duncan36

Exactly. Lincoln needs to build American cars for Americans first. GM is and will continue to prove its a giant mistake to outright copy the Japanese and Germans. The ES clone Buick Lacrosse is floundering and the BMW 3 clone Cadillac ATS is floundering. Why on earth would people want Lincoln to go down that path of eventual defeat?

Now earning 3% a year in dividends alone, you'll be lucky to find 1% interest in a bank.

Well the MKZ is taking the current Ford-Lincoln dynamic to its peak. If the MKZ isnt a roaring success in the marketplace I think we should all come to the consensus that the current Ford - Lincoln dynamic isnt working and the structure of Lincoln needs to be totally reformed.

Of course it matters who engineers a platform. If Lincoln isnt engineering platforms its not building cars its a dumping ground for Ford product. Look at all the crappy Lincoln products with consumerate crappy sales like the MKS, MKT for evidence of how what Ford is doing with Lincoln isnt working at all. Then look at companies like Audi which are roaring successes for how to organize a luxury brand within a larger automotive group successfully.

It worked great for Cadillac with the ATS right? No, what Lincoln really needs is an inhouse designed flagship engineered from the ground up by Lincoln.

Audi has created entire platforms and co-engineered platforms with the rest of VW group. Aka they are responsible for engineering all aspects of the cars they produce from the ground up. If you dont see the difference between that and Ford handing Lincoln the Fusion platform and Lincoln changing the styling and adding some options I suggest you withdraw from the discussion as you cant grasp simple concepts.

If you want to see how its done successfully look at Audi and its relationship to VW. Audi is an autonomous unit that makes its own decisions, has its own engineering from the ground up despite sharing platforms with VW. This isnt 1970 anymore and Lincoln cant get away with slapping a new body on a Thunderbird platform and calling it a day. Either Lincoln becomes its own autonomous unit within Ford that makes its own decisions and helps build its own cars from top to bottom. Or wrap it up and close it down because its worse than useless it'll be a perpertual drain on Ford and nothing more than a dumping ground.

You and I really dont know how the platforms were developed. I've said many times its not a bad thing that Lincoln and Ford share platforms. All I'm saying is that its better if Lincoln platforms flow primarily from Lincoln to Ford rather than from Ford to Lincoln. Otherwise whats the point of Lincoln? If it cant produce platforms its just a dumping ground for Ford.

Weasels make money hand over fist often(i.e. banksters) doesnt mean they're creating it justly. Also classic Lincolns like the Mark V were on their own platform as was the classic Continental mark II two-seater. So you may want to revise what you wrote incorrectly.

I dont necessarily have a problem with Fords and Lincolns having the same platform. I just believe that the platforms a luxury marque like Lincoln uses should originate with Lincoln and then migrate to Ford. As God intented. I'm willing to bet all the best Lincoln models over the years were developed this way. And no I dont classify any of the Fox or Panther Lincolns as being worthy of that title.

No you misunderstood me I never liked the ES. Worst kind of Jap crap rolling down the road.

Glad to be wrong the ES is a prissy, ugly, POS. Why is Ford mimicing Toyota by using Ford platforms for their luxury marque? I think I know the reason, the accountants have weaseled their way to the top of the company and are sapping the life out of it

I dont deny that luxury options are part of the package but recycling Ford platforms simply isnt cutting it for Lincoln(look at their sales). Even Lexus has stopped the practice putting the ES on a Lexus specific platform instead of a Camry platform.

Thunderbird was most successful as a personal luxury coupe. Today I think it should be made into a coupe and a sedan off a Lincoln flagship platform. Bring back personal American luxury cars stop making prissy copies of Japanese luxury!

You kind of proved my point. Lincoln is a glorified options designer not a vehicle designer. No wonder their vehicles arent selling.