It’s not often that carmakers emerge out of nowhere with goals of selling vehicles to the masses. Yet, Geely’s Lynk & Co is looking to make a significant splash, even though it has yet to commence deliveries of its first model, the 01 crossover.

Beyond the obvious difficulties involved with forming a car manufacturer out of nothing, Lynk & Co was tasked by Geely to craft its own unique looks which provide no hint of its Volvo underpinnings.

This wasn’t all that easy, according to Lynk & Co head of design and a senior vice president at Geely, Andreas Nilsson.

“We needed to create something new and unique, with no history or heritage to rely on.

“There were no design guidelines; we had no brand recognition,” Nilsson told Automotive News.

“It was very inspiring. But once you start sketching, it’s not that easy. It was eye-opening about how difficult it is to create something unique from scratch.”

Lynk & Co already has a distinct style

Nilsson and his design team were first tasked with crafting a design language for Lynk & Co in August 2013. Despite a few stumbling blocks, the team have created a look which reflects the European roots of Lynk & Co as well as certain Asian influences. One particularly interesting aspect of the brand’s models is the lack of a traditional grille.

“We worked with a lot of different grilles. Then we said, ‘Hang on — why do we need a grille? We know the conventional grille will probably disappear in the future, so let’s prepare a functional band. Whether it’s for an air intake or sensors, the future will tell,” Nilsson said.

The first Lynk & Co model to reach the production line will be the 01, produced in Belgium from late 2019. The brand will subsequently launch the smaller 02 crossover and the 03 sedan.

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