Lincoln’s new SUV will be imported from China

By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN Business

Lincoln unveiled a redesigned version of its Nautilus SUV, which it says will have the largest display screen of any competitor and a selection of built-in scents to create a more relaxing atmosphere.

But perhaps the most notable change is where the car will be manufactured: The new model will be imported to the United States from China when it goes on sale here early next year, a Lincoln spokesperson said.

Lincoln is Ford’s luxury brand and currently the Nautilus is built for the North American market in Ford’s factory in Ontario, Canada. But Ford plans to shift that plant to produce electric vehicles and EV battery packs starting in 2025. The new Nautilus will be gasoline-powered, as are the current versions.

The Nautilus will certainly not be the only Chinese-made vehicle sold in the United States. General Motors’ Buick Envision SUV is produced in China and Volvo’s S90 full-sized sedan is also imported from China. The current generation Nautilus is already produced in China for that market, where the Lincoln brand is popular. With the Canadian plant being repurposed for electric vehicles, the decision was made to simply build the SUVs for the United States in China as well, a Lincoln spokesperson said.

The timing of Ford’s decision to build the Nautilus in China comes at a delicate moment, amid heightened tensions between the US and China.

At an unveiling event in New York City, however, most of the focus was on the vehicle’s features and how it can help Lincoln recover from a sales slump that Lincoln president Dianne Craig blamed on computer chip shortages.

“This year we’re so excited because it’s time to grow again. We need to grow again,” she said in an interview with CNN. “Nautilus is going to be a huge catalyst to do that.”

The new SUV has a display that Lincoln executives boast is the largest in its competitive class. Stretching from one edge of the dashboard to the other, it shows driving data, such as the speedometer, on the left side for the driver. Entertainment, map data, and less critical information fills the rest of the screen. It can also be set to display nothing or just soothing images on large portions of the screen.

There is also a smaller, rectangular touchscreen within reach of the driver and front passenger. That screen can be used to control various features of the SUV and to customize what information is shown on the big screen.

A section of the doors has black plastic through which colored “ambient” lights can glow. On the front doors, this gives the impression that the massive front screen even extends into the doors.

In the design and marketing of its vehicles, Lincoln has in recent years emphasized quiet and relaxation rather than performance. To that end, the Nautilus will also offer “digital scenting.”

Like a built-in customizable car air freshener, drivers will be able to select subtle, relaxing scents from three different cartridges. The scents will also coordinate with changing interior lighting colors, images on the display screen, relaxing sounds and seat massage functions to turn the SUV into a place to sit and relax. These are similar to functions available on some Mercedes-Benz models.

“We believe the tranquility that you can actually experience in your car, whether it be the display, whether it be just the senses all around you, [sound], sight smell, that it’s going to make for a really unique experience for our customers,” Craig said.

The SUV will also feature Ford’s new BlueCruise 1.2 technology that allows drivers to remove their hands from the steering wheel for long stretches on selected major highways. The latest version of the technology allows the vehicle to make lane changes on its own when requested by he driver, something that’s not unique to this model but a new capability for Ford’s hands-free system.

Buyers will be able to choose either a 250 horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine or a 310 horsepower hybrid system. Prices for the new Nautilus will start at about $50,000 and at around $74,500 for the top-level Black Label models.

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