Lincoln enters the race for fourth place in luxury car market

When Lincoln entered China for the second time in 2014, it announced that it would introduce five models within two years. Now, as 2016 is coming to an end, with the Lincoln Continental making a new appearance as the "family flagship model", Lincoln not only uses the honor of "sales dark horse" to declare its determination to win the Chinese market, but also marks the fulfillment of its promise.

"We don't have a specific sales forecast, but the launch of the all-new Lincoln Continental marks Lincoln's entry into a market segment with overall sales of 500,000 units per year, which will definitely boost our sales," Mei Aiming told the Securities Daily reporter.

According to the latest sales data released by Lincoln China, Lincoln's sales in China reached 8,546 units in the third quarter of 2016, and its total sales in the first three quarters reached 20,996 units, both of which increased by more than 191% over the same period last year.

Entering the battle for the fourth luxury car brand

As a mid-to-large car from a luxury brand, with a price range of 418,800 to 613,800 yuan, the Lincoln Continental will undoubtedly target its competitors: the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6L. The Cadillac CT6, also from the United States, will also become the main competitor of the new Continental in the market.

As a traditional American luxury car, although the tough style of the Town Car in the 1990s has been deliberately weakened in the current Lincoln, the Continental still retains the rugged and noble American genes to cater to the aesthetic tastes of the Chinese market.

The reporter observed that Lincoln, which is reinventing luxury, adjusted the price range of the new MKZ to below 400,000 yuan by adjusting the model configuration before the new Lincoln Continental was launched. At that time, Lincoln had already provided protection for the 2.0T high-power version of the new Lincoln Continental.

Lincoln said that by 2025, the mid-to-large luxury sedan segment will grow by more than 60% compared to 2015. Even though the BBA pattern has been established, the competition for this market by other brands continues. The key is that China's auto market is large enough, and everything is possible if there is a market.

Brand revitalization is more important than sales

Two years ago, Lincoln entered China for the second time. The high-profile Lincoln adopted a low-price strategy. Data proves that the low-price marketing strategy is effective. In 2015, Lincoln brand new car sales for the whole year were 11,630 units, exceeding expectations. In the first three quarters of 2016 alone, sales reached 21,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 191%, the largest increase among all domestic luxury brands, and ranked tenth.

The launch of the new flagship model, the Lincoln Continental, will evoke memories of Lincoln as an American luxury brand in the minds of more Chinese consumers. However, facing the three German automakers with a more stable market foothold, a starting price of more than 400,000 yuan will help revitalize the brand, but if you want to increase sales, is it too high a price?

Mei Aiming said that after the launch of the new MKZ sedan, the feedback from consumers was unexpectedly good. We expect that after the launch of the new Lincoln Continental, the sedan will have higher sales than in the past.

"The launch of the all-new Lincoln Continental marks our entry into a brand new market segment. This market segment is very large in China, with overall sales reaching 500,000 units per year. Being able to enter this huge market segment is very important for Lincoln. We do not have a specific numerical expectation, but we believe that the all-new Lincoln Continental will boost our own sales," Mei Aiming told reporters.

Mei Aiming told reporters that Lincoln's main focus is currently on three things: first, further enhancing Lincoln brand awareness; second, further expanding Lincoln brand accessibility and dealer coverage; and third, further improving the "Lincoln Way" service.

Currently, Lincoln has 54 Lincoln Centers and four branches in operation in China, and is planning to build 65 Lincoln Centers by the end of 2016 and 80 Lincoln Centers by the end of 2017.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.