Volvo Cars and Geely Auto announced a memorandum of understanding on Monday to create a commercial partnership for Lynk & Co in Europe, subject to final agreements. Under the terms set out in the memorandum, Volvo Cars will assume the role of exclusive importer for Lynk & Co vehicles within Europe and will oversee the brand's commercial and brand-related activities in the region.
The partnership is designed to facilitate Lynk & Co's growth plans in Europe by using Volvo Cars' established retail and service infrastructure. Volvo intends to sell Lynk & Co cars through its existing retailer network in applicable markets and to deploy its sales and servicing systems where relevant. The arrangement is also presented as a way for Volvo and its dealer partners to broaden their product mix and reach a wider set of customers.
"With this new arrangement, we will leverage our commercial system to support Lynk & Co’s growth ambitions in Europe," said Erik Severinson, chief commercial officer at Volvo Cars. "At the same time, it enables Volvo Cars and our retail partners to address a wider customer base. With the support of our retailers and our commercial organisation, Lynk & Co can achieve its true potential in Europe."
The memorandum specifies that responsibility for Lynk & Co's global development, product certification and operations outside of Europe will remain with the brand's parent company in China, which is fully owned by Geely Auto Group. That delineation keeps product development and non-European operations under Lynk & Co's China-based ownership while assigning European commercial execution to Volvo Cars.
Executives framed the pact as an extension of existing cooperation: in some European locations today both Volvo Cars and Lynk & Co models are already sold through the same retailers. The new agreement formalises and expands that commercial relationship, moving from selected co-sales at certain retailers toward a broader role for Volvo Cars as the exclusive importer for the Lynk & Co brand across Europe.
Volvo Cars and Geely Auto described the memorandum as subject to final agreements, indicating that further contract work and regulatory or operational steps may be required before the arrangement becomes fully operational. The companies did not provide additional details in the memorandum about timelines, specific markets for rollout, or changes to retailer operations beyond the general plan to use Volvo's sales and service systems in relevant markets.