Lincoln Looking to Build Vehicles in China: Report

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

After entering the hot Chinese car market two years ago, Lincoln Motor Company now wants to start building its vehicles there, sources close to the matter tell Bloomberg.

Lincoln is reportedly in talks with partner Changan Automobile Group to build a manufacturing facility — which would serve as an export hub — as early as 2018. Timing of production depends on whether sales continue their upward path.

American automakers see China as a key part of their worldwide growth plans, and the resurgent Lincoln brand is no different. The company sold 11,630 vehicles there in 2015, and has plans to grab a much bigger portion of the country’s premium market share.

The Chinese market was top of mind when the automaker developed its flagship 2017 Continental, which has to be mildly modified before going on sale in that market. (They don’t like new car smell there.)

Discussions between Ford Motor Company and Changan are still in the preliminary phase, the sources say, so a Chinese manufacturing presence isn’t a done deal for Lincoln. Zhu Huarong, president of Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., told Bloomberg his company had “no detailed plan at the moment” for producing vehicles with Lincoln.

Still, it makes sense Lincoln would want to follow in the footsteps of rival General Motors, which aggressively targeted China with its Buick and Cadillac brands.

So great is the love affair between GM and China, we’ll soon be driving Buicks manufactured in that country. Well, one model, anyway.

[Image: Lincoln Motor Company]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • "scarey" "scarey" on Jun 06, 2016

    This is crap ! Next, we will have Fords made in China too. Let's hope that Mr.Trump puts a big tariff on Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, and Korean-made cars and trucks. Alternatively, Mrs.Clinton would accept a $100 Million donation from the ChiComms to the Clinton Crime Family Trust and look the other way. Remember that Reagan put a 320,000 quota on Japanese car imports, and a 25% tariff on Japanese motorcycles. So it COULD be done.

    • See 12 previous
    • Superdessucke Superdessucke on Jun 07, 2016

      @tekdemon And China will ignore the US consumer market, with which they enjoy a $365 billion dollar trade surplus, or $600 billion if Dead Weight is right. Ok. They'll do anything to keep even a portion of that if we start pushing back. It's time for the US to develop some confidence and balls and protect its citizens. China is still going to want to sell here even if we tell them we want to build the cars that we sell in China to employ our people and prevent our own instability. And if they don't play ball who cares? Bring some of that $365 - $600 billion back in house. It's not like the average citizen is benefiting from the trade deals with China anyway. They're totally lopsided in favor of China.

  • Pch101 Pch101 on Jun 07, 2016

    China has both a large market and high import tariffs, which creates an incentive to build plants there. I doubt that exporting those cars back to the US is a priority -- the first order of business would be to increase Chinese demand for Ford products.

  • 319583076 319583076 on Jun 07, 2016

    Behold, fanboys - FoMoCo's true plan for the Lincoln brand. Forget about your dreams of Mustang-based luxury sedans and RWD Continentals. They're building cars for the Chinese, not North America, and they'll probably make more money doing it.

    • Joe Btfsplk Joe Btfsplk on Jun 07, 2016

      You bet they'll make money. When an American company can build with no unions, no labor laws and no environmental concerns, you can make boatloads of money. The American resistance to Chinese vehicles is being eroded by GM as we watch. First one and then another model will be slipped in under the shadow of Free Trade. The salvation of the American-made vehicle will be automated (robot) assembly plants... and it will be SUV's and pick-ups.

  • Akear Akear on Mar 13, 2017

    Trump and the Unions will stop this. Actually, I have no problem with them being built in China, as long as they are not sold here. They should also be designed and engineered in the US as well.

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