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The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

author:Fortune Chinese Network

Preface

In 1917, inventor Henry Leland had to leave his own Cadillac because he disagreed with General Motors President William Durant. Rather than be discouraged, he turned to Lincoln and switched to producing an aircraft engine called the Liberty L-12.

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

Henry Leland and his family

Two years later, unable to receive new orders from the military, Henry Leland reorganized Lincoln into a luxury car company, and he developed the original Lincoln L Series car that was far faster and smoother than its main competitors at the time. With a wealth of technology, Lincoln was eventually incorporated into the Ford Motor Company in 1922 and focused on the production of luxury automobiles.

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

Ford II and his wife, then the head of Ford, in front of the Lincoln L Series in 1922 (Photo source: Lincoln China official website)

From "heaven" to "landing", Lincoln has completed a gorgeous transformation and transformation since then. After more than 100 years of development, the automotive industry has finally reached a historic watershed, and the increasingly mature new energy industry has made all traditional car companies begin to think about where to go in the future. In the face of this big test, Lincoln, who has rich experience in transformation, also handed in his own answer sheet.

Actively embrace transformation and learn from the strengths of others

In 1914, Ford Motor Company, together with Thomas Edison, developed one of the world's first electric concept cars. In the 50s of the 20th century, as the U.S. federal government began to legislate to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, Ford restarted vehicle electrification research, which continues to this day.

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

Edison with his electric car

Lincoln, which has been deeply involved in the field of traditional luxury fuel vehicles for many years, also enjoys rich technical reserves in the field of electrification, as a luxury brand belonging to the same group.

Therefore, in the face of the watershed of electrification transformation, Lincoln did not rest on its laurels and stick to the traditional fuel track, nor did it choose to gamble and fully devote itself to the pure electric future, but chose to actively embrace the transformation on the basis of the original technology accumulation, learn from the strengths of others, and choose the gasoline-electric hybrid track as the entry point to launch a new Lincoln electric hybrid family positioned as "making luxury more beautiful".

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

The all-new Lincoln electric hybrid family

The reason for choosing gasoline-electric hybrid is that Lincoln is keenly aware that there are still a large number of "swing parties" among consumers, who not only recognize the accumulation of luxury brands, but also attach importance to the accumulation of technology; they have reservations about new power brands and pursue a steady transition, but they are also worried that fuel vehicles will be outdated and want to keep up with the times; they want a pleasant driving experience, but they also have concerns about the fuel consumption of traditional high-horsepower......

In this regard, Wu Shengbo, Vice President of Ford Motor Group and President and CEO of Ford China, said at the launch of Lincoln's new electric hybrid family: "The most important thing in China today is brand and technology. Lincoln insisted on exploring the needs of its own users, and finally chose to embrace the electrification track in the form of oil hybrid. ”

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

Wu Shengbo, Vice President of Ford Motor Group and President and CEO of Ford China

The all-new Lincoln family is powered by Ford's latest Power Split hybrid technology. On this basis, Lincoln has equipped its electric hybrid family with a number of advanced equipment such as high-speed flat wire dual motors and low-nickel NCM111 ternary lithium battery packs, helping the new Lincoln electric hybrid family achieve three major advantages:

- Inductance acceleration: Taking the new electric hybrid Lincoln Z as an example, it is equipped with a 2.0T inline 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that has been selected as one of the top ten engines of Ward for many times, which can output a maximum power of 214kW and a maximum torque of 410N·m, and on this basis, an electric drive system is added, with a maximum power of 140kW and a maximum torque of 320N·m, bringing the strongest surging power in the same class, and the acceleration of 100 kilometers in 6 seconds, even compared with many pure electric cars in the same class.

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

- Fuel consumption halved: The all-new Lincoln Adventurer, for example, uses an eight-layer flat wire motor with a system efficiency of up to 96.5%, resulting in excellent energy efficiency. The maximum cruising range of a full tank of fuel is as high as 1,252 km, the fuel consumption is as low as 5.35 liters under the comprehensive working condition (WLTC) per 100 kilometers, and the fuel consumption is as low as 4.71 liters per 100 km in urban conditions, which is 52% lower than that of the fuel version of the model, and the cost of No. 95 gasoline is as low as about 40 yuan/100 km in urban areas at 8.50 yuan/liter.

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

- Worry-free battery life: Lincoln's new electric hybrid family uses a highly integrated low-nickel ternary lithium battery pack and is equipped with an industry-leading high-efficiency integrated water cooling system, which can still provide sufficient discharge efficiency to start the engine at a low temperature of -40°C. Its battery pack has undergone six tests: salt spray, drop, overcharge, soaking, acupuncture, and cycling, which is safe and reliable, and can achieve up to 100% braking energy recovery without fear of cold and heat, and can achieve nominal battery life without charging.

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

Rooted in the Chinese market, interpreting the new generation of American luxury

On September 16, 1920, Lincoln's first car, the Lincoln L-Series, rolled off the assembly line. The new engine developed for Henri Leland was equipped with an old-fashioned and luxurious custom bodywork, which allowed it to reach high speeds of 113 km/h in its time, and was an instant hit.

In 1924, Lincoln officially became the official car of US President Coolidge, and since then it has gained a firm foothold in the highly competitive US luxury car market, from Kennedy to Nixon, many US presidents have been loyal users of Lincoln.

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

Former U.S. President Calvin Coolidge and his Lincoln L series at the White House

Since then, Lincoln has officially skyrocketed, profoundly influencing the American luxury car market in the 20th century. The Lincoln Zephyr was one of the first models to incorporate aerodynamics into the exterior design of the vehicle, the original Lincoln Continental was recognized as a milestone in automotive design and was named "the most beautiful car ever made" by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Lincoln Continental Mark 2 was the most expensive American car at the time, with a price comparable to that of the Rolls-Royce of the period, and the original Lincoln Navigator in 1997, the world's first full-size luxury SUV, which pioneered this segment. In the 90s of the 20th century, Lincoln used its Town car and its extended models to leave the earliest deep memory of American luxury in the Chinese market, when the automobile industry was still in its infancy.

In 2014, Lincoln officially brought its 100th anniversary to China, bringing not only outstanding cars, but also an American luxury experience designed for Chinese consumers, which Lincoln calls the "Lincoln Way" - including a warmer, more comfortable, home-like store environment, more personalized test drive routes and customized services, more transparent repair and maintenance processes, financial services policies, and so on. In 2020, Lincoln further started localization in China, providing Chinese consumers with a more standard American luxury experience.

In the era of electrification, Lincoln has not forgotten the "Lincoln Way" on which they relied to survive in the Chinese market. Taking the new electric hybrid Lincoln Adventurer as an example, Lincoln has comprehensively upgraded the cockpit, not only equipped with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster + 27-inch panoramic screen that is very popular with Chinese consumers, but also upgraded the car machine chip to 8155 chip, and various intelligent controls are one step faster. At the same time, the all-new electric hybrid Lincoln Z and the all-new electric hybrid Lincoln Adventurer are even more electric with the blessing of electric drive, showing American luxury in quiet and comfortable performance. In addition to ANC active noise cancellation, it also features 5-layer acoustic noise reduction glass, combined with 24-way electrically adjustable front seats with ventilation, heating and massage functions, providing users with a unique quiet and luxurious experience.

The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China

The interior and cockpit of the all-new hybrid Lincoln Z

postscript

In 2009, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology promulgated the "New Energy Vehicle Manufacturers and Product Access Management Rules" to promote the technological progress of automotive products, protect the environment, save energy, achieve sustainable development, and encourage enterprises to research, develop and produce new energy vehicles. Since then, China has entered the fast lane of new energy vehicle development.

Over the past 15 years, electrification players in China's passenger car market have been emerging, some of them short-lived, some of them leaping forward, and together they have brought the automotive industry to a watershed moment in the new energy transformation. However, even the staunchest proponents of electrification must admit that BEVs still have pain points that are difficult to solve – range, energy replenishment, and safety...... It is more suitable as a supplement to traditional fuel vehicles.

From the understated Lincoln Series L to the elegant and luxurious new Lincoln family, for more than 100 years, Lincoln has always believed that "there is no such thing as the best car, only the most suitable car". Lincoln, which has always been user-oriented, knows that for most Chinese consumers, cars are still a family asset that cannot be made and cannot be lost. The Lincoln electric hybrid family chooses the most suitable solution to provide customers with confidence and calmness.

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The Lincoln Way: A century-old luxury brand in the new energy era writes a new chapter in China