(September 4, 2012) DETROIT — This week in Detroit aside from sales numbers:

Lincoln network to start build — Ford will start the process of building a dealer network for its Lincoln brand from scratch this month.

The process is to take two years and will bring Lincoln to the China market in the second half of 2014. CEO Alan Mulally said last week that Lincoln would go international. In two years, Lincoln should be well into its slow reinvention in North  America with plans to add a new vehicle a year over the next four years, starting with the MKZ in December.

In North America, the product lineup will be directed at the heart of the market: small and midsize cars and crossovers, said Lincoln spokesman Tom Kowaleski.

In China, Ford will follow the U.S. model of trying to establish a separate defined network for Lincoln, Kowaleski said.

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GM salutes war bicentennial: When the War of 1812 broke out General Motors was still a century away from being founded. Nonetheless, the automaker will be an active participant in the conflict's bicentennial festivities in Detroit this week. GM's Renaissance Center headquarters will host several events during Navy Week Sept. 5-9.

The company is showcasing its military discount in a sponsorship of a free concert of country music at 6 p.m. Sept. 8 on the RenCen plaza stage.

"Because Detroit played such a key role in the War of 1812, we're supporting these events at our beautiful headquarters on the Detroit River," said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet global marketing.

GM will show vintage Corvettes on the ground floor of the Renaissance Center. The company will also offer test-drives of 2013 vehicles outside its headquarters.

Source: Detroit Free Press; wire services.