The Lincoln MKZ sedan has been launched in China, alongside the MKC SUV, marking the arrival of the Lincoln brand on the Chinese auto market. Price for the Lincoln MKZ starts at 315.800 yuan and ends at 395.800 yuan ($51.600 – 64.700). The Chinese name of Lincoln is Linken (林肯).

The gear selector is located on the left-side of the center console, a first in China.

The MSRP of the Lincoln MKZ in the U.S. is $35.190. The price difference is causes mostly by China’s high import taxes. The Lincoln MKZ is imported into China but will be manufactured locally in the not-too-distant future, but exactly when is yet unknown. Local production will bring price down by about 20%.

The Lincoln MKZ will compete with cars such as the Audi A4L, the BMW 3Li, the new Cadillac ATS-L, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class L, and the Volvo S60L. All these cars are locally made stretched variants exclusively for the Chinese market.

The Lincoln MKZ is available with the 2.0 turbocharged Ecoboost petrol engine in two versions: 203hp and 300nm, and 253hp and 389nm, both mated to a six-speed automatic. The 3.7 liter V6 will not be available in China as the Chinese import taxes would make it too expensive. The larger the engine the larger the tax.

The MKZ is based on the same platform as the Ford Fusion/Mondeo. The Ford Mondeo is manufactured in China at the Chang’an-Ford joint venture. Price starts at 179.800 yuan and ends at 265.800 yuan.

The base MKZ is thus almost twice as expensive as the base Mondeo.

As of this moment Lincoln only has three (3) dealers in China; a flagship store in Beijing, one in Shanghai, and one in Hangzhou. Lincoln will soon open three more dealers in Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Qingdao, bringing the total to six (6). Eventually Lincoln wants to have 35 dealers in China, which is still a tiny fraction compared to the completion, who all got at least 300 dealers in the country.

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