President of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa Joe Hinrichs, Ford Motor's CEO Alan Mulally, Group Vice-President, Global Marketing Sales and Service of Ford Jim Farley, Chairman and CEO of Ford Greater China Dave Schoch (L - R) pose with a Lincoln MKZ Concept car in Beijing, August 28, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ford Motor Co, lagging behind General Motors Co and Volkswagen AG in China, will add the Lincoln luxury brand to its lineup of vehicles in the country as part of the company's biggest expansion push in half a century.

The luxury vehicles will be available in China in the second half of 2014, the Dearborn, Michigan-based carmaker said in a statement on Tuesday. The company will begin recruiting dealers for the brand in the fourth quarter of this year.

Ford follows GM in stepping up efforts to compete in China's luxury vehicle market, a segment that researcher IHS Automotive forecasts will more than double and surpass the United States by the end of the decade.

Volkswagen's Audi, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz currently dominate, accounting for more than three-quarters of high-end cars sold in the country.

China Daily-Agencies