Senator Says Lincoln Nautilus Production Moving To U.S.

[joseodiaga4]

 

Senator Says Lincoln Nautilus Production Moving To U.S. 

 

As such, in a recent interview with Reuters, U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno stated that Ford has agreed to move Lincoln Nautilus production to the U.S., adding that General Motors will also shift production of the Buick Envision from China to the states for the 2028 model year. This comes after the U.S. ‌Senate Commerce Committee approved legislation that aims to toughen an existing ban on Chinese automakers from entering the U.S. market.

 

https://fordauthority.com/2026/07/senator-says-lincoln-nautilus-production-moving-to-u-s/

[Sherminator98]

So how is that gonna work? It can't be the current model, unless Ford is going to build it at say Chicago or figure out how to fit it down the line with the Mustang at Flat Rock lol

[twintornados]

3 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:

So how is that gonna work? It can't be the current model, unless Ford is going to build it at say Chicago or figure out how to fit it down the line with the Mustang at Flat Rock lol

 

Flat Rock with modifications would handily build out Nautilus and Corsair as both are C2 based and they just took the C2 production lines out of Louisville, seems to be the least impactful way forward for Lincoln. Or, move production to Cuautitlan since GE1 is essentially a C2 EV chassis.  

 

 

[akirby]

To me this was a foregone conclusion.  Only question was timing.

[Sherminator98]

1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said:

So how is that gonna work? It can't be the current model, unless Ford is going to build it at say Chicago or figure out how to fit it down the line with the Mustang at Flat Rock lol

 

1 hour ago, twintornados said:

 

Flat Rock with modifications would handily build out Nautilus and Corsair as both are C2 based and they just took the C2 production lines out of Louisville, seems to be the least impactful way forward for Lincoln. Or, move production to Cuautitlan since GE1 is essentially a C2 EV chassis.  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, akirby said:

To me this was a foregone conclusion.  Only question was timing.

 

So I went to the original Reuters article that FA pulled the info from and saw this tidbit:

 

Quote

Senator Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, said Mercedes-Benz would have until 2030 to comply and could get waivers if ⁠needed from the ownership requirement if necessary.Senator Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, said Mercedes-Benz would have until 2030 to comply and could get waivers if ⁠needed from the ownership requirement if necessary.

 

So to me, reading in-between the lines-Both the Corsair and Nautilus will still be shipped from China in the very short term (24-36 months) and that they'll move to a new plant before the 2030 deadline. 

[rmc523]

1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said:

So how is that gonna work? It can't be the current model, unless Ford is going to build it at say Chicago or figure out how to fit it down the line with the Mustang at Flat Rock lol

 

Why can it not be the current model?  As far as I understand, the main holdup is software, which we get different software anyway, but if they assemble it here, that's a further moot point.

 

What I don't understand is where it would go, especially if it's for sure US production (Mach E's underutilized plant would otherwise make most sense)?  Flat Rock is seemingly the only option but would need the ever-put-off renovation to allow for crossover production..............unless they do something crazy and add it to the new Tennessee "Truck" plant as a way to fill that plant alongside the new truck.?   

 

This news would also torpedo the plan to import Corsair, and conversely, if you're going through the effort of adding Nautilus, you may as well plan ahead (an unusual thing for Ford), and put Corsair alongside it to give dealers back 1/4 of their sales volume....

[rmc523]

2 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

 

 

So I went to the original Reuters article that FA pulled the info from and saw this tidbit:

 

 

So to me, reading in-between the lines-Both the Corsair and Nautilus will still be shipped from China in the very short term (24-36 months) and that they'll move to a new plant before the 2030 deadline. 

 

This makes some sense......though I thought there was some requirement sooner (why Polestar is gone)?  Or I guess there are "levels" of violation to it?  i.e. since Nautilus technically uses US software, it's ok (for now)?  Vs. Polestar was all China stuff?

[Sherminator98]

Just now, rmc523 said:

 

This makes some sense......though I thought there was some requirement sooner (why Polestar is gone)?  Or I guess there are "levels" of violation to it?  i.e. since Nautilus technically uses US software, it's ok (for now)?  Vs. Polestar was all China stuff?

 

From what I understand (or at least saw) Volvo uses the same HW/SW as Polestar but wasn't effected by it? So I'm not sure what the deal is. 

[Sherminator98]

Well the stupid Reuters article went behind a paywall, but always have another browser just incase LOL

 

Quote

Senator Ted Cruz, the committee chair and a Texas Republican, said the bill's provision that would ban companies with more than 15% ownership by Chinese entities would bar Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE), opens new tab from selling vehicles in the United States because of its nearly 20% passive Chinese investment. He said the bill required changes before it could become law.

 

So that is why Mercedes would be affected
 

Quote

Last month, Polestar (PSNY.O), opens new tab said the Trump administration was forcing the electric-vehicle maker to stop selling vehicles in the U.S beginning in the 2027 model year. The Sweden-based company is majority-owned by China's Geely Holding.
 

Polestar's sister brand and co-founder, Volvo Cars, ⁠said in May it received authorization to keep selling vehicles in the U.S., though it said it still must meet the rule's requirements.

So sounds like Polestar didn't put in its authorization, which might have been intentional because the sales in US market aren't worth it? 

[rmc523]

3 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:

Well the stupid Reuters article went behind a paywall, but always have another browser just incase LOL

 

 

So that is why Mercedes would be affected
 

So sounds like Polestar didn't put in its authorization, which might have been intentional because the sales in US market aren't worth it? 

 

I did read something somewhere that basically said that - Volvo filed for exemption and got it, and Polestar just said "ok" and is leaving.

 

Frankly, I never understood why it was a standalone brand, especially when design-wise, they look like Volvos anyway.

[akirby]

1 hour ago, rmc523 said:

 

I did read something somewhere that basically said that - Volvo filed for exemption and got it, and Polestar just said "ok" and is leaving.

 

Frankly, I never understood why it was a standalone brand, especially when design-wise, they look like Volvos anyway.

Polestar US sales were only 6% of its total.  Juice not worth the squeeze.

[rmc523]

Borg's thoughts....

 

If this is true, I think the solution is the UEV Lincoln as a successor to the Nautilus/Corsair, which was already going to be made in the US by 2030. I don't think they can move any of the Chinese C2 cars to North America because the supply chain is not here, not to mention they won't have room at any plant that can build them. Without a Ford companion there just isn't enough volume for the enormous cost it would take to move Nautilus and find space to build it at an existing plant. I'm sure this also means the Chinese Corsair is defunct.

Lincoln is likely to stick to a lean Bronco, UEV, Aviator, Navigator lineup anyway, why the addition of the off-roading "Skylands" trim level to some of these to diversify things.

[Sherminator98]

1 hour ago, rmc523 said:

Borg's thoughts....

 

If this is true, I think the solution is the UEV Lincoln as a successor to the Nautilus/Corsair, which was already going to be made in the US by 2030. I don't think they can move any of the Chinese C2 cars to North America because the supply chain is not here, not to mention they won't have room at any plant that can build them. Without a Ford companion there just isn't enough volume for the enormous cost it would take to move Nautilus and find space to build it at an existing plant. I'm sure this also means the Chinese Corsair is defunct.

Lincoln is likely to stick to a lean Bronco, UEV, Aviator, Navigator lineup anyway, why the addition of the off-roading "Skylands" trim level to some of these to diversify things.

I wouldn’t disagree with him on that. The only wild card I can see is if a Mustang CUV comes about-that would be the basis for a new Nautilus 

[akirby]

Except that doesn't equate to "moving Nautilus production to the US".  And there's no way to replace Nautilus volume with an EV.  I think they'll bring back Nautilus and Corsair as hybrids only.

[joseodiaga4]

41 minutes ago, akirby said:

Except that doesn't equate to "moving Nautilus production to the US".  And there's no way to replace Nautilus volume with an EV.  I think they'll bring back Nautilus and Corsair as hybrids only.

Agree, I don't see an EV achieving Nautilus+Corsair sales numbers

[Sherminator98]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

Except that doesn't equate to "moving Nautilus production to the US".  And there's no way to replace Nautilus volume with an EV.  I think they'll bring back Nautilus and Corsair as hybrids only.

 

1 hour ago, joseodiaga4 said:

Agree, I don't see an EV achieving Nautilus+Corsair sales numbers

 

If they can make EVs cost roughly the same as their ICE counterparts, I don't think that will be a big of climb as you make it out to be. 

[Texasota]

1 hour ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

 

If they can make EVs cost roughly the same as their ICE counterparts, I don't think that will be a big of climb as you make it out to be. 

Big climb for many. ICE Nautilus would likely be used for road trips much more than a BEV and Nautilus is a great road car.

[rmc523]

14 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

 

If they can make EVs cost roughly the same as their ICE counterparts, I don't think that will be a big of climb as you make it out to be. 

 

I think it's asking for sales difficulty.

 

Take a split approach until the market shows ICE is dwindling.

[akirby]

14 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

 

If they can make EVs cost roughly the same as their ICE counterparts, I don't think that will be a big of climb as you make it out to be

 

 

And you're still overestimating the number of people willing to buy a luxury EV.  Cadillac only sells 15k Lyriqs annually.

[tbone]

14 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

 

If they can make EVs cost roughly the same as their ICE counterparts, I don't think that will be a big of climb as you make it out to be. 

Though this is an anecdotal example, I recently helped my mother buy a new BMW X3 to replace her Cadillac XT5.  She might have replaced her XT5 with another XT5 had Cadillac updated it since 2018, but the only modernized similarly sized vehicles were the Optiq and the Lyric, which she had zero interest in. 
 

Her friend recently dumped an EV Cadillac, who was a long time Cadillac owner, for a BMW 7 series sedan because Cadillac didn’t have a similar size sedan and they did not care for the EV experience. 
 

As stated above, I think a dual path forward is the way to go until EVs have shown to be the dominate purchase, otherwise your sales will likely be in peril. 
 

As for the Nautilus, had it not been built in the US, I would have heavily steered my mother towards it, but since it is built by a foreign adversary, I didn’t. I hope the news of it being built here is true, because I think it would be helpful for its sales.  

[rmc523]

15 minutes ago, tbone said:

Though this is an anecdotal example, I recently helped my mother buy a new BMW X3 to replace her Cadillac XT5.  She might have replaced her XT5 with another XT5 had Cadillac updated it since 2018, but the only modernized similarly sized vehicles were the Optiq and the Lyric, which she had zero interest in. 
 

Her friend recently dumped an EV Cadillac, who was a long time Cadillac owner, for a BMW 7 series sedan because Cadillac didn’t have a similar size sedan and they did not care for the EV experience. 
 

As stated above, I think a dual path forward is the way to go until EVs have shown to be the dominate purchase, otherwise your sales will likely be in peril. 
 

As for the Nautilus, had it not been built in the US, I would have heavily steered my mother towards it, but since it is built by a foreign adversary, I didn’t. I hope the news of it being built here is true, because I think it would be helpful for its sales.  

Sales have been higher than before.  Most buyers have no clue where their vehicle is built.

 

Obviously I understand your reasoning, but most people don't know at all.

[Sherminator98]

39 minutes ago, akirby said:

And you're still overestimating the number of people willing to buy a luxury EV.  Cadillac only sells 15k Lyriqs annually.

 

Using the latest sales numbers (which aren't good for EVs anyways) the Lyriq only sold 1100 units less then the XT5

 

 

[tbone]

5 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

Using the latest sales numbers (which aren't good for EVs anyways) the Lyriq only sold 1100 units less then the XT5

 

 

A fair point, but as I mentioned, Cadillac has let the XT rot on the vine, kind of like Ford likes to do, and the 2018 is virtually identical to the 2026. After the COVID years they never recovered. 
 

I think that is reflected in the annual sales:

 

2018 ~60,565

2019 ~68,312

2020 ~48,918

2021 ~59,610

2022 ~26,866

2023 ~24,688

2024 ~26,432

2025 ~20,225

[akirby]

2 hours ago, tbone said:

As for the Nautilus, had it not been built in the US

It was never built in the US

[rmc523]

25 minutes ago, akirby said:

It was never built in the US

 

I think he was meaning to say if it had been built in the US, rather than China, he'd have gone that way.