Ford to build more Lincolns for Chinese market locally: CFO

Reuters

Published May 15, 2019 10:24AM ET

Ford to build more Lincolns for Chinese market locally: CFO

By Nick Carey

(Reuters) - Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Co plans to start production of new luxury Lincoln models in China for that market as they are launched, starting with the new Corsair later this year, to benefit from lower costs and avoid the risk of tariffs, a top executive said on Monday.

"It's a huge, huge opportunity for Lincoln because we see China as Ground Zero for Lincoln given the size of the market and how well the brand has been received," Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks said at a Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) conference in New York.

Ford has lower levels of localized production than rivals General Motors Co (NYSE:GM) or Volkswagen (DE:VOWG_p) AG, who make more vehicles in China for Chinese consumers, benefiting from lower labor and material costs, and avoiding tariffs in the burgeoning trade war between the United States and China.

Shanks said all new Lincoln models, with the exception of the Navigator assembled in Louisville, Kentucky, will also be produced in China.

He declined to say how much Ford will save through localized production.

Ford has been struggling to revive sales in China, the automaker's second biggest market. Ford sales slumped 37 percent in 2018, after a 6 percent decline in 2017.