BEIJING -- (Business Wire)
The Lincoln Motor Company:
Lincoln officially introduces its brand to China today, offering an innovative ownership experience unlike any other to meet the evolving needs of today's Chinese luxury auto customer. Making the announcement are (left to right) Alan Mulally, president and CEO, Ford Motor Company; Jim Farley, executive vice president, Ford global marketing, sales and service and Lincoln; and Robert Parker, president, Lincoln China. (Photo: Business Wire)
>Lincoln officially introduces its brand to China today, offering an
innovative ownership experience unlike any other to meet the evolving
needs of today’s Chinese luxury auto customer
>Designed specifically for China customers, the brand has created The
Lincoln Way – an innovative new model that shifts luxury automotive
ownership from a sales-and-service transaction model to a
relationship-based experience model
>Lincoln will bring to China a new breed of global vehicles developed
with today’s Chinese luxury auto customer in mind. By 2016, Lincoln will
bring five new vehicles to China, starting this autumn with Lincoln MKZ,
a midsize luxury sedan, and Lincoln MKC, a small luxury utility vehicle.
The two vehicles will be followed by a midsize luxury SUV, an all-new
full-size luxury sedan and a large luxury SUV – Lincoln Navigator
>To demonstrate its unique offering to media and customers, the brand
has taken up residence at The Lincoln Space in Beijing, a bespoke
environment designed to bring to life the personally crafted dealership
experiences Chinese luxury customers can expect from Lincoln
>Lincoln vehicles will be sold through an independent network of 60
dealers in 50 cities across China by 2016. The first eight dealers will
open in seven cities this autumn
Lincoln, an iconic luxury automotive brand for discerning individuals
with a heritage linked to presidents, royalty and movie stars, begins a
new chapter in its nearly 100-year history today by bringing a
completely new approach to luxury automotive ownership in China.
Marking its official launch in China, Lincoln is showcasing to media and
the public the transformational products and innovative hospitality
approach to ownership it will provide to luxury car buyers there when
its first dealerships open this autumn.
“Throughout its history, the Lincoln brand has stood for meticulous
craftsmanship, fantastic breakthrough designs and a warm, welcoming
personal touch,” said Alan Mulally, president and CEO, Ford Motor
Company. “We are excited to bring Lincoln products and the Lincoln
customer experience to Chinese luxury customers. It is an important part
of our One Ford plan and demonstrates our commitment to China and to the
success of Lincoln globally.”
Connecting with the new luxury customer in China
The Lincoln team spent the last three years gaining a deep understanding
of the new luxury automotive customer in China. This included extensive
quantitative and qualitative deep-dives into luxury customer
segmentations, as well as behavior models and expectations. The team
used a variety of tools, including customer focus groups, mystery
shopping studies, data mining and benchmarking of luxury goods and
services in auto and non-auto industries.
“Our extensive study of the new luxury customer in China revealed that
they are underserved in the luxury auto market,” said Jim Farley,
executive vice president, Ford global marketing, sales and service and
Lincoln. “As a new brand entering the market in China, Lincoln has the
perfect opportunity to differentiate itself by creating a new way of
purchasing and owning a luxury vehicle that meets the personal needs of
today’s new luxury customer.”
The research showed that today’s Chinese luxury customers are quickly
evolving. They are no longer satisfied with luxury as an overt statement
of their personal net worth.
Instead, they are increasingly seeking luxury as a way to express their
individuality. They want luxury brands that can meet their personal
needs and reflect who they are as an individual. As a result, they also
want to build a personal relationship with brands whose culture and
values they can identify with.
“Success in China is key to our efforts to build Lincoln into a global
luxury automotive brand,” Farley said. “The needs of today’s luxury auto
customer in China have been fundamental to Lincoln’s brand rejuvenation
globally.”
The Lincoln team even took the unprecedented step of building a fully
functioning prototype dealer facility in Shanghai to research, test and
refine every aspect of the Lincoln customer journey throughout the
purchase and ownership process.
“Bringing Lincoln to China allows us to innovate, to do something never
done before in the automotive ownership experience,” Farley said. “Our
Lincoln customers in China will not only get the very best when it comes
to product, but also when it comes to the experience they get from their
dealer.”
The Lincoln Way – a dealership experience unlike any other
The result of this extensive work is The Lincoln Way – an innovative new
model for luxury automotive ownership designed to create lasting
relationships through personally crafted experiences that make a
connection with customers. Key elements of The Lincoln Way include a
distinct, welcoming home-like environment featuring a relaxing tea room;
intuitive personalized technology, with an exclusive Personalization
Studio; and complete sales and service transparency.
“The Lincoln Way captures how Lincoln sells and services its vehicles
and how Lincoln customers experience the brand,” Farley said. “It
completely shifts luxury automotive ownership from a sales and service
transaction model to an experience model. It was designed in China based
on the unmet expectations of luxury customers here, and it will launch
here first.”
“The Lincoln Way is rooted in Lincoln’s heritage of personal service,”
said Robert Parker, president, Lincoln China. “It is based on our
understanding of today’s evolving Chinese luxury customer and our
recognition that every man or woman who walks through our doors is a
unique individual, with his or her own deeply personal definition of
luxury.
“The Lincoln Way is our vision to treat every customer with the same
level of care and attention that Lincoln brings to the design of its
vehicles.”
The shift from transaction focus to relationship focus has a profound
impact on how a dealership facility is designed and how the customer
experience is defined.
Compared with other dealership facilities that are built around the
products and are often cold, impersonal and cavernous, a Lincoln
dealership is built around the customer, using clean, elegant designs,
harmonious colors and quality materials.
The overall effect is a warm, inviting environment that customers
associate with the living room of a home or a five-star hotel lobby.
Different zones and pavilions feature seating clusters where customers
can relax with their family and friends.
In line with this customer-centric dealership environment is a sales and
service experience that aims to surprise and delight. Different from a
traditional transaction-model dealership that is all about making the
sale, the purchase experience at the Lincoln dealership is designed
around building a relationship with the customer and understanding his
or her needs. Attentive and intuitive staff gauge when to allow for
self-exploration and when to provide assistance.
The key difference is Lincoln’s commitment to a “one size fits one”
experience versus the “one size fits all” approach of other brands. In
many dealerships today, a sales consultant helps a customer through the
sales process, after which the customer is turned over to the service
department with no one specifically dedicated to meet his or her needs.
At Lincoln dealerships, each customer has a dedicated team to ensure
personalized service tailored to the person’s individual needs and
consistently delivered throughout the ownership of the vehicle.
The personalized experience begins at arrival. Every Lincoln dealership
will feature license plate recognition technology that allows the
Lincoln Team to instantly recognize the Lincoln owner who has arrived.
An important part of The Lincoln Way is the Personalization Studio. In
traditional dealerships, customers are shown what is in stock, or they
sift through brochures before moving on to negotiations. In every
Lincoln dealership throughout China, the Personalization Studio will
allow customers to visually explore the entire array of models, colors
and features, configure their desired vehicle, and view a life-size
image of the vehicle both inside and out with family and friends before
making a selection.
When it comes to the vehicle maintenance process, The Lincoln Way
subverts the traditional model, which customers in China mistrust.
Feedback from luxury auto buyers raised concerns about being charged for
unnecessary repairs, the amount of time required to complete maintenance
and repair work, as well as the care given to the vehicles throughout
the process.
Lincoln customers will have complete transparency throughout the
process, including write-up, diagnosis and parts change. Customers can
watch their vehicles serviced real-time, from the comfort of the Lincoln
dealership Star Lounge, through cameras positioned in the service bays.
In addition, every dealership in China will offer extended service hours
and provide Lincoln loaner vehicles for repairs taking more than two
hours.
In many luxury automotive dealerships today, test drives of a specific
desired model are often not available. Lincoln guests will be able to
make test drive appointments of a specific model and available
powertrain online or at any Lincoln dealership. Test drive routes also
will be tailored to each guest’s personal needs.
Lincoln will deliver The Lincoln Way through an independent network of
60 dealers in 50 cities across China by 2016, starting this autumn with
eight dedicated dealerships in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Xi’an,
Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu. Per feedback from luxury automotive
buyers, the dealerships will be located in areas with excellent access
and visibility, as well as alongside other luxury auto brands to allow
for convenient comparison shopping.
Dealers have been selected based on a combination of criteria, including
proven track record of excellence in customer service, business
capabilities, and employee retention and development, as well as their
motivation to partner with Lincoln to deliver a completely new customer
experience.
“We are ahead of our schedule for dealer recruitment, with three more
dealers opening this autumn than originally planned,” said Parker. “We
have a terrific dealer network plan for Lincoln China, timed with our
product introduction cadence. However, our No. 1 priority in the next
few years is to deliver on our promise of providing personally crafted
experiences in every single Lincoln dealership and to firmly establish
The Lincoln Way.”
Financing also will be an important part of the Lincoln difference.
Lincoln Automotive Financial Services, a financing organization
dedicated to serving Lincoln customers and dealers in China, will be
launched this autumn.
The Lincoln Team
At the core of The Lincoln Way is The Lincoln Team, led by the Host, the
Master and the Craftsman, team members specially chosen and rigorously
trained by The Lincoln Institute. Together they help deliver a unique
Lincoln experience tailored to each customer’s individual needs
throughout the automotive ownership experience.
The Host tailors the customer’s experience and maintains the customer
relationship throughout the ownership process. If more detailed
information is desired, the Host introduces the customer to the Master.
The Master serves as the customer’s trusted resource throughout the
sales process, providing information, advice and recommendations based
on the customer’s needs. The sequence of information and level of detail
is tailored to the guest’s needs and interests.
The Master further aids the customer’s vehicle selection process through
the Personalization Studio, which uses an electronic touch-screen table,
similar to a tablet but much larger, to build, price and configure the
vehicle. The selections are projected at life size so the customer can
better understand his or her choice. As selections are made, the guest
can see the configuration, options and features in real-time. Private
test drives and choice of routes can be arranged as well.
The Master tunes the car to customer preference and guides the customer
through vehicle handover.
Working with the Host and Master, the Craftsman serves as the customer’s
personal contact for service and maintenance. The Craftsman maintains a
full record of the vehicle and thoroughly explains any maintenance
process. If requested, used parts are returned, packaged in a Lincoln
box and tagged with a label, extraction date and the name of a service
technician.
“From our first interaction, we will make it a point to know and
understand our guests and their needs,” Parker said. “Throughout the
ownership journey, as our knowledge of a guest grows, we will
continuously anticipate and better serve his or her needs.”
Five all-new Lincoln products for China
Lincoln will start in China with a new breed of vehicles developed with
today’s Chinese luxury auto customers in mind. This family of global
vehicles has been researched extensively in China to ensure consumers’
needs have been prioritized in the vehicle development process.
By 2016, Lincoln will bring five new vehicles to China. The brand will
launch this autumn in the largest and fastest-growing segments with
Lincoln MKZ, a midsize luxury sedan, and Lincoln MKC, a small luxury
utility vehicle. Lincoln MKZ and MKC represent the brand’s new direction
on both style and substance to appeal to today’s young and progressive
Chinese luxury auto customers.
The two vehicles will be followed by a midsize luxury SUV, an all-new
full-size luxury sedan and a large luxury SUV – Lincoln Navigator.
Together, these products will cover more than 80 percent of the luxury
auto segment in China.
All Lincoln vehicles sold in China will be imported from North America.
In addition, Lincoln’s full vehicle lineup in China will be equipped
with award-winning, fuel-efficient EcoBoost® engines,
offering customers the impressive performance expected in a luxury
automobile while at the same time offering improved fuel efficiency and
reduced emissions.
Lincoln products will feature the brand’s world-class technologies. For
example, the MKZ and MKC use continuously controlled damping. Drivers
can select from sport, comfort and normal drive modes to cater to their
driving mood. Continuously controlled damping constantly monitors the
road; the suspension reacts on average within 20 milliseconds, providing
a smooth ride with enhanced handling.
Lincoln also will offer the Lincoln Presidential Series – the highest
expression of the brand, epitomizing Lincoln pillars of quality, design
and personal service. The hallmarks of the Lincoln Presidential Series
will be exclusive design themes, ultra-premium materials, meticulous
craftsmanship and an unmatched level of personalized service.
The Lincoln Space
The brand is celebrating its launch in China at The Lincoln Space. This
bespoke environment was specially created for the occasion at The Place,
in Beijing’s thriving Central Business District.
As Lincoln’s brand launch platform, The Lincoln Space provides a taste
of the personalized luxury vehicle ownership experience Lincoln will
bring to Chinese luxury customers in its dealerships to open this autumn.
The Lincoln Space will be available for the public to experience in
Beijing, April 19-26, before it embarks on a tour to Shanghai, Nanjing,
Xi’an, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu.
About The Lincoln Motor Company
The Lincoln Motor Company is the luxury automotive brand of Ford
Motor Company, committed to creating compelling vehicles with an
exceptional ownership experience to match. The Lincoln Motor Company is
in the process of introducing four all-new vehicles through 2016. For
more information about The Lincoln Motor Company, please visit media.lincoln.com
or www.lincoln.com.
Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/lincoln.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140417005509/en/
Contacts:
The Lincoln Motor Company
Stéphane Cesareo, 313.323.8917
scesareo@lincoln.com
or
Debbie
Chennells, 313.323.9708
dchennel@lincoln.com
Source: The Lincoln Motor Company
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