When looking at the technological change taking place in the automotive sector, it is easy to focus only on the subject of electrification. The transition from thermal engines to electric motors has, moreover, passed the point of no return and is the most macroscopic novelty that manufacturers have to deal with.
In this epochal transformation there is a further level of deeper change that does not concern so much the car’s propulsion system, but rather the model of interaction with the driver and the very concept of ownership of the vehicle. It is a change that combines the potential of digitization, the ubiquity of the cloud and the subscription business model – agile and free from ownership – that we have come to know and appreciate with services like Netflix or Spotify.
Lynk & Co, the car as a lifestyle product
About two months ago, the subscription car offer from Lynk & Co, a company that is building its brand around this concept, has arrived in Italy. Of course, all manufacturers now offer such formulas. But the singularity of Lynk & Co is that – according to their statement – they do not want to compete in the automotive market, but instead aim to establish themselves as a “lifestyle” brand, for which the car is only one piece of a larger operation. Instead of offering existing car models as a subscription, as well-known names in the automotive sector have tried to do in the past, the brand has designed and brought to the road a car dedicated to the service. It is called Lynk & Co 01 and is a hybrid SUV based on the same platform as the Volvo XC40, despite the design being completely different.
The Lynk & Co 01 can be bought, for those who just cannot abandon the concept of car ownership, but above all it can be driven by subscription. The car is always the same, full-featured, and the user can only decide whether to take it black or blue, hybrid or plug-in hybrid. It costs € 500 per month and everything is included, apart from gasoline and the possible electric recharge of the PHEV model.
“With the iPhone revolution, technology has begun to disappear from the user’s view. Developing technological platforms, whether a smartphone or a car system, means designing everything around the User Experience “, explains David Green, Chief Technology Officer of Lynk & Co. to Italian Tech. We met him in Berlin at the inauguration of the new “Club”, a concept store based in turn on the concept of experiential sales in which you can drink a coffee, relax, explore the collaborations between Lynk & Co and other fashion and lifestyle design brands.
The smartphone has changed everything
“When they get into the car, users today expect the same ease of interaction that they have come to appreciate on a smartphone. However, designing this type of interface on a vehicle is much more complex, ”explains Green. «There are limits related to safety, to distraction, to the calculation of the potential error of the user which must be integrated with a relative flexibility of the system. Our advantage is that we can do everything for a specific car model, with a platform that fits into a broader brand experience ».
Driving a Lynk & Co 01 this aspect becomes evident. The large central screen in the dashboard follows the Tesla infotainment digitization example. It is the nerve center from which every aspect of the car can be controlled and contributes to the impression of driving a large technological device, with elements of the UX of a tablet and others borrowed from the home automation platform. It is a path followed by all manufacturers, which is inevitable. And Lynk adapts. So here too there is the usual voice assistant (called Frank), available to the user to open or close the windows, activate the air conditioning, turn the radio on or off and so on.
“One of the features I’m most proud of is the Co: Lab mode, which allows the driver to send us an idea with a voice note. The car registers it and it is sent as text to my team, ”says Green. “We read every single idea sent to us. Most are not useful, but in more than one case we have received constructive feedback that allows us to understand the relationship between the driver and the car’s technology ».
The car on loan
However, the introduction of user interaction systems, controllable LED lights such as smart bulbs for the interior or other similar functions (the car is full of options to discover) are not the most difficult challenge that the Green team has. had to face.
In addition to the subscription, Lynk & Co offers the possibility of renting the machine to others when not in use. A kind of private carpooling, based on the kilometers traveled and managed directly by the subscriber who owns the season ticket.
A detail of the Lynk & Co Club in Berlin
“We have succeeded in developing a digital key technology that allows the car to be used safely even by those who do not have the vehicle’s physical keys,” explains Green. «Also in this case, designing the technology that underlies this function has meant developing the user experience. Thus, for example, a user who rents someone else’s car will find all the options saved in his profile pre-loaded on the on-board system. And since all Lynk & Co 01s share the same configuration, the experience will be what the user expects from their machine. The exchange of information takes place in a secure manner, with end-to-end encryption, and all legal security dictates are respected ».
Lynk & Co doesn’t expect this feature to be activated or used by everyone, but it’s still an integral part of the concept the brand wants to explore. Research shows that we use our audios on average 4% of the time, leaving them mostly parked in the garage or on the street. «With the advancement of technology we can gradually change the habits of use of the car. It is true for ownership, as well as for the propensity to share one’s vehicle, accepting that parking the car most of the time does not make much sense, ”concludes Green. «The mobility sector is transforming at a dizzying pace. We try to design the technology of our car on the basis of user experience because it guarantees us the necessary flexibility to adapt effectively to these continuous changes ».
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