China is not only the largest car market in the world, it’s also at the heart of electric vehicle and SUV growth and the mobility movement. The progress we have achieved in China is just the start. We now have a chance to expand our presence in China and deliver even more for customers, our partners and society.

—Bill Ford

The company plans to offer more than 50 new Ford and Lincoln vehicles in China by 2025. The expanded product portfolio will reflect an even stronger emphasis on SUVs—with eight all-new utilities—along with more electric vehicles.

The company will launch at least 15 new electrified vehicles from Ford and Lincoln. The new Zotye-Ford joint venture will deliver a separate range of affordable all-electric vehicles under a new brand, pending regulatory approvals.

From luxury Lincolns, to Ford cars and SUVs, to an all-new electric vehicle brand, we will meet the growing desire and need in China for great new energy vehicles. Each of them will be safe, efficient, fun to drive and backed by an ecosystem that makes charging, sharing and servicing easy.

—Jason Luo, chairman and CEO, Ford China

By the end of 2019, 100% of new Ford and Lincoln-badged vehicles in China will be connected through either embedded modems or plug-in devices. Company leaders also are working on broader infrastructure opportunities to improve future mobility experiences.

Ford is one of the founding members of the Board of Baidu’s Project Apollo, building on the agreement signed earlier this year. The Apollo Open Platform accelerates the development, testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles. Ford’s participation supports the company’s robotics and artificial intelligence research efforts and provides an opportunity to contribute to a platform that will be key to developing autonomous vehicles in China.

In 2019, the company will start producing five additional Ford and Lincoln models in China for Chinese customers, including a new Lincoln premium SUV, and the company’s first global fully electric small SUV.

Producing vehicles locally speeds time to market, while providing greater opportunities to fully leverage the local supply base. It also allows Ford to further tailor vehicles to more closely meet the needs of Chinese customers.

Ford last month opened the Nanjing Test Center, which furthers product development capability and innovation in China. The test center—which includes close to 80 different types of real road surface conditions, a three-kilometer test track and a sophisticated emissions testing facility—will allow Ford to speed development of new products, services and technologies to meet the driving requirements of Chinese customers.

The company also is committed to improving the ownership experience for customers with the launch of Quick Lane, its global fast, high-quality service provider.

The first two outlets open in Nanjing and Chongqing this month, offering routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, light repair services including brake repair and tire replacements on all vehicle makes and models. Ford plans to open 100 new outlets next year.

Ford will strengthen ties with its joint venture partners Changan and Jiangling in 2018, establishing one distribution services division responsible for the marketing, sales and services associated with all Ford vehicles sold in China. The new distribution services division will seek to offer a simplified, improved and consistent customer experience for all Ford customers in China.

Lincoln, which has become the fastest-growing luxury brand in China, remains a stand-alone consumer-facing brand and maintains its separate dealer network to offer the brand’s unique “Lincoln Way” one-size-fits-one customer experience.