Lincoln car production heading to China

By Rupert Reid for sino.uk China Plus Published: 2017-03-17 09:24:13
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A Lincoln car [Photo: sohu.com]

A Lincoln car [Photo: sohu.com]

US motor giant Ford has announced that it's Lincoln branded SUVs will be manufactured in China from 2019.

I love it when a prediction comes true - and although I hate to boast, I've generally got quite a good track record. OK, I've never guessed the lottery numbers, but in January I did correctly predict that London's iconic 'cheesegrater' would receive Chinese investment.

What's more, on my very first day in this job, I looked into my crystal ball and confidently said that Ford would move production of their Lincoln brand to China.

Looking back, it wasn't the finest piece of journalism. However, I'm pleased to report that now, that prediction too is coming true.

Fortune has revealed that rising sales of SUVs in China, along with a growing number of European and US rivals entering into partnerships with Chinese firms, have proved too tempting for Ford to resist.

Apparently the Chinese venture will involve the manufacture of an all-new vehicle, on the back of an extraordinary sales growth in the Chinese market of 160 percent for Lincoln last year.

Any manufacturing move would require a 50-50 partnership with a Chinese firm, and Ford already has such an agreement in place with Changan Automobile in Chongqing.

Ford is currently the 8th largest car firm selling in China, and by 2020 the Country's auto market is expected to be larger than Europe and the USA combined.

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