FMC's Lincoln Strategy: Good, Bad, Indifferent?

[Atomic]

Is 'enhance' a good enough strategy for Lincoln?

By: Rick Kranz*

For: Automotive News

On: August 28, 2010 - 12:51 pm ET

*Rick Kranz is product editor for Automotive News

Now that Mercury is out of the way, Ford can concentrate on Lincoln, a brand that is struggling to keep its head above water.

What caught my eye was a Ford announcement in June.

The press release said the automaker ?will expand and enhance its Lincoln brand lineup with seven all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles in the next four years.?

Lincoln currently offers six vehicles -- the MKS, MKZ and Town Car sedans, the MKT and MKX crossovers, and the Navigator SUV. The Town Car is sold only to the livery business and will cease to exist sometime next year. Ford says a compact Lincoln is one of the upcoming new vehicles. As for the other vehicle, Lincoln won?t say.

The news release went on to say that this is ?part of an aggressive growth plan focused on standout product design, class-leading technology and new powertrains -- all aimed at competing with Cadillac and Lexus in North America.?

The words ?enhance? and ?significantly refreshed? stood out in this news release. Enhancing and refreshing may not be enough, though.

Look at January through July sales -- the brand failed to top 50,000. And that number includes nearly 7,000 Town Cars.

Lincoln?s design strategy isn?t drawing customers.

Maybe the words ?reinvention? or ?redesign? should be Lincoln's strategy.


i worry about the lack of rear wheel drive models and the reduction of v8's... you?

[Atomic]

obviously, the town car, now only sold to fleet businesses and government agencies is a lame duck. the navigator and navigator "L" (rumored to die) might switch to the 2011 ford explorer platform. i think not having a v8 when cadillac is rumored to going ahead with a heavily modified interpretation of the "sixteen" concept car (but as an "8" instead) might allow caddy to take the ball and run with it. even chrysler will have a new 300c rwd/awd to compete. i do think an explorer-based "navigator" would sell far better than the current model, but think lincoln would lose much of its cache with an escalade battler. is there room for both a car based and truck based suv class of vehicles for ford's luxury division with the mkx and mkt already struggle for market share?

[Atomic]

remember the lincoln "LT" pick-up? hope fmc avoids such crazy ass ideas if lincoln is to survive.

[2o6]

Too unfocused.

[SVT666]

Ford needs to produce a new Lincoln Continental 4 door and 4 door convertible based on the Ford Forty-Nine show car.

[Submariner]

Lincoln blows.

But Hemi is right., the 49 is sex and a Continental could be a winner. 

[Atomic]

Lincoln blows.

But Hemi is right., the 49 is sex and a Continental could be a winner. 

49 better than 69, eh  ? actually, i like the idea, too. sometimes looking back can be as important as moving forward. there have been some outstanding concepts that i would welcome.

[Atomic]

one thing good to say, the grille on the revised ford edge-based mkx is mighty handsome and sets this lincoln farther apart from the ford in the looks department. yet both are attractive in their own right.

[the Teuton]

This would have been badass, but I think the slab side era has passed.

[Laconian]

Enhance won't work. Lincoln has floundered for far too long, and people no longer know what the brand is about. It needs to be rebooted or killed - staying the current meandering course won't go anywhere.

[Atomic]

Enhance won't work. Lincoln has floundered for far too long, and people no longer know what the brand is about. It needs to be rebooted or killed - staying the current meandering course won't go anywhere.

good point, but didn't cadillac rise from the ashes when gm talked about shutting it down not too many years ago? the modified fins work nicely on the cts series and new srx!

[2o6]

The 49 looks too dated and has no international appeal.

[Mustangfan2003]

Lincoln needs a coupe and a flagship sedan that are both RWD.  V8 would be nice but not really needed with the ecoboost engines.

[Laconian]

good point, but didn't cadillac rise from the ashes when gm talked about shutting it down not too many years ago? the modified fins work nicely on the cts series and new srx!

Cadillac was rebooted, and even then, with only moderate success - DTS, STS, XLR are all sales duds in their respective markets.

[2o6]

Cadillac was rebooted, and even then, with only moderate success - DTS, STS, XLR are all sales duds in their respective markets.

DTS, not really. STS, yes. Most of the STS's flaws have to do with its size. It was pretty much the same size (inside as the CTS) but more $$$.


Does the XLR even count? I don't think it was meant to move that many in the first place.

[MX793]

The 49 looks too dated and has no international appeal.

Is the Lincoln brand even sold outside of North America?

[2o6]

Is the Lincoln brand even sold outside of North America?

No, but they Aspire to.

[Atomic]

Cadillac was rebooted, and even then, with only moderate success - DTS, STS, XLR are all sales duds in their respective markets.

yes, but the "whatever the hell they call it" dts/sts one-car replacement (near-production ready) concept was an enormous hit at the autoshow this past year. what does lincoln have in its pipeline? a compact.

[Atomic]

Lincoln needs a coupe and a flagship sedan that are both RWD.  V8 would be nice but not really needed with the ecoboost engines.

i hear you about the powerful ecoboost, but wonder if folks would be willing to fork over $50,000.00 grand for a 4 (rumored for lincoln) or 6 cylinder (a given). obviously, perception can sink or swim a product.

[Laconian]

No, but they Aspire to.

Don't you they should get their own house in order first?

[2o6]

Don't you they should get their own house in order first?

Yes.

[Atomic]

Yes.

i do not think it is necessary if fmc's ford division continues is strongest line-up in decades. i am actually floored as to the success of the fusion. i am beginning to appreciate it, especially with such a strong hybrid contender. sales should be hotter than ever without its mercury milan twin, as it sold pretty well for a secondary division contender.

[Mustangfan2003]

i hear you about the powerful ecoboost, but wonder if folks would be willing to fork over $50,000.00 grand for a 4 (rumored for lincoln) or 6 cylinder (a given). obviously, perception can sink or swim a product.

I got a great idea for them, build a coupe that's based on the Mustang and make it a little bigger.  A 400hp ecoboost engine would work fine for this car.  As for a flagship I think it does need to offer a V8 if it wants to compete with the S class and 7 series.  Maybe even offer the powerstorke diesel since MB is about to offer an S class diesel again 

[MX793]

I got a great idea for them, build a coupe that's based on the Mustang and make it a little bigger.  A 400hp ecoboost engine would work fine for this car.  As for a flagship I think it does need to offer a V8 if it wants to compete with the S class and 7 series.  Maybe even offer the powerstorke diesel since MB is about to offer an S class diesel again 

You mean like the Lincoln LS (upon which the current Mustang is loosely based) but with 2 doors?

[Atomic]

I got a great idea for them, build a coupe that's based on the Mustang and make it a little bigger.  A 400hp ecoboost engine would work fine for this car.  As for a flagship I think it does need to offer a V8 if it wants to compete with the S class and 7 series.  Maybe even offer the powerstorke diesel since MB is about to offer an S class diesel again 

amen!

[Atomic]

You mean like the Lincoln LS (upon which the current Mustang is loosely based) but with 2 doors?

the ls lost its steam and was also the basis for the mid-sized, but cramped problematic jaguar. the lincoln version had promise, but everything seemed to go wrong. i recall our fmc dealer knowing very little about the product and thought it was continental based. did not know whether it was rwd, fwd or awd. marketing was also poor.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Ford has a better chance of making lincoln a full fledged global luxury maker then GM does with cadillac.

Don't know exactly what level of certainty that the above phrase is meant to convey, just a observation.

I have more faith in ford's new found brand management than anything GM is doing. In 3-5 years we'll see how this pans out(for both).

[the Teuton]

I love the MKS; I just don't love a $50k Taurus.

If the Taurus didn't exist, it'd be a much better proposition.

[Mustangfan2003]

You mean like the Lincoln LS (upon which the current Mustang is loosely based) but with 2 doors?

Yeah pretty much.  I also agree that the LS had some potential but it was too small inside and Ford never kept the car up to date with the rest of the crowd.

[Mustangfan2003]

Saw one of these babies for sale on my way to work except it was red



If I didn't already have the Benz I'd consider it if the price was right