The idiocy of a compact Lincoln

[RichardJensen]

If Ford wants to take Lincoln international and sell it through Ford dealers in the rest of the world, the best vehicles for that would be C1 and CD4 in sedans and crossovers because they can be supplied in Ecoboost and diesel versions.....

 

I disagree. Cadillac probably sells more Escalades overseas than CTSes.

 

Big and (where possible) bulletproof.

 

You won't sell MKZs to Western Europeans, and 'entry level luxury' is meaningless elsewhere.

[jpd80]

I disagree. Cadillac probably sells more Escalades overseas than CTSes.

 

Big and (where possible) bulletproof.

 

You won't sell MKZs to Western Europeans, and 'entry level luxury' is meaningless elsewhere.

Europe's CO2 regs basically mandates diesels anyway so anything you pick has to have a diesel...

China,

Changan already is in partnership with Ford in China and their factories already produce Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo,

it wouldn't be like a greenfield project to add Lincolns in there if needed...

 

I'm only throwing out possibilities but the fact that Ford IS going ahead with a compact Lincoln

says something is up, it can't be just for US domestic consumption, would you agree with that?

 

This may have BS written all over it but it looks like Ford is trying something different,

I wonder how much the project actually costs.....

Edited June 5, 2010 by jpd80

[MKII]

Audi and Lincoln monthly sales are roughly equal in USA, which company is more profitable in USA sales market?

 

What are the demographics of the Lincoln consumer?

 

Do the demographics need to change?

 

Is the average USA persons perception when they hear the name Lincoln "livery service"?

 

When Ford mentioned Cadillac and Lexus as the competition for the new Lincoln, does that indicate USA sales goals in between these two brands?

 

What type of yearly sales goals is realistic for Lincoln in the USA?

Edited June 5, 2010 by MKII

[ausrutherford]

If Ford wants to take Lincoln international and sell it through Ford dealers in the rest of the world, the best vehicles for that would be C1 and CD4 in sedans and crossovers because they can be supplied in Ecoboost and diesel versions.....

 

And there are Ford plants worldwide ready to produce them.

[jpd80]

Audi and Lincoln monthly sales are roughly equal in USA, which company is more profitable in USA sales market?

 

What are the demographics of the Lincoln consumer?

 

Do the demographics need to change?

 

Is the average USA persons perception when they hear the name Lincoln "livery service"?

 

When Ford mentioned Cadillac and Lexus as the competition for the new Lincoln, does that indicate USA sales goals in between these two brands?

 

What type of yearly sales goals is realistic for Lincoln in the USA?

A lot of good questions but bear in mind that Lincoln for the most part will probably continue on

shared platforms with lower level Ford products. Pricing those products between $35,000 and $60,000

means that unlike Ford products selling at 18,000/month, Lincoln may get as few as 1,000 to 1,800/ month

of sales at best. That type of conversion rate sounds about right with current trends and while using

dedicated platforms may seem tempting but the risk of turning Lincoln into another Jaguar is high.

[Ford Jellymoulds]

North America is one of the few countries left in the world that can afford to run gas guzzling Lincolns, that will change in the not to distant future you can see it coming.

 

Gotta say l am with Big Al where you are able to drive your global Fiesta/Focus to Heathrow and fly on your global Boeing 777 to any where in the world and hire your same global Fiesta/Focus at your arrival destination anywhere in the world thats the way it should be.

 

Ford have got gaping black hole in their Quality car line-up outside the isolation of North America and Lincoln could fill that massive Quality black hole with the rest of the planet.

By all mean keep at top of the range Taurus sized Lincoln just for the isolated North American market until fuel prices make it a redundant option like North American V8 Dinosaurs that are almost extinct in 2010.

 

Gas guzzling big Lincolns are not the LCD that fits in well with the rest of the world outside North America.

 

Most Brits would jump at a chance of owning a Quality RWD Lincoln like they do already with Fords here including myself. LPG/Gasoline or Diesel Lincolns if offered to the UK would outsell BMW and Mercedes here in the UK if Ford got Lincoln sorted out.

UK Quality Brand Sales January to May 2010 (2009) Just a few examples.

IN TUNE

1. Audi - 47,559 (39,180) +21%

2. BMW - 40,626 (34,098) +19%

3. Mercedes Benz - 30,591 (27,137) +12%

4. Lexus - 2,980 (3115) -4%

5. Cadillac 20 (42) -52%

OUT OF TUNE

 

2008 tipped the scales in gas guzzling North America 51% of Americans started buying 4-pot compacts, today 4-pot compacts have grown to 61% US market only an idiot would not want a Lincoln compact, gotta say l don't want Lincoln to just go the way of the V8 dodo with big cars and just a 1,000 cars a month until they end up just another out of tune redundant out of touch US car company like Hummer, Pontiac, Oldmobile, Saturn, Plymouth, Saturn & Mercury.

 

EPA 2008 21 MPG, in 1974 Mercury sales were booming at record levels with 4-pot compacts that returned 32 MPG where did it all go wrong?

 

Edited June 5, 2010 by Ford Jellymoulds

[jpd80]

North America is one of the few countries left in the world that can afford to run gas guzzling Lincolns, that will change in the not to distant future you can see it coming.

 

Gotta say l am with Big Al where you are able to drive your global Fiesta/Focus to Heathrow and fly on your global Boeing 777 to any where in the world and hire your same global Fiesta/Focus at your arrival destination anywhere in the world thats the way it should be.

 

Ford have got gaping black hole in their Quality car line-up outside the isolation of North America and Lincoln could fill that massive Quality black hole with the rest of the planet.

By all mean keep at top of the range Taurus sized Lincoln just for the isolated North American market until fuel prices make it a redundant option like North American V8 Dinosaurs that are almost extinct in 2010.

 

Gas guzzling big Lincolns are not the LCD that fits in well with the rest of the world outside North America.

 

Most Brits would jump at a chance of owning a Quality RWD Lincoln like they do already with Fords here including myself. LPG/Gasoline or Diesel Lincolns if offered to the UK would outsell BMW and Mercedes here in the UK if Ford got Lincoln sorted out.

UK Quality Brand Sales January to May 2010 (2009) Just a few examples.

IN TUNE

1. Audi - 47,559 (39,180) +21%

2. BMW - 40,626 (34,098) +19%

3. Mercedes Benz - 30,591 (27,137) +12%

4. Lexus - 2,980 (3115) -4%

5. Cadillac 20 (42) -52%

OUT OF TUNE

 

2008 tipped the scales in gas guzzling North America 51% of Americans started buying 4-pot compacts, today 4-pot compacts have grown to 61% US market only an idiot would not want a Lincoln compact, gotta say l don't want Lincoln to just go the way of the V8 dodo with big cars and just a 1,000 cars a month until they end up just another out of tune redundant out of touch US car company like Hummer, Pontiac, Oldmobile, Saturn, Plymouth, Saturn & Mercury.

 

EPA 2008 21 MPG, in 1974 Mercury sales were booming at record levels with 4-pot compacts that returned 32 MPG where did it all go wrong?

 

Thanks for the UK figures FJM, it seems that luxury compacts outside the USA

are a completely different issue to producing one for US domestic consumption.

 

Back on topic,

I have to say while a compact Lincoln is interesting, surely there are more pressing needs for Ford's funding in product delivery. I suspect the axing of Lincoln was planned well before the release of the 2011 Taurus. In another thread, it was suggested that Mercury differentiation cost Ford a mere $50 million per vehicle type, the inclusion of a 2011 Sable as a an ongoing product would have fortified Mercury and ultimately replaced the Grand Marquis. In time, a Tracer and Kuga crossover would have added even more variety and cemented the brand's future.

 

I still believe that Ford could have gone either way with Mercury but chose the simple route of not trying anymore. So that leaves them with Lincoln and a lot of questions as to its positioning going forward. I feel that if Ford is heading into higher retail prices, it will become positioned between brands like Chev and Buick. So in that vein, perhaps Lincoln now become broader brush and set between Buick and Cadillac with as many Ford products as possible.

 

Ultimately, it will be interesting to see what decisions are made going forward and whether the former regimen of market research is corrupted by senior management now feeling they know what people want........

Edited June 5, 2010 by jpd80

[mackinaw]

You can also argue, "no guts, no glory." Do you always pay it safe and just do what the clinics tell you? The original 1985 Taurus didn't clinic well at all, most people hated it, but Caldwell and Peterson pressed the go-button anyway. We all know how that turned out.

 

Ultimately it doesn't matter one bit what any of us feel, the decision's been made and a a few smaller Lincoln's are on the way. We'll have to wait and see what these future products look like. And, believe it or not, we may even like and buy them.

[2b2]

...I suspect the axing of Lincoln?? was planned well before the release of the 2011 Taurus...

 

...I still believe that Ford could have gone either way with Mercury but chose the simple route of not trying anymore. So that leaves them with Lincoln and a lot of questions as to its positioning going forward. I feel that if Ford is heading into higher retail prices, it will become positioned between brands like Chev and Buick. So in that vein, perhaps Lincoln now become broader brush and set between Buick and Cadillac with as many Ford products as possible...

 

((did you mean Mercury up top?))

Lincoln is/has already been between Buick and Cadillac for a long long time (rarely hasn't been imho)

&

since hindsight is so acute;

it's now obvious that even IF Ford didn't finalize the decision to murder Mercury until very recently,

NOTHING THEY'VE DONE SINCE 1999 ACTED AGAINST THAT EVENTUALITY.

And

that ^^^ drastically predates the Way Forward, Mullaly, and everything else that many of us/*I* have been concentrating on.

 

Imho, it appears that the KillMerc-faction has been INTACT within Ford since Jac the Knife

D@mn them!!!

(tho I am paranoid, in this case the track record DOES indicate organized enemy action)

Edited June 5, 2010 by 2b2

[old_fairmont_wagon]

I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a second...

 

In a certain world, given Mercury's almost invisibility in the market as compared to Lincoln's image as the Livery and old person's last car before the grave brand, maybe it would have made more sense to shutter Lincoln and keep mercury? Looking at just volumes, Mercury was selling about as much as Lincoln was, with just two modern products and two that were already consigned to the scrap heap of history. I maintain that eliminating Lincoln, the MkZ, and rebranding the rest of the lineup as Mercury vehicles would have retained more total volume than a standalone Lincoln would have. This would also have allowed Ford the freedom to rebrand mercury any way that they wanted to. Most people that I talk to just plain forget that Mercury exists, when I point out to them that it does, and sells two really solid vehicles for their market segments, and I ask them what they think about the brand after that, they don't come back with "It's a brand for old people". It resonates as a modern, urban chic brand. There was so much that could have been done there, but wasn't. I will grant you that the margin on each mercury wasn't going to be as good as the margin on each Lincoln, but the volume would have been there to break that even for the dealers. From there, the brand could have been elevated as a modern, luxury brand.

 

Now, Ford is left ot fight to change the image of Lincoln. Not develop one, but change an existing mindset. How long has it taken for Ford to change the impression that their cars are unreliable junk in the market, oh, that's right, it still hasn't finished that job. It's coming along, a DECADE after making their first efforts in that direction. That's a quantifiable stat that surveys and market statistics can show in black and white. Changing the image of an existing brand is something that's quite likely even harder, especially when they are still pedaling products that support that image (Lincoln Town Car for one).

 

For all practical purposes, Mercury was a clean slate. So few even remembered that it existed, and the only vehicles that most of them remember is the cougar or the tracer they or a friend had in college. So much easier to work with a clean slate.

 

I want you all to turn that over in your heads for a bit and think about it. I know that this plan would have never flown, but, there is some logic to it.

[2b2]

I definitely agree, old_fairmont_wagon

since I said almost the exact same thing... ...somewhere

 

a large part of my feeling is that without a real Continental, Lincoln doesn't even EXIST

&

the "L" nameplate could've been put-on-a-shelf for a few years until they had one ready...

...years we're going to have to wait anyway!!!

&

it'd be much more believable reputation-wise to turn the MKX, S, T into Mercs

than to make anyone believe in a MKFocus

Edited June 5, 2010 by 2b2

[RichardJensen]

I'm only throwing out possibilities but the fact that Ford IS going ahead with a compact Lincoln

says something is up, it can't be just for US domestic consumption, would you agree with that?

No. I wouldn't agree with that.

 

If Ford can turn a profit on NA exclusive MKZ volume, they can turn a profit on NA exclusive "Lincoln Escape" volume.

 

Audi and Lincoln monthly sales are roughly equal in USA, which company is more profitable in USA sales market?

Probably Lincoln.

 

North America is one of the few countries left in the world that can afford to run gas guzzling Lincolns, that will change in the not to distant future you can see it coming.

 

Gas guzzling big Lincolns are not the LCD that fits in well with the rest of the world outside North America.

Balderdash. The rich can afford whatever they want, and Lincoln is not going to be playing in the chauvinistic fields of Western Europe.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: BIG and BRASH luxury sells in emerging markets, not compact luxury. I'll bet that the S-Class & 7-Series are the most popular vehicles sold by MB & BMW in the "BRIC" market.

 

The original 1985 Taurus didn't clinic well at all

 

That statement is incorrect.

 

The '85 Taurus was either loved or hated by focus groups----and Ford went with it because they correctly perceived that there was more than enough business among the group that 'loved' the Taurus.

 

Lee Iacocca, OTOH, was all excited because the Dodge Dynasty had a raw customer evaluation score that was higher than the Taurus---little realizing that the Dynasty was the 'second choice' of just about everybody. Either it was Taurus/Dynasty/Celebrity, or it was Celebrity/Dynasty/Taurus.

 

Do not assume that the Taurus didn't 'clinic well' because there were a significant number of participants that hated it.

[ausrutherford]

No. I wouldn't agree with that.

 

If Ford can turn a profit on NA exclusive MKZ volume, they can turn a profit on NA exclusive "Lincoln Escape" volume.

 

 

 

 

MkZ is NA exclusive? Have you looked at Fords Middle East lineups?

 

And the only reason why the MkZ is limited to a few markets is because it rides on the CD3 platform which no other factory is set up for. If a compact Lincoln is set up on C2 built in 8 factories outside of NA then Ford can easily build the Lincoln there. Besides thats what the One Ford plan said they wanted too, that all lineups and platforms are aligned worldwide. It would be a piece of cake for Ford build Lincolns around the world. China and South America need Lincolns even more as they are fast growing markets.

 

Same for the Next MkZ and MkX which the CD4 platform will be built in 4 factories outside of NA.

[jpd80]

No. I wouldn't agree with that.

 

If Ford can turn a profit on NA exclusive MKZ volume, they can turn a profit on NA exclusive "Lincoln Escape" volume.

 

 

Thank you.

And that why I think we should wait and see just what compact vehicle Lincoln is proposing,

the rumor of a "re-worked Tracer" seems makes no financial sense,

so surely it has to be an Escape/Mariner SUV - maybe the new body on C1.

 

I would be happy to see Lincoln with either an Escape or Focus variants

but the Escape makes far more sense especially with a Hybrid version...

Edited June 5, 2010 by jpd80

[ausrutherford]

Thank you.

And that why I think we should wait and see just what compact vehicle Lincoln is proposing,

the rumor of a "re-worked Tracer" seems makes no financial sense,

so surely it has to be an Escape/Mariner SUV - maybe the new body on C1.

 

I would be happy to see Lincoln with either an Escape or Focus variants

but the Escape makes far more sense especially with a Hybrid version...

 

Well Ford said 7 vehicles so they must be adding 2 nameplates. Id would assume thats both a crossover and car.

 

Kusak said it wouldnt be badge-engineered so I bet it will be as different to the Focus as the MkT is to the Flex.

[jpd80]

Well Ford said 7 vehicles so they must be adding 2 nameplates. Id would assume thats both a crossover and car.

 

Kusak said it wouldnt be badge-engineered so I bet it will be as different to the Focus as the MkT is to the Flex.

My hunch is C Segment SUV, new Navigator and a Town Car replacement...

The last two could be on either D3 or Territory/Falcon for uniqueness in North America..

Edited June 5, 2010 by jpd80

[2b2]

Thank you.

And that why I think we should wait and see just what compact vehicle Lincoln is proposing...

jpDude, we hafta wait for real info BUT not for speculation :D

 

Well Ford said 7 vehicles so they must be adding 2 nameplates. Id would assume thats both a crossover and car.

 

Kusak said it wouldnt be badge-engineered so I bet it will be as different to the Focus as the MkT is to the Flex.

I'm NOT trusting what ANYone who works for Ford says this week

 

My hunch is C Segment SUV, new Navigator and a Town Car replacement...

The last two could be on either D3 or Territory/Falcon for uniqueness in North America..

ok

Z X S T + Navi are as confirmed as it gets imho

& the TC sticks around (probably) for a year & a few months (right?)

the MKG/KuGa is about that long away (re-right?)...

(jpd, do you have KuGa's in AU yet? seen/driven one?)

 

imho a true TC-replacement is sooooo un-needed

tho a sedan based on the MKT would be a nice flagship - while that size lasts

so

imho it's either a biggest or smallest L-car that'll happen

((assuming as I do that the GRwdP-Continental is no closer than the MKG/KuGa))

so

which one could they "knock-together" quickest?? :rolleyes:

cuz

imho that's what Lincoln needs = Help! & FAST!

Edited June 5, 2010 by 2b2

[jpd80]

jpDude, we hafta wait for real info BUT not for speculation :D

 

 

I'm NOT trusting what ANYone who works for Ford says this week

 

 

ok

Z X S T + Navi are as confirmed as it gets imho

& the TC sticks around (probably) for a year & a few months (right?)

the MKG/KuGa is about that long away (re-right?)...

(jpd, do you have KuGa's in AU yet? seen/driven one?)

 

imho a true TC-replacement is sooooo un-needed

tho a sedan based on the MKT would be a nice flagship - while that size lasts

so

imho it's either a biggest or smallest L-car that'll happen

((assuming as I do that the GRwdP-Continental is no closer than the MKG/KuGa))

so

which one could they "knock-together" quickest?? :rolleyes:

cuz

imho that's what Lincoln needs = Help! & FAST!

I hate the MKT, it looks like a hunchback, no wonder it isn't selling.

Relaunch it with a decent trunk and watch the sales rise.

 

Kuga in AUS isn't planned until 2012 now and Gen III Focus is back to mid 2011.

[RichardJensen]

MkZ is NA exclusive? Have you looked at Fords Middle East lineups?

Yeah. They sell the Crown Vic there too.

 

Doesn't mean the Crown Vic has a 'global distribution'.

 

Sales in the middle east don't account for anything.

And the only reason why the MkZ is limited to a few markets is because it rides on the CD3 platform which no other factory is set up for.

That is -a- reason, but most certainly not the -only- reason.

China and South America need Lincolns even more as they are fast growing markets.

They don't want compact Lincolns. What part of the previous zillion posts about this have you missed? Tiny luxury products aren't as popular as full size luxury products in these markets:

 

But beyond strong sales, China has turned into a parking lot for luxury cars. In February the BMW label says it sold 96.7% more cars in China than during the same month the previous year. "It could have been more, but we ran out of cars," Mr. Roberston says. He says China is the biggest market for its 7 Series, BMW's top-of-the-line model, by a factor of about two.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304739104575153761466335620.html

 

The most expensive Lincoln sold overseas, the one that was in highest demand?

 

http://money.cnn.com/2003/01/24/pf/autos/lincoln/

 

China doesn't need, doesn't want, some pipsqueak Lincoln.

[Biker16]

Thank you for intentionally misunderstanding me.

 

Even as compact sales have increased, sales of tiny luxury cars haven't gone anywhere.

 

If there were a legitimate market for cars like the C30, A3, etc., don't you think they'd be moving more than 1700 of them, aggregate, every month?

 

because the Current models suck. they are either cheap, impractical or both. No one has yet to find the sweet spot in the market, to balance luxury, performance, packaging and styling. for that market.

 

YOU don't know what ford's plan is for these product yet you declare inn your infinite wisdom to why it won't work. You are wrong.

Edited June 6, 2010 by Biker16

[jpd80]

because the Current models suck. they are either cheap, impractical or both. No one has yet to find the sweet spot in the market, to balance luxury, performance, packaging and styling. for that market.

 

YOU don't know what ford's plan is for these product yet you declare inn your infinite wisdom to why it won't work. You are wrong.

 

So what you're getting at is that manufacturers take a swing at producing compact luxury cars

but they always seem to miss the proper mix of design features for USA audiences?

 

Or...

 

They design compacts for European/global markets and then try to push them

onto US customers without adequately researching their specific needs?

 

Either of the above sounds highly plausible...

[mackinaw]

TDo not assume that the Taurus didn't 'clinic well' because there were a significant number of participants that hated it.

 

The 1986 Taurus didn't clinic well and there was plenty of second guessing going on inside Ford whether the design was too extreme.

 

Did you know that Ford was so unsure of the 1986 Taurus they designed two versions, one with a "conventional" front end (meaning it had a 1980's style grille) and one with an "aero" front end? It was up to William Clay Ford Jr. to make the choice and he picked the aero version that made it into production (Jack Telnack was so happy he almost hugged WCF).

 

Did you know that Chrysler also showed the then-brand new '86 Taurus to their own focus groups and it faired so poorly Iacocca told Bob Lutz, "You picked a good time to join Chrysler, the Taurus is going to flop in the marketplace."

 

Did you know that Jack Telnack was worried enough that the Taurus wouldn't be well received he said, "The traditional buyer still prefers some boxiness (in design), and we're addressing that with other car lines in the company."

 

The 1986 Taurus was a vehicle of emotion, not market research or focus-groups. As Lew Veraldi, leader of Team Taurus, told Red Polling (then CEO of Ford), "this is an emotional business. If you're not emotional, there's something wrong with you."

 

Back on topic, I hope Lincoln swings for the fences with their new offerings. As I said before, "no guts, no glory."

[RichardJensen]

because the Current models suck. they are either cheap, impractical or both. No one has yet to find the sweet spot in the market, to balance luxury, performance, packaging and styling. for that market.

 

YOU don't know what ford's plan is for these product yet you declare inn your infinite wisdom to why it won't work.

If the 'sweet spot' is so narrow that established luxury marques like B-frickin'-M-W can't hit it, then it's not worth Ford's effort. We're talking maximum gamble/minimum reward here.

 

What's the most Ford can get out of this market? Are they going to hit the 10k/month sales figures of the RX/ES/3-Series?

 

no.

 

Are they going to hit 5k/month? (you going to tell me that a compact Lincoln will expand the market 400% and end up with 80% of the market?)

 

no.

 

2500k / month?

 

Extreeeeeeeeeeeeemely doubtful.

 

1500k/month?

 

doubtful.

 

< 1000k/month

 

realistic.

 

Now you tell me how Ford pays for that.

 

You are wrong.

There's no way on EARTH you could know that---furthermore, you haven't furnished an ounce of statistical support in favor of YOUR position.

 

You have this idea that people don't want the 1-Series because it's 'cheap'-----explain to me, then, why BMW can charge over $30k for a sedan that has VINYL SEATS and SELL IT IN QUANTITY?

 

It's not the cheapness that's the issue with the 1-Series. It's the size

 

As I've noted earlier, the question is one of consumer dynamics: what 'progressive' individual is going to DOWNSIZE to a compact when he buys a luxury car?

 

And what 30ish Civic owner is going to look to trade his Civic in on a compact LINCOLN.

 

Cadillac threw $5B at the youth market, and have a vehicle (the CTS) that is better than anything that Lincoln has ever produced--when you bench race it--and they can't make inroads with the youth market.

 

What the heck do you think Lincoln is going to accomplish?? ??

 

You think because they make something YOU like, that automatically all the Civic owners out there are going to say, "Lincoln is finally making a car for *me*"?

 

Not gonna happen. They'll sniff at it and say, "That's an old man's car."

 

Just

 

Like

 

They

 

Do

 

With

 

Cadillac.

Edited June 6, 2010 by RichardJensen

[RichardJensen]

The 1986 Taurus didn't clinic well and there was plenty of second guessing going on inside Ford whether the design was too extreme.

It did not clinic *well* according to Ford's ineffectual metrics.

 

 

The 1986 Taurus was a vehicle of emotion, not market research or focus-groups

 

Nonsense.

 

EVERY aspect of the Taurus was focus-grouped. EVERY ASPECT. The Taurus was the most heavily focus-grouped car Ford EVER built.

 

--

 

None of the innovations came from the focus groups, but damn near every innovation was tested against market response.

 

Take for instance the yellow-coded engine labels. That innovation, which is probably on every car today, came about as a result of Taurus engineers observing customer habits--and introspectively considering their own habits.

 

The result was then tested for effectiveness before being included in the program.

 

W. Edwards Deming said 'innovation doesn't come from the consumer', but he certainly didn't advocate ignoring consumer feedback in the development process.

 

--

 

You cannot get consistently good results without consistent study of your end user. The Taurus was a success BECAUSE it was focus-grouped, not in spite of that.

[ausrutherford]

Yeah. They sell the Crown Vic there too.

 

Doesn't mean the Crown Vic has a 'global distribution'.

 

Sales in the middle east don't account for anything.

 

That is -a- reason, but most certainly not the -only- reason.

 

They don't want compact Lincolns. What part of the previous zillion posts about this have you missed? Tiny luxury products aren't as popular as full size luxury products in these markets:

 

 

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304739104575153761466335620.html

 

The most expensive Lincoln sold overseas, the one that was in highest demand?

 

http://money.cnn.com/2003/01/24/pf/autos/lincoln/

 

China doesn't need, doesn't want, some pipsqueak Lincoln.

 

Dont dis the Middle East market. Ford sales were up there 45% last quarter.

 

If China hates small cars than why does BMW have to build the 3-Series there to meet demand?

Edited June 6, 2010 by ausrutherford