Ford Challenges Geely on Lynk & Co. Brand Name

Ford Motor Co. claims its 100-year-old Lincoln brand is being infringed by Lynk & Co., the new Volvo-based luxury car line introduced in April by Geely Holding Group.

Ford is challenging Geely’s U.S. trademark application for the brand, asserting that when spoken, “Lynk & Co.” sounds like “Lincoln Co.,” Automotive News reports. Geely hasn’t commented.

Geely launched the Lynk & Co. brand in Shanghai four months ago as a new global line of upscale vehicles to be “sold” on a subscription basis, much as most consumers buy cell phones. Owners will have the option of participating in a scheme to use their vehicles for shared-ride services.

Lynk plans to introduce the 01 crossover in China later this year. An unspecified 02 vehicle is due in mid-2018, to be followed by the 03 small sedan late next year. All three models will share the “compact modular architecture” co-developed by Geely and Volvo.

Geely now aims to introduce the nameplate in Europe and the U.S. in 2019, a year later than initially planned. The company targets combined annual sales of 500,000 units by 2022.

Lynk & CO’s owners are Zhejiang Geely (50%), Geely Automobile (25%) and Volvo (25%). Ford sold Volvo to Geely in 2010.