Would or Should Ford combine Ford and Lincoln dealers to increase Lincoln sales?

[4d4evr-1]

With a limited (my description) # of Lincoln dealerships should Ford combine Lincoln with Ford when Mercury goes away?

Edited July 5, 2010 by 4d4evr

[twintornados]

Ya know....I was just at my favorite Ford Store in my area and they are a "Ford only" store....I asked the same question, wondering if they would be allowed to pick up Lincoln to enhance their sales reach...I got some knowing glances and a rather tepid denial....kinda makes you wonder.... :stats:

Edited July 5, 2010 by twintornados

[akirby]

Ford has spent the last 2-3 years consolidating Ford and Lincoln/Mercury dealers. I believe there are currently around 1300 Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealers which will soon become Ford/Lincoln dealers.

 

I believe the plan will be to have Lincolns in a separate showroom, at least in the bigger dealers but that will take a long time. Since I only visit the dealer for repairs I don't really care about being coddled.

[mettech]

Ford has spent the last 2-3 years consolidating Ford and Lincoln/Mercury dealers. I believe there are currently around 1300 Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealers which will soon become Ford/Lincoln dealers.

I believe the plan will be to have Lincolns in a separate showroom, at least in the bigger dealers but that will take a long time. Since I only visit the dealer for repairs I don't really care about being coddled.

Edited July 5, 2010 by mettech

[Ford Jellymoulds]

If Lincoln sold just 1 model to Ford dealers in Europe something similar to a RWD 3 Series Lincoln sales would double overnight and sale would probably go up 10 fold once it became established, it would offer something fresh that FOE does not have a RWD car thats built the way a quality car producers build cars, so it would not clash one bit with FOE line up of cars.

 

It would be very refreshing to buy a quality car that is not German made, most Brits would jump at the chance of doing so as we love our Fords always have done.

[nelsonlu]

Ya know....I was just at my favorite Ford Store in my area and they are a "Ford only" store....I asked the same question, wondering if they would be allowed to pick up Lincoln to enhance their sales reach...I got some knowing glances and a rather tepid denial....kinda makes you wonder.... :stats:

 

Same for the Ford dealer that I got my Fusion Hybrid from -- they said that they're not picking up Lincoln. (I don't know if it had anything to do with the fact that they didn't pick up the Lincoln/Mercury franchise back when a nearby Lincoln/Mercury (where I had gotten my prior LS and the Sable prior to that) closed. Back then, an employee at the Ford dealer told me that had they been offered Lincoln only without Mercury, they would have done it.)

[FordBuyer]

Ford has spent the last 2-3 years consolidating Ford and Lincoln/Mercury dealers. I believe there are currently around 1300 Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealers which will soon become Ford/Lincoln dealers.

 

I believe the plan will be to have Lincolns in a separate showroom, at least in the bigger dealers but that will take a long time. Since I only visit the dealer for repairs I don't really care about being coddled.

 

Since Ford only sells about 6,000 Lincolns/month, 1300 dealers selling Lincolns would be too many. Even if Ford can get Lincoln sales up to 10,000/month, they don't need that many dealers. Lincoln would only sell in very urban areas in high socioeconomic areas, and seems to me about 600 dealers nationwide would about do it.

[RichardJensen]

Lincoln would only sell in very urban areas in high socioeconomic areas

Because nobody else has money, right?

 

Farmers, ranchers, and small town businessmen buy cars as well as trucks. Ford is, I think, very well served by the small town FLM dealers (South Dakota has eight FLM dealers, or about one for every 100,000 people--a far higher ratio than your putative 1:500,000)

[twintornados]

Same for the Ford dealer that I got my Fusion Hybrid from -- they said that they're not picking up Lincoln. (I don't know if it had anything to do with the fact that they didn't pick up the Lincoln/Mercury franchise back when a nearby Lincoln/Mercury (where I had gotten my prior LS and the Sable prior to that) closed. Back then, an employee at the Ford dealer told me that had they been offered Lincoln only without Mercury, they would have done it.)

They should have taken it then.....with Ford paying dealers to cover the loss of Mercury, they would have ended up with just that type of dealership (Ford/Lincoln) and no harm, no foul....

[akirby]

Since Ford only sells about 6,000 Lincolns/month, 1300 dealers selling Lincolns would be too many. Even if Ford can get Lincoln sales up to 10,000/month, they don't need that many dealers. Lincoln would only sell in very urban areas in high socioeconomic areas, and seems to me about 600 dealers nationwide would about do it.

 

But that's exactly the point - you can afford to sell fewer Lincoln units at a combined Ford/Lincoln dealership because Ford pays for the overhead (service, office support, financing, etc.).

 

Besides, we know there are big changes planned for Lincoln over the next 4 years so sales should be up significantly if they continue to execute on plan.