Lincoln Brand to Debut in China

Ford Motor Co. says it will introduce its Lincoln brand in China in the second half of 2014.

The company aims to distinguish Lincoln from established luxury marques there by emphasizing an "exceptional and personalized" experience. Ford points to research that suggests a growing number of affluent Chinese consumers are shifting from a desire to display their wealth to a focus on the personal experience of buying luxury items.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally says recognition of the Lincoln name in China is "very, very high," even though the brand has never been sold there. Richard Baker, formerly an executive with Changan Ford Sales Co. in China, will lead the rollout as local general manager for Lincoln.

IHS Automotive predicts the country's luxury vehicle market will expand by 2020 to about 9% of China's total sales from 6% today. The firm says annual luxury volume will reach about 2.7 million units by then, surpassing the size of the corresponding American market.

Ford currently accounts for less than 3% of the overall Chinese car market and has virtually no presence in the luxury segment there.

Lincoln's China strategy comes as Ford attempts to revive the brand in the U.S., where demand reached only 85,600 units last year from a peak of 231,500 units in 1990.