2024 Lincoln Nautilus
Ford
Ford Motor will import its next-generation Lincoln Nautilus from China to the U.S., the company said Monday night.
The midsize crossover is currently produced for the U.S. at Ford’s Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada. The automaker recently announced it would be investing 1.8 billion Canadian dollars (about $1.3 billion) to transition the facility into a new electric vehicle hub.
This marks the first time Lincoln will import a vehicle to the U.S. from China.
Importing a vehicle from China to the U.S. is not unprecedented but can draw public and political criticism or backlash, especially when tensions between the two countries are high.
Most notably, General Motors has been criticized for importing its Buick Envision crossover from China to the U.S. since 2016. The Detroit automaker has sold more than 200,000 of the China-made vehicles, which American union officials have called the “Invasion” and “a slap in the face.”
2024 Lincoln Nautilus
Ford
Importing a vehicle from overseas to the U.S. can make good business sense, however, for a company such as Ford.
“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.”
Brinley said the decision to import the Nautilus does not suggest a fundamental shift for future Lincolns for the U.S. market, noting the company continues to produce most of its vehicles for the U.S. market in North America.
“Lincoln is a global brand that is growing,” a Lincoln spokeswoman said in an email. “As we execute our U.S. manufacturing growth plans, we think it makes sense to centralize Nautilus production in China for both markets (since we already produce Nautilus in China for the local market) which allows us to gain manufacturing efficiencies and retool our Oakville facility to get ready to build our next generation EVs.”
The…
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