DequindreToo

Has she had her hands in many Lincoln projects yet?

I wouldn't be at all opposed to the Continental name transitioning to some kind of coupe. It would still fit the Continental's flagship image.

I guess this bodes well for the long-term outlook of MAP.

If Lincoln has the vehicles that you mentioned in development, they're going to completely derail Cadillac (probably moreso than Tesla).

Does anyone have any firm opinion of Lincoln's new boss, Joy Falotico? Kumar Galhotra is a hard act to follow (he seemed totally committed to the Lincoln brand), so it would be interesting to hear some insider opinions on how she compares. Joy has a background in finance, so being thrust into a brand management role would be something completely different.

Hmm... very interesting. I hope you're correct! Then again, I don't want to get my hopes up. We've been hearing about a mysterious RWD Lincoln car for almost 10 years.

I'm not too upset that we missed this. It's devoid of style.

Hopefully Lincoln is testing the waters for keeping the Continental around in some form. If they were able to create some kind of low-volume uber-luxury RWD sedan on CD6, it would continue to serve as a great flagship for the brand. The CD6 is expected to be a dynamic platform, and if production volume is low enough, it may not detract from Explorer/Aviator production very much.

This things is getting hammered before press drives, which isn't a good sign. https://www.autoblog.com/2019/01/21/2020-cadillac-xt6-design-style-criticism-analysis/#slide-7500851

I'm curious to see how this will turn out. Are they going to position it as a relatively attainable product, or will they position it as an uber-luxury mini-flagship (kind of like the Range Rover Evoque)?

GM's PR has been awful as of late.

That was an extremely stupid move. Now buyers cross-shopping other entries will think that the XT6 is cramped by comparison.

Cadillac is having an identity crisis.

I like Galhotra. He really helped Lincoln get to the place it is today. If he's in line for the CEO position, Lincoln will have an advocate at the top again.

Given the economic circumstances at that time, econoboxes probably seemed like a good idea. The problem is that Mulally completely ignored Lincoln during his tenure, probably to get those econoboxes to market. Mark Fields was the one that spearheaded many of the products that we see at Lincoln today.

Car & Driving is already massacring this thing, and for good reason. It reminds me of what a rebadged Ford Explorer would have been like in 2011. In this case, the XT6 is a rebadged Acadia/Traverse. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a25861430/2020-cadillac-xt6-three-row-photos-info/

The 2020 Cadillac XT6 rounds out Cadillac's crossover lineup with a range-topper. It also presents an option for people who wanted a three-row Cadillac but didn't want something as large and truck-like as an Escalade. This is partly achieved through using a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 powering either the front or all four wheels. A nine-speed automatic transmission sends the V6's 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque to the ground. https://www.autoblog.com/2019/01/13/2020-cadillac-xt6-revealed-first-big-crossover/

I'm not sure why any automaker would want to get into the service side of "smart mobility". It seems like it will only take away resources from R&D.

The one thing that Mulally never understood is that buyers have different preferences in different markets.

Those last generation of Mercury vehicles didn't even offer much over their Ford counterparts. They had different grilles and offered beige interiors. It was a sad end to the brand.

I remember hearing rumors about that Focus-based Lincoln sedan. They were obviously toying around with the idea for a few years prior (hence the Lincoln C concept). It's probably better that the car never saw the light of day.

https://jalopnik.com/5472036/mercury-tracer-is-the-new-ford-focus

The unveiling of the Explorer got me to thinking about the Mercury Mountaineer, and by extension, the Mercury brand. Many people in this group seem to have insider knowledge of Ford's R&D and product planning. Therefore, I'm wondering... What Mercury vehicles were in development around the time the brand was canned in 2010/2011? I remember reading articles back around the time of the brand's cancellation that the then-upcoming Ford Focus was to be rebadged and sold as the Mercury Tracer (link below). Was there a Mountaineer (2011 Explorer) in the works? A Sable (2010 Taurus)? A Mariner (2013 Escape)? Other new models that the public never found out about?

I'm not a huge fan of that front fascia. It just doesn't look as premium as the previous iterations.

It's softer looking than I expected (I imagine that Ford is targeting the female market). I'm glad that Ford will offer a Maverick with more traditional SUV styling.