Lincoln's New Chinese Aviator Looks Very Different Than The American One
Lincoln has been selling the second-generation Aviator in the U.S. since 2019. It received a thorough facelift for the 2025 model year, but is starting to feel its age. While the brand appears to have forgotten about America's Aviator, Lincoln has worked with Chinese joint venture partner Changan to develop a new Aviator plug-in hybrid that might leave North American buyers feeling a little envious. This new model is officially known as the Aviator EX8 and it shares some obvious design similarities with the American SUV, though it is a completely different vehicle.
The front-end includes a familiar Lincoln grille, relatively simple and stylish LED headlights, and upright air vents towards the base of the bumper. America's Lincoln Aviator remains one of the best-looking SUVs on the market — at least in our eyes — and features lovely, flowing lines that aren't often seen in this segment. Not to be confused with the Chinese Lincoln Corsair, it sits slightly taller and has a more upright design, which is immediately apparent when looking at the side profile with its flatter roof and angular windows. The new shape isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just different.
The Chinese Aviator is smaller than the American version
Preliminary images published online by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) show the new Aviator EX8 from the rear. The design is pretty basic with rectangular taillights being the highlight, prominent Lincoln lettering, and a blacked-out bumper. The new SUV is 199 inches (5,055 mm) long, 78 inches (1,995 mm) wide, and stands 70 inches (1,790 mm) tall, with a 118-inch (3,010 mm) wheelbase. This makes it slightly smaller than the U.S. Aviator that's 200 inches (5,072 mm) long, 80 inches (2,090 mm) wide, and has a 0.6-inch (15 mm) longer wheelbase.
As China's Aviator EX8 has yet to be revealed in full, several important powertrain details have yet to be confirmed. What we do know is that it uses a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder with 148 horsepower and will be sold exclusively as a plug-in hybrid. No details have been provided about the SUV's electric motor aside from the battery pack being a lithium-ion phosphate unit from the Changan-CATL joint venture.
