To force American capital to withdraw from China! The U.S. has stipulated that vehicles produced in China and shipped back to the U.S. will be subject to a 52.5% tariff.

According to reports, affected by adjustments in US trade policy toward China, American-branded vehicles produced in China and exported to the US market will face a comprehensive import tariff of 52.5%.

Under the dual constraints of high tariffs and related regulatory rules, Ford Motor has made capacity adjustment plans, intending to move production of the Lincoln Nautilus model from China back to the US starting in 2030.

The Nautilus is Lincoln's core sales model in the US market, and this SUV had previously been transferred to the Hangzhou plant for production. Relying on China's complete automotive industry cluster, from parts processing to complete vehicle assembly, Chinese factories have clear cost and efficiency advantages.

However, after multiple tariffs are stacked, the cost advantage of manufacturing in China has been completely offset by policy. Compared to the mere 15% tariff level for vehicles exported to the US from countries like South Korea, even if Chinese factories can save several thousand dollars in manufacturing costs, those savings would be swallowed up by high import duties.

Beyond tariffs, the US has also introduced new connected vehicle regulations, restricting relevant Chinese software starting with the 2027 model year and further tightening hardware requirements in the 2030 model year. Even though the Nautilus software is developed by US teams and only the complete vehicle assembly takes place in China, it still faces compliance challenges. The company would need to apply for special authorization to continue selling in the US, creating significant uncertainty for market operations.

Rising costs combined with regulatory risks have prompted Ford to move production back. However, this production line transfer does not represent a decline in China's manufacturing strength—rather, it precisely confirms that relying solely on market competition makes it difficult to push companies to voluntarily abandon Chinese supply chains. Ford also made clear that China remains an important strategic market for Lincoln, and domestic factories will continue to serve orders from China and other overseas markets.