Episode 33: "The Netflix for cars" feat. Alain Visser, CEO, Lynk & Co

Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast

GUEST: Alain Visser, Chief Executive, Lynk & Co

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Our guest for this episode is Alain Visser, the founder and CEO of Lynk & Co, a car company that’s trying to do things a little differently.
Lynk & Co is part of the Geely Auto Group, which itself is part of Li Shufu’s Huangzhou, China-based Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The Group's brand portfolio includes Geely Auto, Proton, Lotus, Volvo Cars, Polestar, and London Electric Vehicle Company, as well as several others.
Lynk & Co was founded in 2016 by Alain Visser, who has decades of auto industry experience. He’s worked at Ford, GM, and Volvo Cars, and he’s now on a mission to position Lynk & Co as a global mobility brand, offering customers the opportunity to subscribe, buy, or borrow a Lynk & Co vehicle.
There’s only one Lynk & Co model, the 01, offered in blue or black, with no other options. There are no Lynk & Co dealerships. Instead, Lynk & Co has what it calls Clubs, located in big city centres.
If you choose the membership option, it’s on a month-by-month basis, which the company says you can cancel anytime. What sets this apart from other car brand subscription models is that members can share their car with others and lower their monthly costs.
Lynk & Co is currently operational in China and Europe. In 2024, it will add the UK to its European markets, and has Clubs in Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
In this episode, Alain Visser explains why he's the automaker CEO who would prefer to not sell you a car.

ABOUT ALAIN VISSER

Alain Visser’s extensive experience in the automotive industry includes leading roles in automaker sales and marketing. He spent 17 years at Ford Motor Company, nine years at General Motors, and four years at Volvo Cars. He established Lynk & Co in 2016. You can connect with Alain on LinkedIn
EPISODE NOTES

• Roger Atkins: "Mass adoption of EV’s would be a big mistake" LINK
• Bill Ford: "A future beyond traffic gridlock" LINK
• Lukas Neckermann: "Global automotive production today is no higher than it was a decade ago. The industry is stagnant, and trending downward." LINK
• Marco Te Brommelstroet, of the urban planning platform Lab of Thought: “Electric cars are not here to save the planet. They are here to save the car industry.” LINK

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