PREMiERdrum Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 XLR probably would have done better if it wasn't launched and abandoned and if it used the same powertrains as the Corvette instead of the woefully outdated Northstar. Curious decision, as it most definitely would have been cheaper to use the Corvette mills. More in-fighting at GM... the 'Vette guys pitched a fit when "their" engines were going to be used in the XLR so they stuck with the Northstar and abandoned the program. It's a shame, too, because the XLR definitely had potential, if they only could have fixed the proportions just a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpvbs Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 (edited) I might as well throw in my $.02. I don't think that Lincoln needs to become more sporty like BMW or the CTS to be successful. The market for sporty luxury cars seems to be pretty well saturated. Also, what type of cars in the general market are the most popular? Bland, benign cars like Camrys and Accords. When the people who in the past were buying beige appliance cars now have the means to move up into the luxury market, do they all of a sudden become interested in sports car-like handling in their daily drivers? It's not uncommon to hear people complain that their BMW or MB has a rougher ride than they like - it doesn't "ride like a Cadillac." I think Lincoln's image should be that of classic American luxury - quiet and comfortable with bold style and state of the art luxury technology. It doesn't matter if magazines don't like them. There are plenty of customers that don't read them, or don't care, what buff magazines have to say. That said, I think platform sharing is OK, however, additional sheet metal and styling differentiation to make it less obvious that they are rebadged Fords is needed. Edited May 6, 2010 by jpvbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpvbs Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 also I'll add that I think Ford should have had the 6.2l V8 ready for the Navigator at the same time they had it in Raptor. If matching Cadillac sales is the goal for Lincoln, updating the Navigator to be competitive with the Escalade would be a good start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 also I'll add that I think Ford should have had the 6.2l V8 ready for the Navigator at the same time they had it in Raptor. If matching Cadillac sales is the goal for Lincoln, updating the Navigator to be competitive with the Escalade would be a good start. Navigator is in need of a clean-sheet redo. That grille alone is enough to turn off most buyers before they even realize it is underpowered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 XLR probably would have done better if it wasn't launched and abandoned and if it used the same powertrains as the Corvette instead of the woefully outdated Northstar. Curious decision, as it most definitely would have been cheaper to use the Corvette mills. XLR would have only done better if it had a silver star or roundel or linked rings. Same reason Audi can sell a $60K car but VW can't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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