timf

Removed, didn't mean to post in the Employee forum.

Not to mention there weren't many left to sell at the end of 2012 either. The MKZ should far surpass the 2012 numbers for the last 4 months of the year. They've done well to already make up the early deficit.

It's easy to find pictures. Go to cars.com and search for 2014 Fusions with the keyword "dark". You'll find quite a few listings with multiple photos.

The MKC styling doesn't look good on a sedan. They'd be better off making it look like a bigger MKZ, but maybe with a different tail end like the current MKS.

The numbers work out to Lincoln shoppers being roughly 63.5% men and 36.5% women. This survey should explain why Lincoln is taking the approach they are with Black Label and why they have a large number of female designers on their staff. They simply aren't shopped by many women, so they are trying to create products with greater female appeal.

Ford had a wireless charging accessory on the 2014 Fusion order guide but later deleted it. Not sure why or what model they had planned to use. As far as I'm concerned, until phones have wireless charging built in without needing a special case, this is a novelty and not useful.

Ah, you are right about the stitching. I tried to go back and see if it was in the original photos, but it's so subtle that even looking closely I couldn't see it.

The MKC Concept is Modern Heritage interior with Chroma Flame exterior. http://www.autoblog.com/photos/lincoln-mkc-black-label-concept-monterey/

The thing that sticks out to me about the new numbers is how much closer the Energi numbers are to the Hybrid numbers now. This leads me to believe Ford used the C-Max Energi to test fuel economy for both it and the Fusion Energi, which means that Ford is likely understating the mileage on the Fusion Energi.

It's exactly the same as the original MKC Concept, with the exception of the exterior paint color and interior stitching color being changed to red. The rest of the interior "theme" is exactly what was shown in January. I wonder if they modified the vehicle shown before, or if this is a second copy.

There are 3 interior themes and 6 paint colors exclusive to the program. It's nowhere near as extensive as the customization that other manufacturers offer, and should fit into the existing plants without any major issues.

I wonder if this will impact the Fusion Hybrid and MKZ Hybrid as well. I've always found it interesting that even though the C-Max has a higher roofline and a seemingly less aerodynamic shape they could claim the same mileage as the Fusion.

His first post says he was wrong on both counts about it being for Ford and a test drive, so that rules out the Focus. I do think about the Ford Focus every time I see this thread though.

Was that badge on the door or decklid? Having the Fusion on the doors is somewhat redundant so debadging looks good, but I would want to keep the full name on the back at least.

I'm not sure what to make of Tesla stock. I made a token investment early this year, and while that has paid off I see way too much risk in buying in at anything within 50% of the current price level. The product may be outstanding, but the market for cars at the price point of the Model S simply isn't big enough to sustain 4,000-5,000 cars per month for an extended time. Growth like that which we've been seeing is what I would expect with the launch of the more affordable third generation models, and that's still several years away. I want Tesla to be successful, but this is giving me flashbacks of the dot com boom and subsequent bust. I'm not sure what the trigger will be for a sell off, I just hope it's not something that threatens the company's future.

If anything were to go to Avon Lake, it would make the most sense to have a Flat Rock type split where they build high volume S and SE model Escapes and the MKC goes on the Louisville line with the bulk of Escape production. It'll be an easier launch for the MKC if they're being built by people already used to the platform.

The date on the window sticker is the date your truck was sent to production and the window sticker was generated. The date on ETIS was the date your truck rolled off the final assembly line. There's usually about a week difference between the two dates.

Good luck with your Lemon Law claim, nmadole. I'd think the poor mileage of the car would be the bigger reason to declare it a lemon, but since Ford won't admit anything is wrong the mileage, if you can get them on the headliner all the better.

Looks identical to me. The design may be frozen, but testing will continue until the production vehicles go on sale. Image Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/14/lincoln-mkc-prototype-caught-partially-covered-reveals-some-cha/

The "mystery crossover" looks to be one of the MKC prototypes that have been running around for the past few months. I'm not sure why reporters still have such a hard time identifying them.

Mustang? F-150? Edge? MKC? A lot is due in 2014. It could be any number of things.

It looks like the multi-contour seats are already in production. I found this window sticker on order at my local dealer. http://www.inventory.ford.com/services/inventory/WindowSticker.pdf?vin=3LN6L2LU3ER800046

In a new model year, customer orders don't get scheduled until the OK to buy is received. This should happen a lot faster than it does for new models but it still requires 5 days of problem free production, so you're looking at next week at the earliest before any of your orders get scheduled. VINs are assigned when the orders are scheduled, which explains why your dealers have not been able to provide them to you yet.

I've started seeing Sunset in person and I'm sold. It's such a unique color in the way it looks like a deep red but light reflects orange. They have an Explorer on display this weekend at Plymouth Art in the Park. Didn't notice a Dark Side, but they have a Taurus that I thought was black but will need to take a closer look. Edit: The Taurus was Tuxedo Black, still looking for my first Dark Side sighting.

Dual exhaust for something that is running on battery power much of the time is overkill. Particularly on the Energi, I would prefer they find a way to hide the tailpipe completely like on the Volt. Maybe a good compromise would be a single integrated exhaust - similar look to the dual exhaust but only on the one side.