Lynk & Co 01: functional and fun, but misses Google automotive services
Chris Schreiner of Strategy Analytics
A new user experience evaluation from Strategy Analytics’ In-Vehicle UX (IVX) group has assessed the Lynk & Co 01 infotainment system, the car and mobility concept designed and engineered in Goteborg, Sweden and manufactured in Yuyao, China.
The 01 aims to focus on experiences rather than ownership, hence its emphasis on sustainability and absence of ‘hassle’. The infotainment system is adequate, with a large amount of real estate that allows for a very flat menu structure. But while it has some nice touches and functionalities which will delight their target consumers, it does not include Google Automotive Services (GAS). Besides obviously missing Google Maps, Google Assistant can also only be accessed through Android Auto.
Diana Franganillo , director IVX and report author comments, “The Lynk & Co 01 brings an interesting mobility concept to Europe, backed up by Volvo’s engineering capability and reputation. The vehicle’s exterior design is attractive ‘in person’, beyond how it looks in pictures and videos, and it’s interior is even more spacious than that of the Volvo XC40, despite sharing the same platform.
Continues Franganillo, “Despite the lack of GAS, which is a shame in our opinion, the Lynk & Co 01 infotainment system is functional and benefits from a voice assistant “Frank”. While Frank performs reasonably well, he is packed with an unengaging and artificial smurf-like metallic voice which could be better optimised for the user experience. However, the Home View is customisable and all the features follow a consistent structure, are easy to navigate and can be operated whilst driving thanks to sufficiently large and separated pressable areas and standard icons.”
Adds Chris Schreiner, director IVX , “The whole concept, car and infotainment system have been built to catch the attention of its target customers, especially with the inclusion of features such as the ‘Journey Camera’ dash cam with selfie function and ‘Scoreyteller’, Lynk & Co’s gaming app designed to enhance classic road trip games such as ‘I Spy’ and ‘21 Questions’. Although the latter would benefit from more use of voice interaction to facilitate the games, both apps are nice attempts at generating conversations inside and outside the car.”
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