akirby

6F50. 6F55 is used in the ecoboost MKS, Flex, MKT and SHO. 6F35 is used in the Fusion 2.5L and 3.0L applications. Interestingly the Fusion and MKZ 3.5L still use the Aisin tranny, not the 6F.

Yep

Technically Mercury was killed last year.

I didn't say you were ignorant - I said you made an ignorant assumption. Not the same thing. Ignorance in this case is not understanding that there are many factors that go into where a component is sourced from and cost is just one of those factors (and probably not the first one). MSRP, domestic content and sales volume doesn't prove anything one way or the other. You'd have to look at specific parts and costs which none of us have access to. Of course domestic content and country of mfr makes a difference to some buyers. I never said it wasn't important or good - I just said that it's not always done just to reduce the cost of a part to generate more profit. Here is an example. Let's say one of the F150 parts used to come from a 3rd party supplier who had a factory in the U.S. but the factory was underutilized so they shut it down. Ford still gets the same part at the same price but it's imported from that suppliers' existing factories in other countries. Or the raw materials for a particular part are only available in a specific country in Europe and the part is used globally so Ford decides to build the part in Europe to save money on raw material transportation costs. It may actually cost Ford more money to ship the part to the U.S. but overall it's cheaper for Ford to do it that way than to build a new plant in the U.S. It's just not as simple as you think it is.

In at least 10 years I've NEVER seen anyone publish incentives before they were announced publicly. It simply doesn't happen (and for good reason). So don't expect to find anything. You'll just have to wait and gamble if you feel lucky. If your dealer is swamped with vehicles then it might be better. But you won't find out until July 1st.

Define "legitimately better". Better fit and finish? Better interior materials? Better amenities? Better acceleration? Better braking? Better handling? Better infotainment?

You don't know that outsourced content is cheaper. It's a complex equation having to do with production capacity, access to raw materials, ability to deliver on time and don't forget that Ford is a global company selling vehicles in other countries, especially Europe. So it's not as simple as "they're outsourcing parts to save money". Another ignorant assumption from someone who doesn't understand how businesses work. You totally missed my point. Ford has to compete with other mfrs that are cutting costs so to stay competitive Ford has to do the same type of cost cutting (and not necessarily outsourcing). Why does Ford have to compete on price? Because that's all most buyers care about. They don't care where the parts come from or where it's assembled and they're NOT going to pay a premium for the privilege of having a 100% domestic content assembled in the U.S.A. vehicle. That's my point - if consumers were willing to pay for it then there would be a market for it and mfrs would be filling that market. It all starts (and ends) with the consumer and what they're willing to spend their money on (or not spend it on). Period. The mfrs don't really have a choice if they want to stay in business outside of some niche products.

At time of delivery, although some dealers can now lock in incentives at the time of order and you get your choice like they've had in Canada for a long time. I don't see any reason why incentives would increase given current sales and inventory. And I've never seen anybody publish upcoming incentives before they were announced. They must guard that stuff like the formula for Coke.

I went from RWD manual Rangers and a RWD V8 Lincoln LS to a FWD Fusion V6. There isn't much if any difference unless you're at WOT or doing 60 through the twisties which I just don't do any more. All FWD vehicles are not the same. But that was mostly a jab at MT, not you.

They're selling 80K + vehicles using no dedicated plants or platforms and with minimal incentives. More importantly - Ford doesn't need Lincoln to be profitable right now thanks to the performance of the Ford brand. So from a business standpoint they're doing just fine as is until the new plan gets implemented. You and several others only look at Lincoln from a consumer standpoint and without taking into account the planned future changes.

Congratulations - you're qualified to write for Motor Trend!

Convenience is fine. But you don't go out of your way looking for the absolute lowest price on something and that's what I'm talking about. I'll stop beating the horse now.

This will be more like the Fiesta and Focus redesigns rather than the MKT. Remember they're replacing the Kuga in Europe so they have some experience with this type of design on this type of vehicle. I also don't expect another MKT from Lincoln.

There is no "probably" about it. Unfortunately it will be later in the year until they get back to normal supplies.

Most of the cost of the MKZ and MKS and possibly the MKT should have already been spent. It sounded to me like the $1B figure was from here forward which would make more sense.

Yes.

I thought I explained that. I agree it's not enough currently to justify the price.

Nobody is saying they will artificially limit content on Fords just to make Lincolns more appealing. What Lincoln has already said is they will introduce even better more exclusive features for Lincoln that aren't currently available on Fords. As for the engines - I think you'll see (as an example) Ford continue with 3.5L and 3.5L Ecoboost engines while Lincoln gets 3.7L and 3.7L Ecoboost versions. And that's EXACTLY why Lincoln has no respect right now - because in the past there wasn't much to distinguish Lincoln from Ford. That has to change or there is no point in having Lincoln and there is no way you can get premium prices like Lexus, Infiniti, MB, etc. with the Ford brand. And we're not talking about brand new engines - just Lincoln specific versions (like the 3.5 vs. 3.7 above). Once again the only perspective you seem to have is what YOU like and don't like and you have no concept of corporate decision making.

Since it's in the F150 it would almost be a foregone conclusion.......

Locally grown vegetables from the Farmer's Market at $5 per lb versus the same quality vegetables at the local grocery store imported from South America at $4.50 per lb. Do you support the local farmers or do you save $0.50 per lb? Do you buy a new wireless router from Best Buy where they employ locals and pay local taxes or do you order it from NewEgg.com where it's $10 cheaper? Do you buy a new vehicle from your local dealer or do you buy from an out of state dealer in order to save $100? My entire point is you should consider the benefits and side effects of your purchasing decisions and not just base it ONLY on price. It's like telling people not to overfish an area but they don't listen. They catch too many fish and pretty soon there are no more fish to be caught. People don't see or understand or care about the consequences until it's too late. It's all ME ME ME and NOW NOW NOW.

You don't get to decide what's acceptable or not. If you want a feature that Ford decides to only offer on Lincolns then you either pony up or go buy something else. The reason Ford went all out on the Ford models is they were trying to turn around the brand quickly and they didn't have to worry about Lincoln at the time. That's why the Taurus got some stuff the MKS still doesn't have. That may change slightly but overall I think you'll see Ford taking the Lincolns even higher than where the Fords are now so you won't see a lot of decontenting.

I'm saying we should support local businesses wherever possible even if it costs a little more because it indirectly benefits you and everyone else in your city or county. Even corporate franchises employ locals. I'm not suggesting you should pay double or you should support any business with bad service. And I'm saying we should extend that to buying domestic goods over imported goods wherever possible under the same principles. Here's a simpler example - you're buying a shirt in a department store and there are 2 virtually identical shirts. One is made in china for $30 and another one is made in the U.S. for $35. Which one do you buy?

The masses can demand all they want, but once the Lincoln brand is established then Ford has a choice as to what they offer on Fords and what they reserve for Lincoln. We're not talking about the current features - we're talking about retractible glass roofs and electronically controlled suspensions - things that should only be on Lincolns. In some cases it might eliminate a feature from a Ford (such as no V6 in the new Fusion e.g.) but that's the way it should work.

Why would you possibly think that Ford isn't doing everything within their power to get more Nav units? They're losing money left and right as long as they're not available.

Why does it need "saving"? It's doing just fine as is. You forgot free maintenance and a significantly longer warranty, more sound deadening, etc. I normally prefer the Lincolns but we did the same comparison and ended up with a 08 Limited Edge over the MkX and back then it was only a $4K difference. This is what I believe Lincoln is doing. They're keeping the ATPs high on the Lincoln models even if sales volumes are low. They're resisting cutting prices and putting cash on the hood. They don't need Lincoln to be profitable right now - the Ford brand has taken care of that. When they roll out the new models that do have more differentiation, better style, features, power, etc. they'll debut at the same or close the same price as the current model and everyone will marvel at how much they improved for the same price. As opposed to going for more sales now and then having to raise prices later. I think long term it's the right strategy and that's why I don't put much emphasis on current sales volumes. They're artificially low but it will pay off down the road.