Ford Lincoln gets ready to produce luxury SUV in China by 2019

Ford‘s luxury unit Lincoln prepares to produce high-end SUVs in China by late 2019, as it steps up its get into the world’s biggest vehicle market and intends to overtake German and U.S. competitors who presently manufacture in the Asian nation.

The plan is to develop a brand new sports utility vehicle (SUV) to match Chinese tastes, Lincoln China stated. Ford prepares to utilize an existing assembly plant it jointly runs with Chongqing Changan Auto to produce the luxury cars, a Ford spokesperson in Shanghai stated.

Such cars are presently imported into China, and their sales have jumped nearly 180 percent in 2016, according to the statement.

“The move to local production is a crucial next step in Lincoln’s evolution in China and will complement ongoing imports from North America,” it stated.

The statement provided no other details about the strategies. The Ford spokesperson refused to provide the model’s awaited production volume or explain the design other than to say it is an SUV.

The Changan-Ford joint venture remains in the procedure of getting approval for this transfer to produce Lincoln automobiles locally in China, the spokesman stated.