Ford Motor has unveiled its new Lincoln Nautilus and announced the 2024 midsize SUV will be imported to the United States from China. Photo courtesy of Ford Motor
April 17 (UPI) — Ford Motor’s luxury Lincoln brand has announced it will import its first vehicle to the United States from China.
The U.S. automaker unveiled its new Lincoln Nautilus on Monday and announced the 2024 midsize SUV will be produced in and imported from China. A $1.3 billion investment, to turn Ford’s assembly plant in Ontario, Canada, into a new electric vehicle facility, has forced the automaker to build Lincoln’s new vehicle somewhere else.
“In this case, it’s a good use of resources,” said Stephanie Brinley, associate director of research at S&P Global Mobility. “Without importing, Lincoln does not get the product, and the brand needs products between now and when its EVs arrive.”
Ford currently builds its Lincoln Nautilus in China for the local market and will temporarily expand production to build and export vehicles back to the United States.
The 2024 Nautilus, which has a 48-inch dashboard display and an internal combustion engine for now, will go on sale in the first quarter of 2024 with a starting price of $51,810. Lincoln currently has four electric vehicles in the works and plans to electrify its entire fleet by 2030.
Ford is not the first U.S. automaker to import one of its own vehicles from China. General Motors has faced backlash for importing its Buick Envision crossover from China since 2016. More than 200,000 China-made Buicks have been sold in the United States, which some union officials have called an “invasion” or a “slap in the face.”
