Ford announces new SUV strategy for China
Ford has announced a new SUV strategy for China. Biggest news: the Lincoln MKC will be made locally at the Changan-Ford joint venture, starting in 2019. The MKC is based on the same platform as the Ford Kuga/Escape, already in production at Changan-Ford.
The current locally made lineup furthermore includes the Ecoboost, the Edge, and the Everest. On top of that, Ford imports the Explorer and the Lincoln MKC, MKX, and Navigator. That adds up to eight cars. The MKC will switch from import to locally-made. In the end, that’s still eight. Ford did not announce any new SUVs specifically for the Chinese market.
A bigger push comes from the electric corner. Ford will invest in EV research & development centers at its Changan-Ford and Jiangling-Ford joint ventures. By 2025 the brand wants to have an EV-version of every SUV it makes in China. First up is the Kuga EV. It will hit the market in 2019, with a 140 hp electric motor and a 450 kilometer range.
Absent from the strategy was Ford’s recently announced new joint venture with copy-cat car maker Zotye. That joint venture will make a range of affordable electric cars under a completely new brand.
