August 26, 2026 - Lincoln Corsair Returns Now From China

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for August 26, 2026, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry. 

When Ford announced that it would be producing its upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle platform at its Louisville assembly plant, it also included the news that production of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair would be ending. The last of those two crossovers left the Louisville line in December 2025, and with them, about one-quarter of Lincoln's annual sales in the U.S. The compact Corsair was Lincoln's second-bestselling model behind the midsize Nautilus, and the current-generation Nautilus is produced in China. 

Lincoln today announced that the Corsair will return to the lineup for the 2027 model year with some minor updates, including a revised front fascia and taillamps and a new powertrain. The Corsair's new grille moves away from the previous mesh design that had the Lincoln star shape standing out from each of the intersection points to a flatter look with perforations of the same shape. When it was last produced in the U.S., the Corsair was offered with a choice of a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or a 2.5-liter plug-in hybrid powertrain. For 2027, both of those options are replaced by a standard all-wheel-drive hybrid with the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine putting out 305 horsepower. That's the same powertrain used in the Nautilus, and like its larger sibling, the updated Corsair will be imported from China. 

Due to the increased tariffs on Chinese-produced vehicles and the standard AWD hybrid powertrain, the base price of almost $49,000 is over $7,300 more than the base 2026 model. The updated Corsair will also get the hands-free BlueCruise 1.5 assist system as standard equipment. This change in sourcing from China is only expected to last a couple of years. Last week, Ford announced that it will end imports of Lincolns from China by 2030 and produce all models in the U.S. While plans for the Nautilus are unknown at this time, the next-generation Corsair along with a replacement for the Ford Escape are expected to be produced in Louisville again based on the UEV platform used for the Fathom pickup. Those models are likely to debut by 2029. 

Thanks for listening.