DARING TO BE DIFFERENT

Born for Global?

What does that really mean?

For the company Lynk & Co, it means launching to the world and not just one country.

Where is this coming from? Understand that when we first started learning more about the Lynk & Co brand, it was because they went racing. In Europe. We heard about their racecars before we heard about their road cars. And they were winning.

We first discussed them in connection with the Geely Group, when we were visiting their facilities in Hangzhou, China. What impressed us the most about this visit was the fact that they felt like no other car company we ever saw. It was young, vibrant and seriously multi-cultural. When we asked different (again multicultural) designers and engineers about this, they said because that is who we are. Look at us. We are all from different places, we all bring different ideas. Of course we will be different.

Now we look at Lynk & Co, and it is almost that whole identity bumped up to another level. From day one, they intended to be a global entity. They met the standards that allow European markets the same time they meet the standards for Chinese markets. This makes sense because the company is 30% owned by Volvo (China) Investment, 50 % by the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and 20% by the Geely Auto Group. Their brand launch was in Berlin in 2016. Their launch in China, with the Lynk & Co 01, only came the next year, with the 02 debuting a year later. In Amsterdam.

You could say this was all constructed if you look at things on paper, but then you meet the people. You go around the offices and facilities. Which, by the way, are right in front of the Mercedes Benz building in Huangzhou. Oh, and guess what was opposite their brand launch in Berlin? The same three-pointed star. Think they are sending a message?

Walking through the premises in Huangzhou was like walking around a school campus. There was bustling activity, and it looked like we were just dropped into a very busy world. When lunchtime came, we actually had to stay to the side of the staircases because all everyone was rushing to the cafeteria. It felt like we were visiting senior high somewhere. And when we got to the cafeteria, we were brought to the more senior dining area. The truth is that the energy was outside, where everyone else was. The feeling we were left with was, what a wonderful environment in which to work. What a wonderful environment to help create.

Late that evening, we (the outsiders of the group) were talking about what made them feel so different. We discussed management styles, we spoke of what KPIs they probably had, we talked probable deliverables. But what we ended up at.