Last week, I was to attend a preview of four vehicles that United Asia Automotive Group Inc. (UAAGI) was set to unveil at this week’s 2025 Manila International Auto Show. First of those cars was the Lynk & Co 02, an all-electric crossover SUV that is as beautiful as it is ecological.

Lynk & Co, in case you still aren’t familiar with the brand, is from China—with heavy influence and joint-venture support from Sweden via Volvo. It launched in our market last year, right about this time at the 2024 MIAS.

When the carmaker entered our territory 12 months ago, it introduced three cars: one plug-in hybrid (the 01) and two internal-combustion-engined models (the 05 and the 06). While the offerings were sleek and chic, they were nothing to write home about. I felt that for a new car brand to make a pronounced impact in the market, it needed more than a handful of gadgets and typical tech.

Enter the 02.

As you can see in these photos, the car looks electrifying—and not just because of its electric propulsion that is responsible for 272hp of output and 343Nm of torque, and 435km of range in a single charge. I mean that in a figurative way. Its coupe-like body almost guarantees you will receive a lot of requests for Instagram pictures.

So, knowing that this was one of the cars I was meeting at the preview was enough to make me feel, um, insecure. Yes, I was used to documenting any car with my trusty iPhone, but couldn’t I at least bring a competent photographer to a sneak peek that was sure to draw other media outlets’ best content creators?

VISOR’s best producers had other assignments that day. What to do then?

Two days before the UAAGI preview, I got a message from Igor Maminta, one of my best photographers during my time at a popular car magazine. “May I ask if I can work for you?” he told me one morning, exactly five minutes after I had shared a Bible verse with our motoring group about how God enables us to work and earn a living.

Of course, I was flattered. I had long wanted to ask him to shoot for us, but I wasn’t sure if we could afford him. You see, he used to snap automotive images for billboards. His caliber was worthy of ad agency stuff. Why would he waste his talent on us?

When I expressed my fear of not being able to meet his expectations as far as pay was concerned, he said: “I’m okay with anything that the Lord will give, especially coming from you.”

With that single statement, any doubts I had about him joining us were gone.

When Igor saw the Lynk & Co 02 for the first time, he sheepishly grinned—like a little boy being set loose at a toy store. Bear in mind that this was a guy who used to photograph Ferraris for a living.

He admired the “Dynamic Day Rays” LED daytime running lights and the “Megacity Horizon” LED taillights. He marveled at the “space design” of the clean cockpit. He appreciated the expansive Black Diamond panoramic glass roof. This car—at that very moment—reminded him of a previous life that allowed him to do what he loved the most: photography and automobiles.

Also, this moment wiped away my dread of not being able to bounce back after a difficulty (but that deserves its own article).

Oh, I forgot to mention that Igor suffered a major stroke in 2018. So major that he hasn’t fully recovered the mobility on the left side of his body. But he’s fighting. It’s an uphill battle—the kind of struggle that a new (and unheard-of) car brand is facing in a sea of adversaries—but he’s giving it his best punch.

Like the conflict Lynk & Co is dealing with. Good to know it now has the 02 in its arsenal.