Lincoln starts pre-sales of Continental

A Lincoln Continental is pictured at the Chengdu Motor Show in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on Sept 2, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ford Motor's luxury arm Lincoln started pre-sales of its sedan Continental starting from 420,000 yuan ($63,000) on Sept 2 at the Chengdu Motor Show.

The full-size premium sedan, with a history of 77 years, has been designed to appeal to culturally progressive clients who define luxury on their own terms, prizing superior quality, craftsmanship and safety.

The automaker said the model will be available later this year, thus fulfilling its promise of offering five models in the Chinese market by the end of 2016.

Already on sale in the Chinese market are the MKZ, the MKC, the MKX and the Navigator.

Lincoln's sales have been growing steadily. It sold 12,450 units in the first half of the year, a 190.6 percent growth year-on-year.

It now has 48 dealerships in China. The number is expected to grow to 60 by the end of the year and to 80 in late 2017.