Ford Phases Out Lincoln Imports From China, Shifts Production to the U.S.
On August 12, 2026, Ford Motor Company said it will increase U.S. production of its Lincoln vehicles beginning in 2030 and phase out importing those vehicles from China for the U.S. market. Ford said the move will further strengthen its position as America's No. 1 auto producer, and that the increased production is expected to generate “thousands of direct and indirect U.S. jobs.”
The reversal is notable because Ford announced the opposite move only three years earlier: in 2023 it said the next-generation Lincoln Nautilus would be imported from China, the first time the brand brought a vehicle from China into the U.S. market. The Lincoln Navigator and Aviator are currently assembled in Louisville, Kentucky, and Chicago, and Ford said both will continue to be exported to markets including Canada, Mexico and the Middle East.
Ford reported assembling more than 2 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, including 311,000 units exported to more than 60 international markets. The announcement lands against a backdrop of automotive tariffs and continued uncertainty over the USMCA North American trade agreement.