Lincoln To China: Fresh Start, Or Relaunch?

In the most recent installments of the never-ending rumors on Lincoln's long march to China, Chinese media claimed that the Lincolns would be built at a new Ford plant in Hangzhou.  Dearborn denied everything. Yesterday, Ford confirmed for the first time that Lincoln would be coming to China. Today, Ford broke ground  at the Hangzhou plant, while someone says that Lincoln had been in China on the say, and that it did not work out. "Hangzhou is really critical because of the market that it serves, and it diversifies our operations," Ford CEO Alan Mulally told Reuters after the groundbreaking. "The customer base here is fantastic." The Hangzhou factory is only one of five Ford is building as a foundation of its better-late-than-never attack at the world's largest auto market. On Monday, Mulally was at another groundbreaking of Ford's third assembly plant in Chongqing. Currently, the plan is to import Lincolns from the U.S.  Chinese production, be it in Hangzhou or elsewhere, is not being debated. What is being debated is Ford's claim that Lincoln is a virgin as far as China is concerned. "This is a relaunch of the Lincoln brand" says a source in China that wants his name unmentioned for fear of recriminations. "Lincoln sold the Navigator in China in 05/06 via Ford dealerships.  I was in a Ford dealership with someone from Ford  back then, and I asked him why there were Navigators everywhere. "  When people asked the same question later , they were told that "these were probably gray imports."  Further questions were rebuffed with an  "I didn't work at Ford during that period, I don't know." "The Navigator was a turd in China," says the source. "No wonder they want to forget it." from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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