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Have you reset the mpg calculator lately?
I just hope our policies change so that American cars can be made by Americans again.
With Fords excellent new products coming out, and out already, and these new warrentees especialy on Lincolns, it should attract people who were previously on the fence.
Till then, you gotta do, what you gotta do, to stay alive.
I've said it before...when people want to buy a vehicle, they research everything and anything pertaining to it...same with a TV, or other electronics...When it comes to policies that affect them personally and their future, they are highly uneducated over them.
I was also distrubed when the movie showed the average Chinese car getting over 30 mpg. I cannot confirm these numbers but if true then we really are behind the cueball as we cannot sell the Chinese cars because of our poor MPG's.
Hmm, maybe instead of a new MKZ I will get a Hybrid!
Those 30 mpg Chinese cars are probably tiny and don't meet U.S. crash standards or emissions standards. And even if it did meet the standards it wouldn't sell very well unless gas goes up another $1-$2/gallon. Until then we just don't want to sacrifice room and comfort.
The management decisions still suck. Reneging on the promise to improve truck mileage by 25% was based on the projected cost and resource allocation needed, I'm sure. The lack of foresight on that will cost them more than they "saved." It is often like that with Ford in the past 10 years. And the irony is they are so afraid of doing something wrong that they move at a snail's pace compared to other companies in bringing new products to market---and then only to find their caution did not produced the expected hit.
The MKZ is such a conservative effort that, even though it is competitive, it is not even as cutting edge (and I use that term loosely) as the LS was in 2000, nor is it able to generate even LS level of sales for many reasons. Meanwhile, Cadillac is cooking with an integrated line-up. Lincoln will soon have the MKX, but that class is crowded with excellent new entries too. I don't know, but it doesn't look good.
While the Zephyr isn't breaking sales records, it is selling well and making money even at low production volumes - which is more than could be said for the LS. And as they add AWD and a bigger engine and increase production capacity I think it can sell 50K (profitable) units per year. A slow rampup is better than an initial frenzy followed by a big dropoff.
Again, I am not saying Zephyr is not a success. However, 50,000 sales are only a hope at present, and even if Lincoln was lucky enough to achieve this (without heavy incentives), they need several other lines to make good sales as well.
What they will have though is a very unintegrated line-up without the "brand look" that Audi, Cadillac, BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, Pontiac, etc. can seem to impart even when dealing with a modle mix including sedans, 2 seaters, SUVs, trucks.I know Ford can do better than this, because they have.
Present management cannot seem to stick with any plan, produce any plan in a reasonable time frame, or if changing course, doing so in a timely or dramatic way that is clearly more than lip service. Don't they look at what Toyota, Cadillac, Honda, are doing? How about VW's turnaround and spate of planned models? It will be interesting to see if Ford brings Failane to market with the attributes that made it such a successful concept, and whether this time they will give the Lincoln version its own body panels, look and presence.
They would be looking good right now if they had brought the AWD NaviCross to market. With styling that sells now (a la Chrysler 300) yet with Lincoln look and heritage, giving those who want to move back to a sedan from an SUV a unique choice. Oh well.
Also, anything else going to be different about the Zephyr besides the AWD option, grill and horizontal front chrome changes? For example, can we expect any other refinenements in the '07 MKZ?
Too true. Somewhere in these threads someone mentioned Lincoln's intent with the alphabet soup designation is to get people to say "Lincoln XYZ" or "Lincoln ABC" instead of just saying "Town Car" or "Continental" so as to emphasize the "Lincoln" awareness. They could go a long way to that if they could find and stay with a brand look. Now, however, cars will see a waterfall grill while their trucks will see an egg crate grill. One or the other, please.
http://media.ford.com/newsroom/feature_display.cfm?release=23389
I completely agree - and feel the same about Cadillac. Too hard to learn the code.
The Mercedes C Class actually used to be a "C" class automobile, although it is bigger than that now. Cadillac names its trucks, and give a different letter scheme for its current and pproposed crossovers. The roadster also gets its own. I still prefer names, but I can live with it.
Lincoln on the other hand calls their smallest car a Z, their soon-to-be-largest sedan an S, the crossover an X (which falls between S and Z), and then spells out MK as Mark for the truck. They seem poised like Cadillac to keep names for their full-size SUVs. It will be interesting to see what they call the Fairlane clone they should be getting in a year or so.
The McLT, the McS, McZ, McZ.....and yes, it all makes no friggen sense. Volvo has C for coupe, S for Sedan, V for Wagons, XC for the SUV, that one I don't exactly get. I disagree that Cadillac has a lot of continuity in their alpha-names, but Lincolns porport to be the worst.
Yes, I'm a little surprised it took so long so make that simple but brilliant, Rainman-like observation.
BTW, XC is shorthand for Cross Country (like MK is purported to be for "Mark"...which I still don't see).
who is or was Mark and why is Lincoln insisting on naming all their vehicles after him?
That's funny - you just described me to a tee. I've been in Lincolns since 1990. First Sedans, then the Navigators, now I wanted to go back to a sedan, but not the Town Car.... The Navicross would have been perfect for me - and alas, it's not built. Neither is the new Continental concept built. Neither was the Mark 9 concept built. What does Lincoln have for a guy like me? A compact, baby, underpowered close of a Fusion...... And that's not gonna do it for me. So, I had to leave. I still have a soft spot in my heart for Lincoln, and would love to own another one, but it has to be special. It's gotta have WoW factor, and presence (that's SIZE) to get me.
Now If I could of bought this car 1 month ago for 0% financing (same model year) why would I agree to pay 3.9% now?
http://tinyurl.com/o6xwn
Notice the large "Z" in the MKZ on the drivers door..
PS- Mark is mkovalsk on these boards, and is still active in several Lincoln discusions.
Ahhhhh- the good old days (early Y2K) :surprise:
Ford said it got an earful from people who thought the new naming scheme was downright confusing.
"The customers and dealers were unanimous in telling us that," Ford spokesman Jim Cain said. "We decided with finality that we're going to launch these vehicles as the MKX (pronounced em-kay-ex) and the MKZ (pronounced em-kay-zee)."
The decision was made last week.
http://tinyurl.com/zxpqg
It's just pathetic.
Zephyr Video Review
MKS Sedan
First of all, the MKS is the LS replacement. The Town Car replacement has been canned, and there is nothing in the pipeline right now to replace the cancelled replacement. Very, very bad planning. It is no wonder Lincoln has sunk so low. They can no longer blame the Firestone fiasco for Lincoln's failure to have a flagship sedan in 2008. And, by the way, lest anyone think otherwise, the MKS will not be a 2007 model. It won't be ready yet. Hopefully, they can still introduce it in 2007 as a 2008.
first of all, the MARK name should only be used in two door coupes, such as the Mark VII, or Mark VIII, and if Lincoln has anything in its pants, they will make a Mark IX, out of the current mustang, only fit the Aluminum 5.4 as the base engine and give it nav, HID, LED, the turning lights, ETC.
Second, the MKS will come out the gate inferrior, with a Japanese V8 that barely compets with the calillac (315hp Vs 320) and Cadillac will probably update that engine soon.
please don't give me the 'its not all about power' routine we have been though it already.
The interrior of the MKS looks so old I need to join the AARP just to get in.
Exterrior looks nice, though. I don't understand why they will can the LS when they could invest in the 3.9 V8, up it to 4.6 or 4.8, and have it get at least 350hp, then make the MKS your flagship, not midlevel sedan.
I drove an LS with the 3.9L, very smooth and responsive engine.
It seems they are screwing this up like they did the CVT (now watch nissan make some money off of it) and many other things. Makes a USA fan pretty sad :sick:
Agreed, what a smooth and potent engine. What lincoln should do instead of shelving this high revving masterpiece is install it in the MKX crossover to differentiate it from the edge, or at the least make it an option.
Why not just make a new fresher LS, put in the 3.5 V6 with 265hp, them upgrade the V8 to 4.6 or 4.8L's and have it make 350hp, as i said B4?
WHY NOT? Is it b/c ford does not want to sell cars anymore? Or b/c they agreed with GM to stop making RWD cars so Cadillac can do better, and Cadillac will stop with the FWD?
Who knows. The point is that all the LS really needed was a power boost, and to have more suspension damping, so you don't hear the bumps as much. It is a great car otherwise IMO.
But they won't be doing those things. No leadership at the helm apparently--at least none that understands what Lincoln ought to be.
So we will get McZ and soon McX and some time after that, the McS (which will be middling-of-the-pack-to-obsolete by the time it is belatedly introduced)...none of which bear any relationship to the others stylistically, or as obvious placeholders in a range of luxury automobiles.