Where Are Lincoln Cars Made, And Who Owns The Company Today?
Father and son duo Henry and Wilfred Leland founded the Lincoln Motor Company back in 1917. The company, named after President Abraham Lincoln, started out producing aircraft engines during the First World War before shifting focus to luxury cars. After a few short years in business, Ford would purchase the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922 for $8 million. Now, a century later, the Lincoln Motor Company is still owned by the Blue Oval brand, and while it continues to focus on luxury automobiles, the company has historically produced a wide range of models.Â
Lincoln recently stopped producing pickup trucks and sedans, and now primarily produces SUVs and crossovers. Lincoln still manufactures many of its models in the US, with three manufacturing plants spread between Louisville, Kentucky and Chicago, Illinois. There are two plants in Louisville: the Kentucky Truck Plant and the Louisville Assembly Plant. The former is responsible for employing over 9,000 workers and spans 500 acres, and has been producing Navigator models since 2009, while the latter’s main focus is building the Corsair. Meanwhile, Lincoln’s Chicago plant focuses on producing the Aviator.Â
Why are some Lincoln cars made in China?
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The eagle-eyed Lincoln enthusiasts among you will note that, while the Navigator, Corsair, and Aviator are answered for here, the Nautilus is not. That’s because production of the Nautilus shifted from Canada to China in 2024, at the Changan Plant, while Ford gears up the Canadian Oakville plant for EV production.
This makes sense, as Lincoln sells particularly well in China, so bringing some production closer to home, as it were, would understandably reduce costs concerned with getting vehicles delivered to that side of the world. In fact, Lincoln sales in China outpaced domestic sales in 2021 for the first time, which demonstrates the appetite folks have for the brand over there. We were fortunate enough to drive and review the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus, and highlights for us included the impressive technology onboard, plus the smooth and comfortable ride, so it comes as no surprise to see the SUV performing so well overseas.
