Revhead Ramblings: Would you let me drive your car?

It seems nearly all of our services are now accessed through a subscription.

From music to the gym, our lives revolve around monthly payments; but would you add your car to the list?

The Premise

Geely, the Chinese automotive manufacturer, own a variety of car brands. The likes of Volvo and Lotus are well established in the car world, whereas Lynk&Co is new to the table. The latter, is an entirely new car manufacturer, the ‘Co’ doesn’t stand for company however, it stands for connected.

Not in the sense that you can access the internet or make phone calls. Their cars will feature a button on the dash to let you share your car with other subscribers, earning you money when you don’t need your car.

Subscription is the Way Forward

While you can buy one of their cars outright, the primary sales route will be a subscription service, like the one used by Polestar. Contracts would be short term, but the big twist comes when you press the share button, this would allow the car to borrowed by other subscribers first and then to a wider network as/if it takes off.

Who’s This For?

I’m sure there are plenty of people who, like me, would never in a million years lend our car to a friend, let alone a complete stranger. Who knows what they’d do in there? Plant cameras, change my radio presets or adjust my seat! I’m sure this would be appealing to those who work away in the week, or commute via public transport though.

Why pay hundreds of pounds per month for something you can only really use in the evening or at the weekend? They could release their car in the day, earning money in the process, and still have the car when they need it!

Uber Rival?

Lynk&Co say they aren’t coming for any car manufacturer, they see their main rival as Uber. Their target audience therefore is a younger demographic, or those who live in urban areas where owning and storing a car is too much hassle.

There are plenty of car sharing platforms on the rise at the moment, with Volkswagen starting their own model in Berlin, only time will tell if people really will put their shiny new cars in the hands of complete strangers, or if Uber and taxis will reign supreme in the urban jungle.

I personally could never see myself loaning a car out, I’m reluctant to let my Mum move it to let herself out of the drive, imagine someone you’ve never met getting comfy in your seat? I can however see the appeal to those who live in cities, owning a car is expensive as it is, when you add congestion charges and parking to the mix, why would you keep your car there?

Ride sharing would grant you access to a car when you need it, without worrying about anything other than having access to the app; I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this pans out…

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