of the first to introduce this concept on the Iberian Peninsula. It has done this first in Spain, then in other European cities, and will try to attract Portuguese consumers in 2023.
In 2022, no one is debating whether pay-TV or satellite TV is better, whether it is better to buy CDs or subscribe to a digital music service, and there is no objection to the so-called Software as a Service, which is nothing more than English terms for subscribing to computer programs. In fact, the logicas a service“It now extends to almost everything from buying vacations to cloud computing for moving and delivering goods at home. car as a service.
unlike LeasingAnd the Leasing, ALD and credit, which are in the hands of the rental companies, here the automakers themselves, without intermediaries, take charge of the subscription. In 2018, when it launched Care by Volvo in Germany, the brand dropped the call to buy, with a message summarizing in five words the changes that were taking place:Do not buy this car. Subscribe to it.“
Nissan, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar, Genesis Motor (the Korean luxury brand Hyundai), are some of these manufacturers, as well as Ford or Mercedes. start getting it Experience has accumulated, but programs are still being rolled out in phases, by cities or regions.
Each brand sets prices and rules. Volvo offers the XC40 only for subscription, and Porsche offers a full range of models. However, there is one constant: cars are mostly electric or hybrid. delivery in. It’s a coherent choice: Those who don’t want their own car, but sometimes feel the need to use one (hello, the holidays!), probably have a keen environmental conscience.
After “success” in Spain, Lynk & Co wants to enter Portugal. It is not known when exactly. “It will be in 2023,” sums up Telma Negreros, who believes the experience of other cities shows that this is a path of no return. “We have three mature markets, Sweden, Holland and Italy. At first, it was targeting the generation Millennium As a potential customer we have estimated around 9,000 clients by the end of 2021. The fact is that we reached May 2022 with 103,000 clients, as it stands out.
Dr
Lynk & Co does not have SituationsIt has clubs. They have a social function, which is not something you see in other brands. But it’s also working on scheduling a driving test. Entry to the club is free. But using the car implies becoming a member and it costs 500 euros per month (inclusive), with a monthly limit of 1,250 kilometers (unless spent is carried over to the next month and each additional kilometer is taxed at 15 cents). There is no minimum subscription period (you can join and leave every month).
Another thing that distinguishes this program from competitors is that a “Netflix subscription” can be combined with an “Airbnb loan” – if you’ve signed up for a car but don’t use it for some reason, loan it to other members and cover the loan time, reducing your monthly payment. This post is managed through an app, in plain sight, with no additional paperwork or friction.
Frederic Etoile
Dr
At the moment, only one model, Lynk & Co 01, Hybrid will be available delivery in Original from 2017. It’s an SUV built by Volvo on the XC40 platform and built in China by Geely. It comes in two colors (black or blue) and has a 1.5 TDI engine, offering a range of 69 km in electric mode, backed by a 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery, which will take about five hours to charge if in use. current 230 volts. It can also be purchased (44,500 euros, already with VAT), says the brand. But the bet is to sign up.
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