mackinaw Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 From today's Detroit News, "The Dearborn automaker also is likely to announce that a new compact promised for Mercury will be launched as a Lincoln." Article here: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100602/AUTO01/6020400/Ford-calls-press-conference--may-confirm-Mercury-demise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 I sure hope they plan to go back to the drawing board with the small Lincoln if that's the case. Lincolns are too Ford-like as it is already. A blatant rebadge could kill that brand too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 I sure hope they plan to go back to the drawing board with the small Lincoln if that's the case. Lincolns are too Ford-like as it is already. A blatant rebadge could kill that brand too. I agree...otherwise, it's the Lincoln Cimarron. Although it would be interesting to see a really plush small car. History sort of repeats itself - the original Comet was supposed to be an Edsel, but was launched on its own (it was not originally badged as a Mercury) when Edsel was killed in late 1959. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 instant "no" button Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted June 2, 2010 Author Share Posted June 2, 2010 Wonder if they'd have enough guts to bring out something like the Lincoln C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Wonder if they'd have enough guts to bring out something like the Lincoln C. I hope not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carforford Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 If this happens and this $40k Focus, excuse me Lincoln Cimmarron comes out, they will be a report of Lincoln going down the tubes this time next year.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlaz1 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Will if Mercury Dies today, it basically means Lincoln is the New Mercury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 Will if Mercury Dies today, it basically means Lincoln is the New Mercury. FORD is already the new Mercury with its more upscale content and styling. Has been for several years. Lincoln needs to aim much higher than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 No, Ford has already said they aren't gonig smaller with Lincoln. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 (edited) From today's Detroit News, "The Dearborn automaker also is likely to announce that a new compact promised for Mercury will be launched as a Lincoln." Article here: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100602/AUTO01/6020400/Ford-calls-press-conference--may-confirm-Mercury-demise Posible, but I think/hope it's more likely they're referencing another compact (like a crossover) and the Tracer will become a Titanium trim level for the Focus. Either that, or "Tracer" is getting pushed back some to get a more distinct Lincoln look. Linc is moving in a very positive direction with their distinct "top hats" for the MKS and MKT, going back to a mild re-badging look would be a big mistake IMO. Edited June 2, 2010 by Moosetang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
focus05 Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 (edited) Wow... so much fear and poor supposition. Mercury has needed to die for a long while. They brought in a new head of the L-M brands to make something good happen - and it looks like it didn't take very long. I suspect that the upside from this is that Lincoln will start to get more unique vehicles, features, components and potentially drivetrains from Fords. Marketing of the Lincoln brand will get a lot more attention. I still believe that Ford is eventually heading for a VW/Audi type company. And although the A4 is on the Jetta platform, no one suspects that they were born the same vehicle; and Audi's marketing is such that to assume so is blasphemy. They did what they had to do. Business is about hard choices because despite the few rabid fans of Mercury, there isn't enough volume to justify maintaining the brand - particularly as Ford moves upmarket and as Lincoln needs greater investment. I also suspect that this paves the way for Lincoln to start moving abroad. Ford only has two brands to manage now, and I bet they can manage both in many countries. This is a bold move. Edited June 2, 2010 by focus05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 A Escape/Kuga based Lincoln is just about confirmed...it was supposed to happen with in the past 2 years, but overvalued (at the time) Euro scuttled that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 No, Ford has already said they aren't gonig smaller with Lincoln. That was when Mercury was still alive. They said Mercury would get the smaller vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordBuyer Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 That was when Mercury was still alive. They said Mercury would get the smaller vehicles. I would bet the new C segment Lincoln will get an all new top hat like the MKT did and the new 2.7L V6 engine along with the new Kuga based Lincoln small ute. Now that would be different and more unique to Lincoln. Ford Focus gets the new 2.0L I4 and new small Lincoln gets all new 2.7L V6. Ford did say today that new Lincolns will get drivetrains unique to their brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 I would bet the new C segment Lincoln will get an all new top hat like the MKT did and the new 2.7L V6 engine along with the new Kuga based Lincoln small ute. Now that would be different and more unique to Lincoln. Ford Focus gets the new 2.0L I4 and new small Lincoln gets all new 2.7L V6. Ford did say today that new Lincolns will get drivetrains unique to their brand. We still don't know if the 2.7L v6 is coming along, and to be honest, I'd much rather have a twin turbo I4 ecoboost in a Lincoln then a small V6...which prob won't fit into a C class car. Let the upcoming Escape have a single hairdryer I4 in higher end models and the Lincoln two of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I agree...otherwise, it's the Lincoln Cimarron. Although it would be interesting to see a really plush small car. Cimarron was a miserable rebadge car based on a craptacular J-body. I think the Tracer was/is going to be far from the Cimarron. For one thing, the Focus is shaping up to be an excellent car all around. The Tracer (and hence whatever the MKC will likely be) is not going to be some half-baked car with chrome waterfall grill. If you truly believe that, then Ford has a bigger problem with the Focus. Think of it as a replacement for Volvo S40 if you must... it's what Ford would have spent the money/creative energy to create if Volvo was still a Ford problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Younger buyers have never heard of a Cimarron, but they love Audis. So, no, the C segment Lincoln isn't for old timers who want floaty boats with vinyl roofs There will be C segment Audi, M-B, Lexus, and others. So, for every old fogie thinking compact cars are are as they were in 1982, there are more younger buyers who like luxurious compacts. In fact, I bet the new C car will have more interior room than the DEW98 LS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I don't see what was to be the Tracer directly becoming a Lincoln. While I do eventually see a c-segment Lincoln sedan coming, I think the only c-segment Lincoln we'll see for a while will be the MKG, Escape-based crossover. I'm going for mini-MKT and/or concept-C styling put over a small crossover (where I think the concept-C's looks would've looked far more elegant and "right" from the beginning). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I can see a semi-badge engineered Lincoln focus being thrown to L/M dealers as a temporary bone to give them more volume. Just like the Mark LT pickup. If the Kuga based small crossover isn't close we could see something similar with the Mariner. Sometimes you have to do workarounds and stop gap measures to resolve short term problems. That doesn't mean it will be the long term strategy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MillRight Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Doesn't Ford of Europe build a hard top convertible version of the Focus? That might slot well in the new Lincoln lineup as a c-class vehicle. I think I might be interested in something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 The odds on the new Lincoln being the Kuga are shortening, Mulally wanted it as a Lincoln but currency was against its import.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 The odds on the new Lincoln being the Kuga are shortening, Mulally wanted it as a Lincoln but currency was against its import.. I still think it's pretty likely that the next gen Kuga and Escape will be the same vehicle, and thusly be built in North America. Makes the Lincoln version a no-brainer in that case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one2gamble Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 The Lincoln C was almost spot on for what a compact Lincoln should be like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 The Lincoln C was almost spot on for what a compact Lincoln should be like. As long as it's nothing like what it ends up being. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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