(Yicai Global) March 13 -- Luxury vehicle brand Lincoln recently opened its first global flagship store in Shanghai.

This premium marque of US carmaker Ford Motor will implement the strategy of 'China First,' Mao Jingbo, president of Shanghai-based Lincoln Asia Pacific and China, told Yicai Global at the opening.

"The landing of Lincoln's first global flagship shop in China is a significant reflection of the 'China First, Client First' strategy the brand is applying and practicing," Mao noted. "The firm will seek to further improve pre- and after-sales services to local customers and seamlessly link its online and offline segments on this basis," she added.

The relatively buoyant Chinese luxury car market has fueled the steady growth of Lincoln's sales in recent years. Its brand awareness as a deluxe vehicle still needs a further boost, however, an expert in the sector told Yicai Global.

Car sellers still need brick-and-mortar stores for now in China, senior auto sector analyst Mei Songlin explained to Yicai Global, adding the flagship model does work for Lincoln and other top-shelf newcomers to the domestic scene as a way to further buff their image. Customers have only a vague knowledge of newly-emerging high-end brands and offline experience is the only way to remedy this problem, Mei continued.

Lincoln's sales and growth rates in China lag far behind that of fellow US automaker General Motors' deluxe Cadillac brand, which sold 228,000 units in China last year. This 32 percent annual growth put Lincoln's Detroit-based rival in the lead among tier-2 luxury vehicles, while Lincoln only moved 55,315, up 2.2 percent on 2017.

With the start of production of its first domestically-made and -branded sport utility vehicle at this year's end, Lincoln will launch a local market-oriented new car model in each of the next three years. This may enhance its standing through word-of-mouth endorsement and hence its performance in the country.

China's car market slid into its first overall slump in 28 years last year as passenger vehicle sales fell 6 percent. The luxury car sector notched up annual 8 percent growth, however, its luster clearly undimmed by the overall gloom.

Editor: Ben Armour