Lincoln Has High Hopes for Continental in China

DETROIT – The Chinese economy is stumbling into 2016, but that’s not slowing Lincoln’s plans for substantial growth there in the coming year.

“We have no change in plans in China,” Lincoln President Kumar Galhotra tells WardsAuto at the North American International Auto Show. “We are in China for the long haul.”

In just its first year in the Chinese market in 2015, Ford’s luxury brand sold 11,000 units, with dealers primarily limited to selling the MKZ midsize sedan and the MKC small CUV at first, followed by the MKX midsize CUV and the large Navigator SUV later in the year, Galhotra says.

Lincoln has high hopes for the fifth vehicle to join the lineup in China, the all-new ’17 Continental flagship sedan introduced at the Detroit show. Built on a stretched and widened version of the chassis underpinning the Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion, the Continental offers a powerful and feature-packed alternative to German luxury brands popular with Chinese buyers.

Lap of luxury greets rear-seat passengers.

Lincoln’s focus on rear-seat comfort, valued by Chinese customers who often choose to be chauffeured, should pay dividends. The rear compartment of the Continental features twin seats that recline, massage and are heated, with myriad climate, seat and entertainment controls at hand in the center console. The console still can be folded into the seatback to provide a third seat, when needed.

Lincoln expects what it calls “quiet luxury” – an understated level of quality and elegance – will appeal to Chinese tastes. The Chinese buyer also values power, which Continental provides via a Lincoln-exclusive 3.0L twin-turbocharged V-6. The engine produces an estimated 400 hp and 400 lb.-ft. (542 Nm) of torque.

Finally, Lincoln is nearly doubling its number of dealerships to 60 outlets in 50 Chinese cities in 2016. Galhotra didn’t provide a projection for the coming 12 months, but said he expects sales will grow commensurate with the brand’s investment in the market.

Other premium brands such as Buick have had tremendous success in China. Buick sells some 800,000 vehicles in China annually, nearly four times its U.S. volume. The General Motors brand will import the Chinese-built Envision small CUV to the U.S. starting midyear.

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