Since its launch the Lynk & Co 01 has set a new standard for automotive brands across the globe. The car people now drive was once just a concept model, designed by the Lynk & Co design team (which has its global design operations in Gothenburg, Sweden) and engineered and manufactured by Envisage Technologies in Coventry, United Kingdom.

About the Concept

Envisage were approached by Lynk & Co with the idea of making a concept car which would be a complete inside-out model, with a second model to show a different colour and material finish. The inside-out model was created with everything you would expect to see in a production car including a large central touchscreen, modern interiors using sustainable materials on seats trimmed by Envisage, with full working lights and electronics courtesy of Envisage’s in-house electronics department.

Now in Production

The 01 is now in full production with one of the ideas to be ‘always connected’. As seen on the concept, this was done through a large central touchscreen, systems always being connected to the internet, access to the car’s own cloud network and being able to manage the car through an app. This app also makes it easier to connect with other people. It’s a car made to be shared, so you can allow access to others with a shareable key via the app, creating the opportunity to rent it out, giving the car a higher level of connectivity. Beyond being connected, the car has multiple sensors for parking, lights, and safety to make an easier, more enjoyable drive.

A Sustainable Future

Lynk & Co are doing their part to make the car sustainable, reducing the 01’s impact on the planet. Not only does the car come as a hybrid or fully electric, but parts of the interior, such as the ceiling and flooring, are made from recycled plastics with the seats being made from ECONYL, a nylon material from recycled fishing lines and plastic waste.

The Lynk & Co 01 Sport SUV has come a long way from when it left Envisage. An excess of 600,000 units of the 01 have been sold and Lynk & Co is still expanding its range of cars globally, taking the 01 from initial design to show car built in Coventry and now to production from Sweden across Europe to the Middle East and China.

• Photos: Net Car Show