Lincoln Motor Company

The Lincoln Motor Company (also known simply as Lincoln) is a division of the U.S.-based Ford Motor Company that sells luxury vehicles under the Lincoln brand. While currently sold primarily in North America and the Middle East, Ford has introduced the Lincoln brand to China in April 2014 and had their first dealerships in November. Lincoln vehicles are also officially sold in South Korea and Japan. Founded in 1917 by Henry M. Leland, Lincoln has been a subsidiary of Ford since 1922.

The current Lincoln model range in North America consists of two sedans (MKS and MKZ), three crossover utility vehicles (MKC, MKT, and MKX), and two sport utility vehicles (Navigator/Navigator L). Lincoln also sells two vehicles specifically for limousine/livery use, both based on the MKT.

History

1917–1940: Lincoln Motor Company

Henry Leland, a former manager of the Cadillac division of General Motors, and his son, Wilfred Leland, formed The Lincoln Motor Company in August 1917. The Lincoln Motor Company Plant was at 6200 West Warren Avenue (at Livernois) in Detroit, Michigan. Leland named the new company after Abraham Lincoln, his hero and for whom he cast his first presidential vote in 1864, when he was 21. Lincoln's first source of revenue came from assembling Liberty aircraft engines, using cylinders supplied by Ford Motor Company, to fulfill World War I government contracts.