Who Owns Lincoln Motor Company And Where Are The Cars Built?

Lincoln is a leader in luxury automotive design, known for focusing on comfort and performance. As well as producing iconic models like the Continental and the Navigator, Lincoln was the official provider of presidential vehicles from 1939 to 1989. This tradition began when then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt commissioned a 1939 Lincoln K Series, which was later fitted with security measures like bulletproof glass and armored plating. Other Lincoln-driving presidents include John F. Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush. Another of Lincoln's claims to fame was providing the batmobile for the 1960s TV series. Adam West's Batman drove a modified 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car on the show.

Lincoln Motor Company was founded in 1917 by engineer Henry Leland and named after Abraham Lincoln, the first president that Leland ever voted for. The company originally produced Liberty V12 aircraft engines during World War I. Leland sold Lincoln to the Ford Motor Company for $8 million in 1922 (equivalent to $140 million today), who still own the brand over 100 years later. Henry Ford's son, Edsel Ford, who was president of Ford Motors at that time, championed the acquisition. He remarked, "Father made the most popular cars in the world; I want to make the best."

Until 2024, Lincoln built all the cars for the U.S. market in North America, in plants in Illinois, Kentucky, and Canada. In April 2023, Lincoln hit the headlines when it announced that it would move all production of the Nautilus to its Chinese manufacturing plant in Chongqing, including those sold in America, making the first time that Lincoln cars for the U.S. market have been exported from outside North America.

The decision isn't as surprising as it would first seem. Although Lincoln cars aren't sold in Europe or Australasia, there is a strong market for its vehicles in China, South Korea, and the Middle East. According to statistics released in 2022, Lincoln car sales in China outnumbered sales in America for the first time in 2021.

Lincoln cars have been manufactured in China since 2020 for sale to the Asian market. Production is managed by Changan Ford, a joint venture between Ford and the Chinese-owned Changan Automobile company. The business has now expanded its operations to accommodate the American market.

The Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario, Canada, formerly responsible for manufacturing the Nautilus, will now focus on Lincoln's upcoming range of electric vehicles.

For now, the rest of Lincoln's lineup is still being built in North America. The Lincoln Aviator is made at the Chicago Assembly Plant in Illinois. This facility has been producing Ford vehicles since 1924 when it would produce 600 Model T Fords a day. Today, in addition to the Aviator, the site also assembles Ford Explorers and Police Interceptor Utility vehicles.

Compact crossover SUV, the Lincoln Corsair, is manufactured at the Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky. The site is next to the Louisville International Airport and also makes Ford Escapes. Ford also owns another manufacturing plant in Louisville, the Kentucky Truck Assembly, which is where the Lincoln Navigator and Navigator L are built. This site also produces the Ford Super Duty and Ford Expedition.

Of course, not every car component is built from scratch on the premises. The engines are mainly produced at Ford plants in Ohio and Michigan, and transmission systems are also primarily built in the U.S. However, many smaller components are manufactured abroad. Lincoln sources parts from all over the world, including airbags from Sweden, steering systems from Hungary, and sunroofs from Germany.