Zephyr name canned

[ifcar]

Ford Ditches Zephyr In Favor of Letters M, K, Z

Mere months after it went on sale, the Lincoln Zephyr is getting a name change to go with the Lincoln alphanumeric makeover now underway. With the new MKX crossover and MKS concept sedan in the pipeline, the Zephyr will take on the initials MKZ for 2007. At the same time, Ford says, the MKZ will get a mild styling update on the front end of the car and inside, where metallic inserts will be available in the place of standard wood finishes. The MKZ gets its power from Ford's new Cyclone 3.5-liter V-6, which is expected to make 250 horsepower. All-wheel drive will be added to the MKZ lineup as an option at the same time.


 

[giant_mtb]

My insides just sunk.  That is one of my favorite names for a car.  It's also one of my favorite-looking.      

[BMWDave]

Lincoln is doomed

[ifcar]

Chris, it still looks the same from what I can tell:


Maybe they fixed the taillights, but it doesn't sound like it.

[Raza]

MKZ?  So when they make one based on the upcoming Fusion GT, it will be the Lincoln MKZ GT?

They should stop calling them Lincolns, too, that's too many letters.  

LNCN MKZ GT

[thewizard16]

Aside from the taillights and an interior that was nice, but didn't fit my tastes, I really liked the Zephyr... cool name too. Lincoln needs to drop this whole letter naming business, the only ones that do it that seem normal to me are the high-end manufacturers, and they've been doing it for long enough no one thinks anything of it. That is probably what Lincoln is trying to do, make themselves seem more high end, but I don't think that making up dumb letter combinations and ditching attractive model names is going to help.

[SVT666]

I like the name Zephyr    

[Catman]

Lincoln is doomed

Beat me to it. :P   I'm starting to feel like Andrew Kear.  

[TBR]

Not really a big deal. Now, if they kill the Navigator or Town Car names, then it is a big deal.

[mazda6er]

Not really a big deal. Now, if they kill the Navigator or Town Car names, then it is a big deal.

...and I'm sure they will.

[ifcar]

The SUV that was unveiled yesterday/today is uses the Navigator name.  

[Catman]

The SUV that was unveiled yesterday/today is uses the Navigator name.

Soon to be the MXVZK. :P  

[mazda6er]

The SUV that was unveiled yesterday/today is uses the Navigator name.

So did the Aviator (excuse me, MKX? :P)...until they changed it. Lincoln was already planning on the new naming system when that was unveiled, I believe.  

[Catman]

The SUV that was unveiled yesterday/today is uses the Navigator name.

So did the Aviator (excuse me, MKX? :P)...until they changed it. Lincoln was already planning on the new naming system when that was unveiled, I believe.

The whole naming debacle just proves Lincoln is in disarray.

[ifcar]

But this was at the same time that they changed the Zephyr name, they wouldn't unveil it this late under that name to change it later.

[Raza]

Not really a big deal. Now, if they kill the Navigator or Town Car names, then it is a big deal.

...and I'm sure they will.

LNCN MKNVGR
LNCN MKZXTNCR

[so cal cookie]

Honda sued Ford over the use of MKX, and I had hope that that would convince them to abandon this stupid alpha-numeric thing, but i guess not.  
Lincoln needs to figure out what the hell they are doing before they do anything else.


For those that can't see the changes in the front, the grill has a horizontal bar going across the middle of it, and the lower fascia has been revised.
New:

Old:



It's sad to see the Zephyr get caught up in this, because I like the car.  

[TBR]

"Honda sued Ford over the use of MKX, and I had hope that that would convince them to abandon this stupid alpha-numeric thing, but i guess not."

Now that is really ridiculous, even more ridiculous than BMW sueing over the M.

[Speed_Racer]

Hmph...Zephyr was one of the names I liked. I see current car names floating in my Alpha-Bits, which is rediculous. I like it when a car's name invokes a feeling or thought.  

[TurboDan]

Won't this just confuse buyers?  Cadillac is bad enough with the SRX and XLR being so similar.  

[TBR]

No more so than the similar alphanumeric names of other manufacturers do (i.e.: G35 and M35; GS350; IS350, and RX350; and 530i and 330i).

[so cal cookie]

Won't this just confuse buyers?  Cadillac is bad enough with the SRX and XLR being so similar.

You bet it will.
I'd hate to be a Lincoln salesmen next year.

[sparkplug]

Only time can tell if Lincoln succeeds.

I'd like to see Mercury and Lincoln do something different to the powertrain, brakes, and suspension to further differentiate themselves from Ford. People will pay more for a car if its truly worth it, offering the quality and performance increases that really make it worth the additional costs.

[TBR]

Won't this just confuse buyers?  Cadillac is bad enough with the SRX and XLR being so similar.

You bet it will.
I'd hate to be a Lincoln salesmen next year.

Why? No one is going to remember the Zephyr name except for us and it isn't exactly our kind of car.

[so cal cookie]

Why? No one is going to remember the Zephyr name except for us and it isn't exactly our kind of car.

Because Lincoln spent millions getting the name "Zephyr" into consumer's heads, only to change it 6 months into the model run.
When a customer walks onto the lot and asks for the Zephyr, the salseman has to say "Lincoln doesn't make the Zephyr anymore, but I have this MKZ instead."  Some people honestly won't make the connection that it's the same car, and will think the salesman is trying to sell them an entirely different car. :ph34r:  

[Submariner]

Lincoln is doomed

Beat me to it. :P   I'm starting to feel like Andrew Kear.

Troll.  














 

[TBR]

Why? No one is going to remember the Zephyr name except for us and it isn't exactly our kind of car.

Because Lincoln spent millions getting the name "Zephyr" into consumer's heads, only to change it 6 months into the model run.
When a customer walks onto the lot and asks for the Zephyr, the salseman has to say "Lincoln doesn't make the Zephyr anymore, but I have this MKZ instead."  Some people honestly won't make the connection that it's the same car, and will think the salesman is trying to sell them an entirely different car. :ph34r:

I just don't see that happening. People won't remember the name because it is odd and hasn't gotten just a whole lot of exposure.

[TurboDan]

No more so than the similar alphanumeric names of other manufacturers do (i.e.: G35 and M35; GS350; IS350, and RX350; and 530i and 330i).

Infiniti suffers from the same syndrome, to an extent.  But, alphanumeric names can be very easy in the case of the BMW numbers and MB letters.  When your entire model lineup sounds almost exactly the same, who's going to remember it?

[giant_mtb]

No more so than the similar alphanumeric names of other manufacturers do (i.e.: G35 and M35; GS350; IS350, and RX350; and 530i and 330i).

Infiniti suffers from the same syndrome, to an extent.  But, alphanumeric names can be very easy in the case of the BMW numbers and MB letters.  When your entire model lineup sounds almost exactly the same, who's going to remember it?

I still get all the BMWs and MBs mixed up.  330i this, 335cjwuj27 that, S500 the other thing, S6032 that one thing...  :ph34r:  

[ichi_ban1]

Lincoln needs help. Period.