Like many automakers, Lincoln has spent the last few decades purging famous nameplates from its range in exchange for a simpler, alphanumeric naming structure.

MUST SEE: This Car Nut Owns 5 Bugatti Veyrons, Don't Ask Why

Gone are names like Continental and Versailles; in their place MKZs, MKSs and MKTs. If you weren't familiar with the models, the homogenized monikers could refer to anything. But in China, some of those famous names could return.

China is proving an increasingly important market for most large automakers these days, as a car-buying middle class blossoms with economic growth. Cars from the west are becoming more popular and buyers are particularly taken with luxury brands like Lincoln. Importantly, says USA Today, buyers in China still remember Lincolns from rosier times--the cars of presidents and other government officials, rather than the hastily-rebadged Fords of the 90s.

DON'T MISS: Here's A Ferrari Enzo Getting Dirty, Sideways: Video

Jim Farley, Ford's executive vice president in charge of global marketing, says that there are no imminent plans to bring back proper names--though he notes the brand has plenty of "iconic" names in its history. If the names did return, they'd also be China-only--American Lincolns would retain the current naming norms.

Would you prefer to see Lincoln return to some of its iconic names--or does the current range offer what buyers want without plundering from the past? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

_______________________________________

Follow Motor Authority on FacebookTwitter, and Google+