>Lincoln opens its first three stores in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou,
officially unveiling The Lincoln Way, a unique new luxury automotive
ownership experience in China
>Eight Lincoln stores will open in China by year’s end. By 2016, 60
Lincoln stores will be open in 50 cities across the country
>The Lincoln MKZ midsize premium sedan and Lincoln MKC small premium
utility are the first two of five new vehicles Lincoln will bring to
China by 2016
BEIJING, SHANGHAI & HANGZHOU, China -- (Business Wire)
Lincoln opened its first three stores in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou
today, officially unveiling The Lincoln Way, a unique new automotive
ownership experience for Chinese luxury customers.
Kumar Galhotra, president of Lincoln (center), Robert Parker, president of Lincoln China (right) and dealership representatives celebrate the opening of the Beijing Furui Lincoln store. (Photo: Business Wire)
“The launch of The Lincoln Way and our first Lincoln stores in China
marks an important milestone for Lincoln’s reinvention as a global
luxury automotive brand,” said Kumar Galhotra, president of Lincoln.
“The Lincoln Way demonstrates how a storied brand with a nearly 100-year
history is innovating for our Chinese customers while staying true to
our roots of personal service. Our Lincoln customers will not only get
the very best when it comes to product, but also when it comes to the
entire ownership experience.”
In addition to these first three locations, Lincoln will open five more
Lincoln stores in China by year’s end, and a total of 60 stores in 50
cities in China by 2016. The Lincoln Way will be embedded in all Lincoln
stores in China.
The Lincoln Way will serve today’s younger and more discerning luxury
customers who value individuality. Through Lincoln’s specially trained
staff, customers will experience a warmer, more engaging purchasing and
ownership experience personally crafted to their individual needs and
desires.
The Lincoln Way was developed over three years and is based on research
across luxury retailing experiences from different sectors, including
hospitality. Key elements of The Lincoln Way include a dedicated Lincoln
Team; 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 stores in China will first offer the all-new MKC small
premium utility vehicle and the MKZ midsize premium sedan. The Lincoln
MKZ and MKC will be followed by the Lincoln MKX, the Lincoln Navigator
and an all-new full-size luxury sedan, fulfilling the brand’s promise to
bring five new vehicles to China by 2016.
“The launch of the Lincoln Way in China is the result of our global team
researching a wide array of luxury brands,” said Robert Parker,
president of Lincoln China. “After extensive concept testing with luxury
consumers, a comprehensive customer experience was developed defining
the ‘Lincoln Way.’ We believe the resulting customer experience will
reshape luxury automotive ownership in China today.
“We are humbled by the efforts our first three partners are putting
forth sharing our vision of The Lincoln Way. Their experience in the
luxury automotive industry and excellence in customer service represent
the winning combination we believe customers will appreciate.”
The Lincoln Way meets the needs of today’s new luxury customer in
China
The Lincoln team spent the last three years establishing 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.
“Our extensive study of the new luxury customer in China revealed a
unique opportunity for Lincoln in the luxury auto market,” said Parker.
“As a new brand entering the market in China, Lincoln has a great
opportunity to differentiate itself by combining great products with a
new way of purchasing and owning a luxury vehicle.”
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 unique individuality.
Based on these insights, the Lincoln team took the unprecedented step of
building a fully functioning prototype dealer facility in Shanghai a
year ago to research, test and refine every aspect of the Lincoln
customer journey throughout the purchase and ownership process.
Redefining luxury automotive ownership in China
The Lincoln Way is how Lincoln sells and services its vehicles and how
Lincoln customers experience the brand. It completely shifts luxury
automotive ownership from a sales-and-service transaction model to an
experience model.
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 boutique hotel lobby. There are different
zones and pavilions with seating clusters where customers can relax with
their family and friends.
In line with this customer-centric dealership environment is a
transparent sales and service experience that aims to surprise and
delight. Different from a traditional transaction-model dealership where
the purchase experience 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.
At Lincoln dealerships, each customer has a dedicated team to ensure
personalized service tailored to the customer’s individual needs is
consistently delivered throughout the ownership experience.
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.
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 during 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 Craftsman serves as the customer’s personal contact for service and
maintenance. He 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.
Personalization Studio: In every Lincoln store, the high-tech
Personalization Studio features a 46-inch interactive LCD touch screen
that projects a near life-size image of the vehicle. This allows
customers, through controls on a nearby table, to visually explore the
entire array of models, colors and features and configure the desired
vehicle both inside and out before making a selection.
Personalized test-drive routes: Lincoln guests are able to make
test-drive appointments of a specific model and available powertrain
online or at any Lincoln dealership. Test-drive routes also are tailored
to each guest’s personal needs.
Transparent maintenance and repair process: The Lincoln Way
subverts the traditional vehicle-maintenance model, which customers in
China distrust Lincoln customers have complete transparency throughout
the process, including write-up, diagnosis and parts change. Customers
also can watch their vehicles serviced real time, from the comfort of
the Lincoln dealership Star Lounge, through the E-Console linked to
cameras positioned in the service bays. In addition, every Lincoln store
in China offers extended service hours and provides Lincoln loaner
vehicles for repairs taking more than two hours.
Lincoln Automotive Financial Services
Financing also is an important part of the Lincoln luxury experience in
China. Lincoln Automotive Financial Services, a financing organization
dedicated to serving Lincoln customers and dealers in China, launched on
Oct. 23 and supports Lincoln dealers and customers by providing
competitive financing products and exceptional service.
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 in four years
starting with the all-new MKZ in 2013. For more information about The
Lincoln Motor Company, please visit media.lincoln.com or www.lincoln.com.
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For news, photos and video, visit media.lincoln.com
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Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20141106006454/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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