Lincoln phenomenon study: what worries behind this glory
林肯现象初探：精彩背后有哪些隐忧
Lincoln phenomenon study: what worries behind this glory
伴随消费升级趋势的不断深化，高档车市场近年来的涨势惊人，已逐渐成为国内车市的重要增长引擎。在奔驰、宝马和奥迪这高档车市场公认的“三强”之后，一众“二线品牌”不甘落伍。其中，于2014年在中国市场“二进宫”的林肯，在今年11月非常傲娇地完成了累计销售十万辆的成绩;全年销量预计可接近6万辆，超过英菲尼迪、讴歌和DS等在中国市场已“本土化”多年的品牌。
With the trend of consumption escalation continues to deepen, the premium car market has seen a spectacular rise in recent years, and has gradually become an important growth engine in the domestic car market. A group of "second-line brands" are unwilling fall behind, chasing the "big three"——Mercedes, BMW and Audi——in the premium car market。
In the “second line” group, Lincoln, which entered the Chinese market for the second time in 2014, have completed its 100,000th sale of vehicles in November 2017, and expected to sell nearly 60,000 units whole year.Lincoln have sold more cars than Infiniti, Acura and DS, which have been "localized" in the Chinese market for years.
12月初，福特宣布“中国2025计划”，计划与长安汽车就加速产品引入、国产化等方面加深合作。这当中就包括“2019年实现林肯品牌在华国产”。那么，林肯品牌为什么能在短时间内取得其他品牌难以达到的销量?有哪些前车之鉴值得其注意?这是否就意味着林肯国产计划将一帆风顺……
In early December of 2017, Ford announced the "China 2025 plan" ,whitch is to deepen cooperation with China Changan Group on product introduction and localization. This includes "the implementation of the Lincoln brand to produce in China in 2019". Why did the Lincoln brand achieve sales in a short time，when other brands struggled to achieve? What are the lessons to be learned? Whether this means that the Lincoln plan will be as right as rain?
经济日报-中国经济网汽车频道记者近日通过走访各地市场、采访业内专家、整理分析数据，撰写“林肯现象初探”系列报道，从林肯品牌销量、产品、渠道等多方面对其在中国市场的前景予以分析。
Recently, reporters of China Economic Net-Automotive Channel wrote a series report on "the Lincoln phenomenon" by visiting the market, interviewing industry experts, organizing and analysising data, aiming to analyze the development prospects of the Lincoln brand in the Chinese market, based on its brand sales, products, channels and other aspects.
林肯引入新车型的节奏是很“讲究”的，在该品牌销量的每一次爆发式增长中，都有新车型的助推因素存在。以今年1-11月的累计销量数据为例，除去2016年11月28日引入国内的林肯大陆以外，其余四个车型的同比增速为47.91%。如此看来，2017年并没有引进新车型的林肯品牌，明年的增速或许会有所放缓，尤其是在SUV产品投放结束后，“新车效应”恐将难以为继，这些或许都是林肯品牌接下来必须直面的挑战。
The pace of Lincoln's introduction to the new model was tricky, every burst of the brand's sales growth has been influenced by the introduction of new models. Take the cumulative sales figures from January to November of 2017 for example, excluding Lincoln Continental——which was introduced on November 28, 2016——the growth rate of the other four models’ sales volume was 47.91 percent. In this way, the Lincoln brand, which didn’t introduce a new model in 2017, may see its growth rate fall next year.For now, the Lincoln brand has no SUV to introduce, as well the "new car effect" will end, these may be the challenge that the Lincoln brand has to face.
此外，有网友吐槽：“因为不是质量问题，(林肯)也不能提供代步车，给出行还是带来了麻烦的”。有林肯上海4S店市场人员向记者透露，“整车厂现在对我们的业绩提出更多的要求，完成销量目标是第一任务，代步车服务肯定让位给试驾车”。为此，经济日报-中国经济网记者致电了林肯中国公关部的相关负责人，但未能接通;以短信形式发去相关采访问题，对方回复称：“问题收到了，跟进了解情况”。
“Because it's not of quality issue, (Lincoln) can't provide me a car for temporary use, and it's a hassle for me”, a Lincoln owner said on BBS. “The carmaker now has more requirements for our performance, the sales target is the first task, and the mobility scooter service must give way to the test drive”a market personnel of Lincoln Shanghai 4S store revealed to the reporter.
To this end, the reporter of China Economic Net called the responsible person of Lincoln's China public relations department, but failed to get through; in the form of text message, he replied: "the problem is received, and we are following up the situation".
“以史为镜，可以知兴衰”，林肯即将国产或多或少可以从凯迪拉克、英菲尼迪等身上看到一些影子：要么标榜美系高档品牌，且有着相同的“二进宫”经历;要么车型结构类似，产品力不足;一定意义上，也可以为林肯的国产之路提供借鉴。
“With history as a mirror, you can know the rise and fall”,Lincoln's path to indigenization is more or less likely to find similarities between Cadillac and Infiniti: they both claim to be upmarket American brands, and have the same experience of coming to the Chinese market for the second time; they are similar vehicle type structure and both lack of product power……In a sense, Cadillac and Infiniti can be used as references for Lincoln's indigenization road.