New Lincoln concept marks China launch

Ford has revealed a new Lincoln MKX concept car to coincide with the launch of its premium arm into China. 

The new concept car previews a new global SUV based on the Ford Edge that's tipped to go into production within the next 18 months. It is the first time that Lincoln has revealed a concept car outside of North America.

Speaking ahead of the Beijing motor show, Ford boss Alan Mulally said he believed that Lincoln was "absolutely ready to take on the world’s largest car market". He also stated that Lincoln aimed to give better value and better service than other imported luxury brands. 

The brand will start sales with two US-built models: the MKZ saloon, based on the next-generation Ford Mondeo, and the MKC SUV. The range will grow to include larger SUVs, including a production version of the MKC, and the all-new Lincoln Navigator in 2016.

Mulally wouldn’t reveal sales targets for Lincoln in China, though Ford is expected to sell more than one million cars in the market in 2014.

Ford’s sales and marketing boss, Jim Farley, refused to give sales targets for Lincoln, but revealed that the cars would be sold in a different, "more personalised" way than other luxury brands.

Lincoln took the unprecedented step of building a prototype dealership in Shanghai three years ago in order to research and test customer preferences.