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The goal is to have about 325 Lincoln dealers in the United States. Further, Ford wants Lincoln stores to be stand alone from Ford stores. It's going to take time to do so.
Because the new MKZ has only been on dealer lots for about 3-4 weeks. Geez - give it some time!
Part of the Lincoln turnaround plan is for dealers to build separate showrooms and staffs. A few have already started or are close to finishing but it will take a few years for the majority of the dealerships to catch up.
As I mentioned recently, I hope Lincoln reestablishes itself as a leading luxury brand, as it once was. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
All things being equal ,the new Lexus ES sold almost 6800 units in March while the new MKZ sold 2360 units in March. The 6800 Lexus ES units are just about equal to Lincolns' entire brand sales of 6825 units for March.
Ford should just put a stake in Lincoln and call it dead.
I don't understand why Lexus can be successful selling the ES and RX which use shared FWD Toyota platforms but Lincoln has no hope of being successful doing EXACTLY THE SAME THING with shared Ford platforms. If you compare the ES and MKZ head to head the MKZ bests it in almost every category. And don't try to say it has anything to do with the IS, RS and LS RWD sedans. The people buying the ES and RX don't care.
As should have GM with Cadillac in 1985, they had gone from the standard of the world to the worst car in the world, with the laughingstock of the world, the Cimarron. However, amazingly, they rebuilt themselves quite well. They'll likely never be the standard again, too much good competition has taken hold now, but they are respectable now. Even I somewhat admire them now that the interiors are getting luxurious, finally.
Ford can do the same with Lincoln. Takes time, money and determination with a vision. Ford's biggest lifetime problem has been inconsistency. We'll see if they can overcome that when Mullaly quits. That's usually when they lose focus in years past. But I don't agree they should dump Lincoln. Handled property, it could become great again - they have to figure out what their niche, theme and mission is going to be though. Bigger Fords won't do it.
Right now, BMW seems to be the standard everyone compares themselves to. Lexus is upgrading their models, even copying the interiors to make a "reliable BMW" and adding more sport ingredient into the cars. Cadillac has been chasing that elusive 5er for some time now, and have come close, albeit with a totally different skin, which differentiates them nicely, I think. BMW like performance with a unique styling theme.
Lincoln has been looking for a theme, but hasn't got one yet. First, they put grilles on the MKX and Navigator that are supposed to remind us of the 61 Continental, but remind me of a Remington shaver. Then, they tried the 41 Continental look, but made it ghastly big. Pretty ghastly anyway. They have something better now coming out, but will it work and will it last? Will it become a consistent, recognizable look? We'll see. I hope they do. I liked my Lincolns with the Waterfall grilles. You could tell it was a Lincoln, and it looked stately and attractive, whichever model you drove. But no more.
I agree - and I get so tired of this "shared platform"
BS everybody pins to Ford as if they're the only manufacturer that has EVER done it. Why is that? No big deal if VW does it, Toyota, fine. GM, way of life, but ok. Chrysler? Sure! Put those Challengers on the 300 platform, which is an E class platform, no problem. But Ford? HERESY!
Why is that? I'm tired of it. Not talking re-badging here, that's a totally different thing.
Nicely put. This is what happens when a committee tries to design a car. Is there an actual car guy anywhere in sight, or is the whole place run by accountants? Allen continues to point to the financials, and I don't doubt that he (and they) are right, but where's the passion?
The LS created it, but that was a decade and a half ago. I don't see it anymore. Maybe Viagra and Lincoln can team up -- imagine the commercials.
Lincoln is charging more of a premium than I think they can probably justify right now but I think they're doing it on purpose. They're trying to generate maximum profits on smaller volumes and prevent Lincoln from turning into a bargain hunter's brand which will help if/when they get 6 or 7 really good vehicles out the door in a few years. They're also still trying to cull the dealer herd.
People expect a complete turnaround in 1-2 years and that's not reasonable or sustainable.
I understand that, and I agree. I think the problem with the patience may be that those of us who were Lincoln fans, back in the glory day-90s, have been waiting a long time for a Lincoln they can get excited about, and be proud of again. It's going to take time, but from the customer or Lincolnophile like I was, it's been forever. I keep hoping!
But are those the people that Lincoln wants in their showrooms? Town Car and Continental owners from the 90's are aging and IMHO, not who Lincoln wants or needs to attract.
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/09/lincoln-needs-a-farewell-address-not-a-new-ma- rketing-plan/
Lincoln cannot survive by making comfortable, quiet, and well-equipped vehicles. Mainstream vehicles have moved into that territory in a big way. That will continue. This "you can't expect Lincoln to turn around in 1-2 years," is of course true, but beside the point. It has been years and years that Lincoln has been mucking around with different plans. Lincoln started attempting its turnaround way back with the MKS. Then the MKT was to be the first true "new" Lincoln. Now, the MKZ, which is a nice car, but nothing special. The MKC looks competitive, but nothing about it suggests a game changer.
Cadillac may be spending gobs of money on their new designs, but they understand this may be necessary to survive long-term. Their sales continue to increase and their reputation is growing bit by bit.
Remember that there is a lot of profit in premium cars, so even if they are not making money like Audi or BMW, they have some room to maneuver and innovate. I don't like Cadillac design, but I give them credit for not being premium Chevrolets. The new CTS looks to be a winner. Several other new models are in the pipeline.
Premium cars represent a small percentage of overall sales, but generate 50% of company profits. Ford has other options besides the track they are taking right now with Lincoln. Surely, the worst sales figures in decades are not generating any real return on the dollars spent so far on the brand.
They could dump Lincoln and Ford would be ok, at least for quite awhile. Or they could dump the current Lincoln lineup and start again slowly like Lexus did, with models that actually test out toward the top of their segments. Or they could do other creative things that I am not smart enough to think up. This botch of the "2013" MKZ roll-out seems to be emblematic of what is wrong: they have still not committed the necessary resources to make the brand relevant again.
Ford keeps adding more staff to the team, and testing if the effort is now enough. Enough effort and investment to make the best cars in their segments would be one rational (if expensive) way to gauge this. Then, if Lincoln still does not rebound, it will be time to re-think the whole deal.
Well, as I recall, Lexus had the advantage of delivering a near-equivalent vehicle at a much lower price, relative to Merc & others. "All" they had to do was convince the old-school luxury drivers that Lexus was worthy to play in the sandbox. That's a much easier sell if your vehicle is high-content, selling for thousands less. Infinity was trying to do the same thing at the time.
I'm not at all sure how any of that relates to today's Lincoln situation.
It came down to buying a brand new SHO or a Certified 2011 MKS Ecoboost with 7700 miles that has all the goodies including the Cashmere leather interior. We paid $34,995 for the MKS last August. The MSRP was $55,305.
You should make a belated post on the chronic car buyers thread :shades:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/04/lincoln-can-and-will-come-back/
And while we’re at it, lets ask this:
How does the F-150 fit into One Ford?
How does the Super Duty fit into One Ford?
How does the Edge/MKEdge fit into One Ford?
How does the Flex/MKFlex fit into One Ford?
How does the Expedition/MKExpedition fit into One Ford?
How does the Explorer fit into One Ford?
How does the global Ranger that we’re stupidly not getting fit into One Ford?
The whole idea of One Ford is a massive joke. You cannot have the same vehicles for every market all over the world. It just doesn’t work.
__________________________________________________________
I don't know if I agree with the above massive joke comment, but I do wonder if the new Escort could be morphed into a small Lincoln sedan with good rear legroom/
OTOH F150, SuperDuty, Mustang, Expedition, Explorer and Edge are primarily North American vehicles - they don't have similar vehicles being produced and sold in other areas of the world.
Ranger is a ROW (rest of world) vehicle. There is only one Ranger worldwide, one F150 and one Superduty worldwide.
One Ford is nothing more than saying we don't want to duplicate vehicles, platforms or functions unnecessarily.
E.g. A U.S. Ranger and ROW Ranger. A U.S. Focus and Euro Focus. Euro Transit van and U.S. E-series.
As for One Ford/Global vehicles not working - the Focus was the best selling vehicle in the world.
Sorry, but you know I can't stand inaccuracies.
Maybe Lincolns will be priced to compete with the Buick models in the entry level luxury segment, but Buicks have a lot of cache' in China. I think they sell more than three times as many Buicks in China as in the U.S.
Heck, if I did the commercial the cars would be:
1930s Model K
1936 Zephyr
1941 Continental
1953 Panamerica racer
1956-57 Continental Mark II
1961 Continental
1968 Mark III
1986 Town Car
1990 Town Car
1990s LS
Present Day
Mercedes does retrospective commercials the best.
Everyone always says that - but, old people have money, and they make more old people every day. There is an endless supply of old people. Why don't marketing people ever acknowledge that? It's working for Buick just fine. Geezers are a niche - someone ought to market to them.
Lincoln: What a Mercury Should Be
The problem is most of the old people they are making today have driven Japanese and European cars for the last 30 years. Why would they buy a Town Car today instead of an E Class or 5 Series? The ride on those have softened up over the years - just like the old people they make today.
You're an aberration though.
Tricky though since we don't want to be identified at oldsters. I think that's why lots of us in the over 60 crowd like xDs and Souls.
The Panther architecture had its meriits, but dynamically and technologically has been left far behind. Even some basic equipment on current mid-size cars is not there. Plus, the structure is very creaky, not the stuff that luxury feels like. Interior finishing sucks. It had its time.
Buick has already moved on. Lucernes are gone, not to be replaced. The coming flagship Riveria sedan is nothing like a Lucerne. All Buick models have become more relevant and even youthful. They are selling well in the US again, but their biggest and most important market is China, where they are not seen as an old man's car at all. (Mind you, I say all this as an old man.)
Lincoln is going to have to throw a lot more money into the ring in order to be a player again some time. Cadillac has already found how expensive it can be to claw one's way back from mediocre. But they are doing it, and it will likely pay off, as Cadillacs are not perceived as dolled-up Chevys, and premium cars see huge profits compared to what is made on a mainstream brand.
I think it would be great if Lincoln could eventually field a roomy RWD sedan with a bit of handling prowess. It would be more space efficient than the yachts of old with their useless exaggerated front and rear overhangs, but it could still be stately. Everything the MKS (tall, bulbous, not expensive looking, and not particularly roomy, given its height) is not.
“They have to be in it for the long haul,” Ms. Krebs said. “They’ve been just totally in the doldrums. Luxury sales are up, and Lincoln is down.”
A Troubled Introduction for a Crucial New Model (New York Times)
For Lincoln to succeed in the way that is intended, they actually have to essentially make Buicks at Cadillac prices, but which are nonetheless perceived to be Cadillacs.
One reason premium vehicles are so profitable, is that they are usually no more than a little bit more refined than the class below them, but still command a significant price jump.
A loaded Fusion Titanium for example has all the equipment and most of the refinement of a premium car. It's price necessarily also has to bump up against premium territory. To get the extra thousands of dollars of price jump for a true premium car, the perception of additional worth has to somehow be there.
There is no such significant perceptual difference between a top of the line Taurus and a Lincoln MKS. Lincoln added a few twiddles and twaddles, plus a significant price jump, to a car that arguably is not as good looking as a Taurus and feels no more refined, and yet thought that this would work: selling a Buick at a Cadillac price.
The new team seems to have gotten the memo now...there is little point to an MKS, unless people begin to perceive it as a Lincoln and not a Mercury or Ford with lipstick. Front and rear clip re-styles don't begin to address that. Let's see what they can do.
I still don't think they can do much of anything to address perceptual change without gobs of money invested. But then I am not in charge, nor that smart to definitely know how to turn around a moribund brand.
What Lincoln needs is at least one car to call its own, one model that you can’t find on the Ford side of the lot — say, stretch the Mustang platform into a four-door coupe and give it a 400-horsepower EcoBoost V-6. Until a car like that arrives, the question attached to any Lincoln will be very simple: is this car different enough from its Ford twin?"
The Secret Ingredient Is Ford Fusion (NY Times)
The Fusion and MKZ are like the Sonata and Optima--very well differentiated by body panels and interiors, but are they so differentiated that one commands a $8K price differential? It's a fair question.
Reliability is still king in my book and there is absolutely no reason not to expect that these days via testing and knowledge of previous design. Instead they have taken the planned obsolescense and money in parts/repairs route these days. What happened to "Quality is job one?" May I suggest unions and attitude.
You want to do differences on the cheap? Try this. All dies for making parts have a wear factor. Replacements cost money. Use stamping out steel body parts for example. Assume wear starts around 1000 pieces. Those first ones are Lincoln, the next 10,000 are Ford. That is a small inexpensive, maybe even money saving, change.
Stamp all Lincoln parts out of slightly heavier, better quality metal. Or plastic, or whatever component you are making. Lincoln gets the top run of parts, Fords are seconds. At least Lincoln price might match quality.
As for me, I've had phenomenal success with domestic offerings, especially Buick. My first car was a 1968 Buick Special Deluxe that was still running in 1992. My wife's 8 year-old LaCrosse is still going strong despite several accidents.
I like it...
With 1.3 billion people, do they have the room for these major highways???...do they have the money to buy these cars if they make $2/day making iPhones???...doesn't this all sound fishy to you???...one day they barely get buy on a ball of rice, maybe owning a rickshaw and a bicycle for a one lane dirt road, next day they are driving Lucernes down the freeway, buring up gasoline like there is no tomorrow...
This is NOT a racist statement, this is what we have been taught for years...it took us many years for high-speed highways to be built, with a population from 100 to 200 million (back then, now 320 million), and we invented the car and gasoline...where are their service stations, the car dealers, the tire shops, etc???
I simply do not understand how they "moved aside" 1.3 billion people and built an autobahn used by people driving Buicks...