Ford Lincoln Luxury Sedan Focuses On Pushing Into China

Ford Lincoln Luxury Sedan Focuses On Pushing Into China

Ford Motors Company made an announcement with fanfare that it will be reintroducing its famous Lincoln Continental luxurious sedan with its focus on selling in the growing Chinese automotive market.

Now, as the Michigan-based organization gets ready to launch Continental in market, it is facing a very different financial landscape. As the vehicle would probably bolster the efforts of Ford to strengthen Lincoln in America, its chances in China have been clouded by a general sluggish growth in the sales of automobiles and upheaval in the stock market.

At the launch of Continental’s production version on January 12, 2016 at the North American International Auto Show, Ford’s executive told that economic problems in the most populated country had undaunted them and they were continuing to act according to their  plans.

“We are in China for the long term,” said Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s official heading the Lincoln unit. “It’s a very vibrant economy that’s going to have short-term ups and downs.” He further said that sales of Lincoln in China had grown at a steady pace since the brand’s entrance in the market in November 2014. In 2015, 11,000 vehicles were sold, but Lincoln’s recognition amongst a large number of Chinese customers was limited.

Despite the fluctuations in the stock market of China in the past six months and the rippling impact on rich car buyers, Mr. Kumar stated he had not seen any impact on the growth of sales. “We are ahead both in our volume targets and our dealership targets,” he said. In America, where it would also be offered for sales in 2016, the new automobile has a huge history, as it had epitomized elegance in the 1960s before it faded in obscurity and stopped being produced in 2002.

The carmaker delivered 101,000 units of Lincoln in America in 2015, a growth of 7% from 2014. The model would be a well-known addition to the US lineup of the brand, but it is meant to become a linchpin in the broader ambitions of Ford for Lincoln in the Southeast Asian country.

Up till now, Ford is having 33 Lincoln automotive dealers in China, with an objective of increasing 60% later in 2016. After adding Continental, Lincoln would be offering five models in the country, which Ford CEO Mark Fields referred to as “meaningful progress” for a fledging brand.

Because Ford dropped Continental from Lincoln portfolio over 10 years ago, the designers of the company were unusually free for updating the image and styling of the automobile.