Ford has become the latest company to cave in to U.S. government pressure to block Chinese-made vehicles and technologies from entering the country.
The automaker has confirmed plans to move production of some Lincoln vehicles, including the Nautilus SUV, from China to the U.S. starting in 2030. Ford CEO Jim Farley told Reuters the move was difficult but necessary to strengthen the U.S. auto manufacturing base.
Lincoln Nautilus Production Will Be Transferred From China From 2030
Lincoln
He said U.S.-made Lincoln vehicles would be sold in the domestic market as part of a significant effort to scale up output; the automaker has not disclosed which factories will build the Lincoln models transferred from China, though.
Ford’s announcement follows a similar move from General Motors, which previously said it would move production of the Buick Envision SUV to the U.S. from China starting in 2028.
“We made this decision as soon as the policy of the administration was set,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said. ”We knew exactly what they wanted to do, and we knew exactly what it meant for Ford,” he added in a joint interview with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The Lincoln Nautilus is currently subject to a U.S. import tariff of 52.5%, Ford confirmed. Farley noted that both the U.S. import tariffs and restrictions under the Commerce Department’s Connected Vehicle Rule, which bans some Chinese tech and hardware in U.S. models, prompted Ford to make the decision, though the hefty tariffs were the driving factor.
China-Made Nautilus Remains On Sale For The Time Being
Lincoln
For now, Ford can still sell the China-made Lincoln Nautilus in the U.S. as the vehicle no longer needs an authorization to sell in the country, a company spokesman told Reuters on August 12. The automaker had previously said the Nautilus software was developed in the U.S. but installed into the vehicle in China, requiring government approval to continue selling it stateside.
The Lincoln Nautilus midsize luxury crossover SUV sold 34,000 units in the U.S. last year, making it the brand’s best seller ahead of the compact Corsair. The Nautilus is made at a plant in Hangzhou by Ford’s joint-venture with state-owned manufacturer Changan.
Ford started importing the Nautilus from China in 2024, citing a lack of available production capacity in North America at the time. Now that a decision has been made to move production to the U.S., Ford will need to allocate new domestic capacity to the Nautilus, which is probably why the transfer will not happen for another four years.
Nautilus aside, Lincoln’s entire model lineup is built in the United States. The Aviator is made at the Chicago Assembly Plant while the Navigator is made in Louisville, Kentucky. The Corsair compact SUV, which is no longer in production, also used to be assembled in Louisville.
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