Lincoln Luxury Gets A Special Touch For Chinese Market

By Martha Hindes
Senior Editor
Michigan Bureau
The Auto Channel

Detroit MI Nov 3, 2015; If you like to watch your Lincoln auto being repaired, you might want to consider moving to China.

At today's APA meeting which was held at the Detroit Athletic Club Lincoln, Ford Motor Co's. luxury brand announced is building a state of the art dealerships in China that is taking into account the preferences, culture and need to build trust among the Chinese people. As Lincoln continues to separate itself in brand recognition from parent company Ford, it is planning to expand it dealerships from 22 to 65 in China by the end of 2016. And those bear little relationship to the company's U.S. stores.

Chinese customers surveyed by Lincoln did not like the idea of negotiating across a desk. Instead of large showrooms with cubicles, the Chinese experience will be more like a living room atmosphere on a grand scale. Speaking before the Automotive Press Association in Detroit Tuesday, Lincoln President Kumar Galhotra said those dealerships will be more like living rooms, art galleries or even luxurious hotel lobbies which appeal more to the Chinese character.

Instead of driving into a service center and having paperwork filled out at that time, appointments can be made online so there's no delay when arriving. Instead, a loaner car is ready and waiting. A Chinese buying a Lincoln, likely could be buying a first vehicle, so it is a very special experience. To accommodate that, the dealership has a special place for it to be picked up and it could be covered with a silk cloth.

In the trust-building capacity, every part removed during a repair is returned to the customer and the work performed explained by a technician at that time. For those wanting to see how the work is done, Chinese Lincoln owners will be able to watch it in progress on their vehicles from a loft. And for those who can't stay to observe, an overhead camera in place over each work bay has a live video feed that the customer can watch remotely.

And while Lincoln has a Black Label membership available on some of its vehicles that includes a premium maintenance plan, a single point of contact throughout the repair process, concierge service available car washes and annual detailing it does not have plans to have American dealerships change to Chinese style.

In an effort to break out Lincoln with its own unique brand recognition, Galhotra cited "the Lincoln embrace" as the feeling it is generating so that driving a Lincoln is quietly elegant, with flowing calm interiors and uncluttered interiors that offer just enough, but not too much interior action, so its quiet luxury is de-stressing.

But many Americans buying a Lincoln still want performance even if it is more subdued than blatantly aggressive with 0 to 60 numbers the most valued asset, the kind that typically might be driven by what Galhotra termed an "Alpha Dog." There are five other sub categories among its luxury categories, including family and a more serene driving experience as well as drivers who know exactly what they need and bypass extraneous details by going to straight to that vehicle. Its current lineup of five core vehicles is expected to be expanded with two new additions by 2020 which Galthotra did not identify.

He said an American going back to a dealership for a third MKZ is likely to say, "just give me the keys," without the added drama.