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Lincoln is a luxury car brand under Ford Motor Company, founded by Henry Leland in 1917 and headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. The brand is named after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Since 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt used it as the Presidential Limousine, Lincoln has been selected by the White House as the official state car, cementing its status as the "Presidential Limousine" and establishing it as an iconic symbol of American luxury car culture.
Over more than a century of history, Lincoln has become synonymous with American luxury, defined by unparalleled comfort and elegant design. However, in the Chinese market, this established luxury brand is undergoing a drastic identity reshuffle. Data shows that Lincoln's sales in China once peaked at 91,600 units in 2021, but have since declined year by year, dropping to approximately 49,000 units by 2025—a nearly 60% contraction in just four years.
Lincoln's century‑long history is an American luxury epic filled with glory and setbacks.
Start and Acquisition (1917–1930s). In 1917, American mechanical master Henry Leland founded the Lincoln Company, aiming to manufacture exquisite luxury cars. He insisted on high‑standard manufacturing processes, but this also led to high costs, causing the company to fall into difficulty during the post‑war economic recession. In 1922, after being rejected by General Motors, Leland ultimately sold Lincoln to Ford for $8 million, marking the brand's complete integration into the Ford system.
Presidential Limousine and Golden Age (1930–1990s). In 1939, the Lincoln K‑Series V12 model became President Roosevelt's Presidential Limousine, opening a decades‑long relationship between the brand and the White House. Subsequently, the Lincoln Continental, with its iconic rear‑hinged doors and minimalist styling, became an eternal classic in automotive design. During this period, Lincoln launched classic models such as the Zephyr and Capri, together building the golden age of American luxury cars. In 1998, Lincoln launched its first luxury SUV—the Navigator—opening the large luxury SUV sub‑segment, which became an important growth pillar for the brand.
Local Struggles and Ten Years in China (2000–2020s). After entering the 21st century, Lincoln experienced strategic wobbling in its home market. In 2014, the Lincoln brand officially entered the Chinese market and established a joint venture with Changan Automobile, marking an important turning point in its development. Based on a precise understanding of Chinese market demand, Lincoln quickly launched models such as the MKC and MKZ, reaching its sales peak in China in 2021. However, with the rapid rise of China's local new energy brands, the competitive landscape shifted dramatically, and Lincoln's slow pace of electrification became a key constraint.
Lincoln's product line is centred on SUVs, with sedans playing a supporting role. Currently, it mainly consists of four locally produced SUVs and one sedan in the Chinese market.
Corsair: Positioned as a compact luxury SUV, Lincoln's entry‑level product, with an official guide price of 235,800–345,800 RMB. Full‑year sales in 2025 were 11,800 units. It was once the brand's sales ace, but is now severely squeezed by competitors.
Nautilus: Positioned as a mid‑size luxury SUV, currently Lincoln's sales pillar. Full‑year sales in 2025 were 24,500 units, supporting nearly half of the brand's market share. The newly added "Qi Hang" version reduced the price to 245,900 RMB.
Aviator: Positioned as a mid‑to‑large luxury SUV, with a price range of 509,800–700,800 RMB, mainly targeting the high‑end luxury market. Full‑year sales in 2025 were only 3,828 units, with market presence continuing to weaken.
Navigator: Lincoln's flagship large SUV, with a price range of 1,008,000–1,458,000 RMB. Relying on a body‑on‑frame chassis and a 3.5L V6 twin‑turbocharged engine, it still holds a unique position in the top luxury SUV segment.
Lincoln Z (Zephyr): Currently Lincoln's only sedan product in China. Full‑year sales in 2025 were 12,400 units, aiming to compete with mid‑size luxury sedans such as the Audi A4L.
Lincoln's current global and Chinese market performance shows clear divergence, with completely different development trajectories.
Global Market: As part of the Ford Motor Group—which sold approximately 7.8 million units globally in 2025—the Lincoln brand contributes to its global base sales. Relying on its brand foundation in the U.S. market and North American consumers' preference for large luxury SUVs, Lincoln still maintains stable performance in the North American market.
Chinese Market: In 2025, Lincoln's sales in China were approximately 49,000 units, down 13.6% year‑on‑year, falling for four consecutive years and reaching the bottom of the second‑tier luxury brand camp. This represents a 46% drop from the 2021 peak. Financially, in 2025 Lincoln China launched the "Spark Campaign" channel reform plan. Through store reductions, lightweight renovations, and other measures, dealer operating costs were reduced by 40%, aiming to maintain dealer profitability amid sales contraction. However, the strategy of trading price for volume has dealt a severe blow to the brand. Lincoln's three‑year retention rate has dropped to 48.1%, far below first‑tier brands such as Lexus (60.5%) and Porsche (68.8%), and even lags behind Tesla (51.2%). Major models like the Nautilus and Corsair saw significant price drops, and the pricing system fell into a vicious cycle of "the more prices drop, the harder it is to sell."
Facing the wave of intelligent electrification, Lincoln's technology route has shifted from an initial full commitment to pure electric to a differentiated approach centred on hybrid technology.
Powertrain: Lincoln's core technology is mainly manifested in the 2.0L dual‑inject turbocharged engine and hybrid system shared with Ford. The 2.0L engine in the Nautilus delivers 190 kW for the fuel version; the hybrid version uses an e‑CVT transmission, with total system power as high as 227 kW, achieving a balance between power and fuel economy.
Intelligent Driving: At this stage, Lincoln's main models, such as the 2025 Navigator, are equipped with the Co‑Pilot360 2.0 intelligent assisted driving system as standard, reaching L2 autonomous driving standards, providing full‑speed adaptive cruise control, lane centering, pre‑collision assist, and other functions. In higher‑level intelligent driving, Lincoln remains largely in the concept phase. Concept cars such as the Model L100 achieve high‑level automated driving by removing the steering wheel and using artificial intelligence and GPS sensors, representing the brand's long‑term vision for future mobility.
Electrification Strategy: Lincoln's electrification strategy has undergone a fundamental shift, moving from aggressive to cautious. The plan to launch three pure electric models in 2025 has largely missed the target. Ford CEO Jim Farley has made clear that Lincoln will abandon full electrification and will instead focus on hybrid and extended‑range technologies in the future, with plans to launch affordable electric vehicles based on lower‑cost platforms, focusing on personalised body and interior design. The previously planned pure electric three‑row SUV project has also been temporarily shelved.
Lincoln's globalisation is deeply integrated into its parent company's Ford system, with its overseas strategy revolving around "streamlining structure" and "focusing on local markets."
North American Home Market: As the brand's birthplace, the North American market is Lincoln's foundation. To improve strategic efficiency, Lincoln began coordinating its financial settlement system in 2025 and integrating some back‑office functions into Ford China, aiming to streamline the operating architecture, reduce financial burdens, and respond to market changes with a leaner, more efficient organisation. In terms of North American production, due to the lack of a clear independent electrification platform, Lincoln's pure electric product planning has not yet been implemented, and it still relies on fuel and hybrid products.
China Strategy: After entering China in 2014, Lincoln achieved localisation of some models through a localised production system. The severe challenges in the current Chinese market have created bottlenecks in its overseas business. Core sales stores have undergone significant adjustments, with the "Spark Campaign" store lightweight renovation compressing single‑store investment by nearly 80% and requiring store areas to be around 1,000 square metres to reduce operating costs across channels. At the same time, the brand has also entered a fierce price war, trying to defend market share through nationwide price concessions. However, the cascading impact of price erosion on service and product competitiveness is eroding the luxury halo of this "Presidential Limousine" brand in the minds of Chinese consumers.
In 2026, Lincoln stands at a critical crossroads. Former Ford CEO Jim Farley once said frankly: "Lincoln must find its own way." From the current strategy, abandoning full pure electric is a "pragmatic step" under the brand's choices, and future product focus will shift to hybrid and extended‑range technologies that offer better cost‑effectiveness.
On the market front, the "Spark Campaign" lightweight channel strategy is currently the most core measure. Continuously improving customer satisfaction and stabilising the dealer network is the foundation the brand must build in China. On the product front, a new hybrid three‑row SUV positioned between the Aviator and Navigator (possibly reviving the classic "Continental" name) is planned for launch. This is expected to fill the product gap in the high‑end market and become the key to whether the brand can turn the tide.
However, Lincoln's future remains fraught with uncertainty. Its sales have long fallen to the bottom, and brand value and user reputation are accelerating their decline due to continuous price cuts. In a luxury car market with rising new energy penetration, the lack of competitive pure electric products in the short term will remain the brand's biggest shortcoming. Whether Lincoln can accelerate the launch of electrification models that truly meet the needs of the Chinese market, and find new differentiation in intelligence and user experience, will determine whether this century‑old brand will decline or be reborn.
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