SUVs to Drive China Sales for Ford's Lincoln Brand

Sedans accounted for 42% of Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln brand sales in China last year, but future growth will be dominated by SUV/crossovers.

Joy Falotico, the CEO of Ford Motor Credit who took over as Lincoln’s chief marketing officer last month, tells Bloomberg TV that sedans generated 42% of Lincoln sales in China.

But Falotico notes that last year China became the world’s largest market for crossovers. She says the country’s booming demand for SUVs will define Lincoln’s growth there.

Premium SUVs controlled 30% of China’s crossover segment five years ago, Falotico tells Bloomberg. That ratio rose to 45% last year and is expected to attain 60% in the next few years, she tells Bloomberg TV.

Lincoln plans to debut its first locally produced SUV—an all-new model designed for the Chinese market—in 2019. Lincoln is expanding its dealer network in China 25% to 125 stores this year.