Aug. 13, 2026, 9:05 a.m. ET
Ford Motor Co. said it’ll end production of Lincoln vehicles in China for the U.S. market as a part of plans to grow the manufacturing of the luxury brand here starting in 2030.
Lincoln has built the Nautilus SUV in China since 2024 when it moved production to its joint venture with China Changan Automobile Group Co. Ltd. from Canada. It’s the only vehicle Ford builds there for U.S. customers, and increasing production in the United States will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, according to Ford, which didn’t share details of whether the vehicle being built here will be the Nautilus or another model. It also didn’t specify where a Lincoln vehicle could be built.
“Lincoln is a quintessentially American brand, and Ford is America’s automaker,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. “This wasn’t necessarily the easiest path. In fact, it’s a path most of our competitors aren’t choosing to take. But Ford builds in America because we believe in America, and we’re betting on that belief again.”
The move comes under increased federal backlash to Chinese manufactured goods over national security concerns. President Donald Trump has increased tariffs on Chinese imports.
Former President Joe Biden in his final days in office also signed a ban on China-originating vehicle parts. The software prohibition takes effect for model year 2027, while the hardware ban will be effective for model year 2030. A few lawmakers are looking to codify even more stringent rules. The requirements have prompted Polestar, a Volvo-affiliated electric vehicle brand of China-based Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd., to leave the United States.
Trump last month also signed an executive order limiting waivers for defense contractors using materials, parts and software from the country.
Crosstown rival General Motors Co. said in January it will move production of its Buick Envision to Missouri from China starting in 2028.
Last year, Ford adjusted shipments of U.S.-built vehicles to China in response to tariffs. That included at the time halting exports to China of F-150 Raptor pickups, Mustang muscle cars and Bronco SUVs built in Michigan, as well as Lincoln Navigator SUVs made in Kentucky in response to duties as high as 150%. But Ford continued to import the Nautilus.
The SUV’s U.S. sales are down 5.7% year-over-year through July, though the Lincoln brand’s are down 12.6% and Ford’s as a whole have declined 9.7%.
Ford last year assembled more vehicles (more than 2 million), exported more vehicles and employed more hourly workers (approximately 56,300) in the United States than any other automaker. Lincoln assembles the Navigator at a plant in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Aviator at its Chicago Assembly Plant. It exports both models to markets including Canada, Mexico and the Middle East.
Lincoln said earlier this year it was relocating its headquarters for marketing, sales and services teams to Detroit’s Michigan Central Station from the company’s world headquarters in Dearborn as the automaker moved to the new “Hub” from the Glass House. It shares the ninth floor with the Ford Model e electric vehicle division.
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