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How Do You See Lincoln Going Forward?


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Here are my thoughts on what should come out of Lincoln.

-The Navigator needs to lose weight, gain the EcoBoost V6, and change out that god awful interior it has.

-They need a flagship model (Continental) that will compete with the A8, 7 series, and S-Class. It DOES NOT need to be RWD based (majority of people could care less), just offer two engines with over 300 HP, AWD, style, and super luxury and content. If freaking Hyundai can build the Equus and Genesis than Ford should be more than capable of doing the same for Lincoln!!! :banghead:

-Rename the MKX Aviator....and offer the EcoBoost V6 to better separate it from the Edge.

-Compact sedan based on the Focus that will compete with BOTH the Buick Verano and Regal...Start pricing around $25K and offer more features than available on focus. heated and cooled seats, power everything, SYNC, auto climate, reverse sensing etc. Top out around $34K with a loaded EcoBoost and Nav etc.

-Rename MKZ Zeypher again, and offer more than one engine option, upgrade interior, brakes, ditch the grill, and increase fuel economy.

-Completely redo the MKT, ditch the name and the styling. This would be a great competitor to the Audi Q7, Mercedes GL, and even the less expensive Enclave if they do it right. It's too ugly and too heavy in its current form.

-Compact SUV based on the Kuga to compete with the Q5, RDX, X3, SRX etc. I think this is the biggest miss in the company right now.

-They also need some kind of premium roadster. Based off the Mustang maybe? Stretch it out to offer more room, folding hardtop instead of cloth top, Offer the 3.7 standard but the EcoBoost V6 as the premium offering with 400HP. Load it up with features. Price it starting at $33K and top off at $50K. This would compete with the Infiniti G37, Volvo C, Saab 9-3 etc. convertibles.

 

Just my thoughts :shades:

Wishful thinking haha

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^ agree, 06mariner, by and large

tho here's an elsewhere post of mine

Good idea. Lincoln needs a halo car more than Ford

I cant wait for the comparation test between the Ferrari and Lamborghini and Lincoln !!

I know we're not talking about the same segment,

but your post made me look up the dimensions for another'target' for the MKS

 

imho, with all the talk about giving up on the GRwdP,

I want to see Lincoln show us the Best they can do with F-Awd on a large-ish car

ie make a no-stops, take-no-prisoners, MKS

then if it doesn't succeed, ADMIT they have to offer Rwd-based Lincolns 1.gif

so

in addition to the germanic A8 (expected), I say add the similarly MKS-sized, Quattroporte (surprise!!)

not copying either one, but making an equally strong American styling statement.

NO MORE WISHY-WASHY HALF-WAY STUFF ... AMAZE US!!!

(for the record

I loved the MKS when it came out - calling it "quietly glamorous"

that plainly ain't enough!)

 

 

on topic

any FoMoCo supercar either Brand, I sincerely hope is too far away,

to far down the priority list to even matter

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imho, with all the talk about giving up on the GRwdP,

I want to see Lincoln show us the Best they can do with F-Awd on a large-ish car

ie make a no-stops, take-no-prisoners, MKS

then if it doesn't succeed, ADMIT they have to offer Rwd-based Lincolns 1.gif

so

in addition to the germanic A8 (expected), I say add the similarly MKS-sized, Quattroporte (surprise!!)

not copying either one, but making an equally strong American styling statement.

 

I don't think the new MKS will "fail" even on the current platform. It's simply a question of development costs versus potential sales increase and/or higher profit levels. And it won't be decided based on one vehicle - it would have to be something that was used on multiple vehicles, preferably in multiple markets.

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  • 4 weeks later...

some recent articles:

 

Report: Ford spells out new standards for Lincoln dealers

 

Being a Lincoln dealer in the 21st century has been anything but easy, as Ford has been looking to shed its luxury brand dealers the past couple years. Then Blue Oval recently killed off Mercury, a brand Lincoln dealers traditionally used as a feeder program. And perhaps the biggest challenge has been coaxing buyers into the showroom, as the brand's 2010 sales total of just 85,828 units clearly illustrates.

 

The sledding apparently won't get much easier for 2011 either, as Automotive News reports that Ford has added a few more regulations to be completed by October of this year. More at AutoBlog.

 

Lincoln pares dealer count; considers taking brand global

 

Last fall, Lincoln had around 500 big city and suburb dealers; now, it has 434 and the automaker says it is making progress to trim that figure even further to just 325 showrooms.

 

Lincoln says that the 130 metro areas represent around 85 percent of Lincoln’s overall volume, but that the brand needs fewer outlets competing with one another in order to better go up against imported brand rivals.

 

Global aspirations

American automakers haven’t had much success selling their premium brands overseas, but Ford says that it has eyes on lucrative European and Asian markets as part of its long-term plan for Lincoln. More at Left Lane News.

 

Lawyer: Automakers can’t force dealers into showroom improvements

 

Ford has been trying to strong-arm its Lincoln dealers into upgrading their facilities in order to better compete with other luxury brands, but a lawyer says dealers can simply say “no” to Ford’s update requests.

 

For the last several months Ford has been asking its Lincoln dealers to invest up to $2 million into their showrooms, but has shown dealers little in the way of future vehicles. Not surprisingly most dealers want to know Lincoln’s future plans before investing in their facilities, but Ford has threatened buyouts if its demands are not met.

 

However, Eric Chase, a lawyer specializing in automotive dealerships, says dealers are under no legal obligation to invest in showroom improvements. Read more at Left Lane News.

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Unfortunately I see it going the way of Mercury in about 5 years time or less....I just hope I am wrong... :banghead:

I agree.

 

whats the Mark LT going for- like 70K? for a pickup? remember the blackwood- it sold what like 500 units. bloated town car is so plump/rounded it looks as much like a inflatable pool toy as the late montecarlo did, even makes the old cop cars look sharp. personally I think the MK X/T/Z whatever have way too 'blingy' of a frontend, they remind me of that pic someone put up of a rapstar smiling with all the gold teeth...other than that, theye arent very distinctive from every other offering out there- just a opinion.

 

I had high hopes for Lincoln when the LS came out- it wasnt crazy priced/was a good car, BUT they coulda offered a manual trans and lured in some 'not their typical market' buyers. Dont think expanding the market is at all in Lincolns concerns. Shame, the LS with a stick/ a few performance oriented tweaks mighta lured in some BMW-ish shoppers.

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whats the Mark LT going for- like 70K? for a pickup?

 

Not any more - they killed it several years ago. It was only a stop gap to help the dealers until they got more products. As such it was semi successful.

 

I had high hopes for Lincoln when the LS came out- it wasnt crazy priced/was a good car, BUT they coulda offered a manual trans and lured in some 'not their typical market' buyers. Dont think expanding the market is at all in Lincolns concerns. Shame, the LS with a stick/ a few performance oriented tweaks mighta lured in some BMW-ish shoppers.

 

Hello - it did come with a stick from day one.

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I want to see the new flagship for lincoln so bad. Now that ford has had all that help, and successfully so, Lincoln is just dying for somebody good to take the helm and steer this company out of the grey sea.

had these handy since (re)posting them elsewhere earlier today

based on the MKT concept

mkS_b.jpg

& a request for a convertible version in 1965 Lincoln color Spanish Moss Green with a Parchment (tan) roof

2jd17wm.jpg

 

 

...personally I think the MK X/T/Z whatever have way too 'blingy' of a frontend, they remind me of that pic someone put up of a rapstar smiling with all the gold teeth...other than that, theye arent very distinctive from every other offering out there- just a opinion...

tho I *really really* want to see a flagship sedan on the longer MKT's wheelbase (above)

the model I want for myself is what I call the MKE = Focus-based sporty LincolneTTe

& tho it'd be more power than I'd ever need (would get the 4cyl hybrid)

been speculating about the barely-rumored 2.7v6 (EB version = upto 350hp) that imho could be shared with the Mustang BEFORE the nextgen -- cuz it'd be a perfect, almost-exclusive addition for every F-Awd Lincoln, esp. the MKG/KuGa...

...where was I? - oh yeah:

if/when I get my MKE, I'll have the grille, but not the logo, blacked-out

(Plan B is to heavily customize a Focus >> into a Mercury C557)

 

 

...It was only a stop gap to help the dealers until they got more products. As such it was semi successful...

how thing change!

Now no one at FoMoCo is worried about the L-M dealers' loss of their better selling Brand - in fact they (imho) hope most of them go out of business.

:shakes head:

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how thing change!

Now no one at FoMoCo is worried about the L-M dealers' loss of their better selling Brand - in fact they (imho) hope most of them go out of business.

:shakes head:

 

Too bad they didn't make the decision 3 years ago. We'd probably have all the new Lincolns by now.

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Hello - it did come with a stick from day one.

 

my bad - shoulda said 'coulda offered a manual trans with the V8'- and the V8 coulda been a bit larger displacement...

dont matter, water under the bridge now, but the only lincoln I really liked more than the LS was the Mark VII- even if they were a bit of a flexible chassis, they were great cars ( I opened the door once when mine was on a lift and it wouldnt close properly!).

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  • 3 weeks later...

Lincoln has a problem when the Taurus interior is nicer than the MKZ or MKS interior.

 

That's intentional. The Taurus was interior was completely redone. The MKS and MKZ redos haven't happened yet. When they do they'll be nicer than the Taurus and they'll have 100% unique sheetmetal.

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  • 1 month later...

Ford will keep doing what it has always done with Lincoln until it's obvious it doesn't work anymore. Just like with Mercury. That's about all they can do without spending billions to upgrade Lincoln substantially and sell them internationally. Big ri$k with little upside. What Ford should do is buy out the remaining Lincoln dealers and offer the fleet and livery markets a new "Lincoln Town Car" based on an existing platform but styled with the 90s grille and rear opera window. Sell and service them through Ford dealers, but forget the retail market. There just aren't enough individuals who want to buy what Lincoln represents. Retail buyers are more than happy with their Edge Limiteds and Taurus SHOs. Trying to redo Lincoln would be just as unsuccessful as remaking Oldsmobile and Saturn.

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Ford will keep doing what it has always done with Lincoln until it's obvious it doesn't work anymore. Just like with Mercury. That's about all they can do without spending billions to upgrade Lincoln substantially and sell them internationally.

 

You haven't really been paying attention, have you?

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I don't understand your comment. Do you mean that I haven't "been paying attention" because I didn't mention Ford has promised 7 new or refreshed products between now and 2014? If so, there's no indication that those products will be sold outside North America and the Middle East nor will they in any way challenge the Germans or even Cadillac. They'll continue to be what they are now: Buick alternatives. Overpriced at that. Which is why they don't sell well. Still, there's no indication that Lincoln is a tremendous drain on Ford finances. That must factor into why Ford seems to be plowing ahead with the same strategy they've used for decades. It isn't working, but they're not stressed over it.

 

You haven't really been paying attention, have you?

Edited by buyacargetachec
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I don't understand your comment. Do you mean that I haven't "been paying attention" because I didn't mention Ford has promised 7 new or refreshed products between now and 2014? If so, there's no indication that those products will be sold outside North America and the Middle East nor will they in any way challenge the Germans or even Cadillac. They'll continue to be what they are now: Buick alternatives. Overpriced at that. Which is why they don't sell well. Still, there's no indication that Lincoln is a tremendous drain on Ford finances. That must factor into why Ford seems to be plowing ahead with the same strategy they've used for decades. It isn't working, but they're not stressed over it.

 

Thank you for confirming that you haven't been paying attention. How is the new strategy the "same one they've used for decades"? Especially when YOU haven't even seen the new vehicles? And yes - there are strong rumors of a RWD Lincoln and taking the brand global at some point.

 

When did they kill Mercury in the past? When did they give Lincolns exclusive drivetrains and features? When did they demand dealers upgrade their facilities and provide a separate Lincoln experience? When did they hire a staff of 85 with experience from other luxury makes like Audi to oversee the turnaround? When did they give Lincoln SEVEN vehicles?

 

Yeah - same old crap from Lincoln. Bullshit.

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Say hello to the "new" strategy, same as the old strategy. The new cars are based on Fords, same as always. Which means they cannot be sold as Audi, BMW or Mercedes alternatives. It has to be this way for business reasons. You've seen this movie played before if you've been around long enough. Don't get your hopes up.

 

Thank you for confirming that you haven't been paying attention. How is the new strategy the "same one they've used for decades"? Especially when YOU haven't even seen the new vehicles? And yes - there are strong rumors of a RWD Lincoln and taking the brand global at some point.

 

When did they kill Mercury in the past? When did they give Lincolns exclusive drivetrains and features? When did they demand dealers upgrade their facilities and provide a separate Lincoln experience? When did they hire a staff of 85 with experience from other luxury makes like Audi to oversee the turnaround? When did they give Lincoln SEVEN vehicles?

 

Yeah - same old crap from Lincoln. Bullshit.

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Say hello to the "new" strategy, same as the old strategy. The new cars are based on Fords, same as always. Which means they cannot be sold as Audi, BMW or Mercedes alternatives. It has to be this way for business reasons. You've seen this movie played before if you've been around long enough. Don't get your hopes up.

 

Seems to work fine for Lexus.

 

If you take a common platform and you change the wheels, tires, suspension, drivetrain, the entire interior and exterior and add new Lincoln exclusive features - where's the problem?

 

Or are you saying that all Lincolns must be on dedicated RWD platforms? If so, see Lexus.

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Yep, it does work pretty well for Lexus. There are some differences though. Lexus built its reputation on the LS400 and customer service/new showrooms. It was able to keep investing in the LS because the same car was sold back in Japan, the world's second largest car market at the time, as a Toyota, and Toyota was flush with cash to make it happen. The warmed over Camry they sold at the time, the ES250, benefitted from the quality reputation that Toyota built over the years and the halo effect from the LS (and SC). Today's RX and ES sell on that hard-won reputation. Unfortunately, Lincoln has none of those advantages. Ford wisely will not make a special RWD platform for North America to challenge the S-Class and, thus, will not take Lincoln to Europe. And Ford is having a devil of a time getting dealers to upgrade facilities. Sure, the customer service scores have been good, but that fact doesn't occupy space in the minds of most buyers for whatever reason (inept Ford marketing maybe?). What is important is building a reputation backed by products that appear to challenge the Germans, the de facto standard bearers of luxury cars today. Glass roofs and reprogrammed MyFordTouch graphics won't be enough to catapult Lincoln sales. But it might be good enough to make a few extra bucks in North America on Ford parts/engineering just like Lincoln does today. But if Ford was serious about Lincoln as something better than a Buick or Chrysler they would be selling the whole lineup in China, the world's fastest growing market and the one that appreciates limousine-like space and quiet ride, traditional Lincoln strengths. If Ford doesn't make a China push for Lincoln soon I'll consider it the canary in the coalmine much like I kept saying about Mercury. Remember, for years Ford seemed to make no effort to secure the Mercury.com domain from HP while telling us that Mercury had a secure future. That said it all to me. Watch Ford in China.

 

 

Seems to work fine for Lexus.

 

If you take a common platform and you change the wheels, tires, suspension, drivetrain, the entire interior and exterior and add new Lincoln exclusive features - where's the problem?

 

Or are you saying that all Lincolns must be on dedicated RWD platforms? If so, see Lexus.

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Yep, it does work pretty well for Lexus. There are some differences though. Lexus built its reputation on the LS400 and customer service/new showrooms. It was able to keep investing in the LS because the same car was sold back in Japan, the world's second largest car market at the time, as a Toyota, and Toyota was flush with cash to make it happen. The warmed over Camry they sold at the time, the ES250, benefitted from the quality reputation that Toyota built over the years and the halo effect from the LS (and SC). Today's RX and ES sell on that hard-won reputation. Unfortunately, Lincoln has none of those advantages. Ford wisely will not make a special RWD platform for North America to challenge the S-Class and, thus, will not take Lincoln to Europe. And Ford is having a devil of a time getting dealers to upgrade facilities. Sure, the customer service scores have been good, but that fact doesn't occupy space in the minds of most buyers for whatever reason (inept Ford marketing maybe?). What is important is building a reputation backed by products that appear to challenge the Germans, the de facto standard bearers of luxury cars today. Glass roofs and reprogrammed MyFordTouch graphics won't be enough to catapult Lincoln sales. But it might be good enough to make a few extra bucks in North America on Ford parts/engineering just like Lincoln does today. But if Ford was serious about Lincoln as something better than a Buick or Chrysler they would be selling the whole lineup in China, the world's fastest growing market and the one that appreciates limousine-like space and quiet ride, traditional Lincoln strengths. If Ford doesn't make a China push for Lincoln soon I'll consider it the canary in the coalmine much like I kept saying about Mercury. Remember, for years Ford seemed to make no effort to secure the Mercury.com domain from HP while telling us that Mercury had a secure future. That said it all to me. Watch Ford in China.

Ford hasn't shown anything for the new Lincoln in the U.S. - why would it be showing anything for China? Global RWD appears to be alive again and will include the mustang and at least one Lincoln model with RHD models. And they don't need to compete against the Germans per se. There is plenty of market share to be had from Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Cadillac, Jaguar, etc.

 

I think you're severely underestimating the new Lincoln vehicles but that can't really be debated until we see them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Mercury very successfully capitalized on the design trend with the 1974-1976 Mercury Cougar XR-7 which was sold as a "Baby" Mark IV. Unfortunately, over the years Ford and Lincoln-Mercury lost any direction for their future model design and direction and the resulting models got lost in the marketplace.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We still own our 1997 Cougar Sport- a car that was highly criticized by internal Ford execs at the time....

 

This car represented everything the mustang for that year should have been but was not! That's why we ordered it...because we were so disappointed with the Mustang at the time!

 

Lincoln needs to provide the mid level sport luxury sport coupe, sedan and truck/suv line that is now missing- looking specifically at V8 rwd power and 4/V6 power plants that can knock BMW, Lexus, Infinity & Mercedes off their mounts. Ford has already started, it's time for Lincoln to begin the attack and mop up the aftermath of the imports inferior products.

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  • 1 year later...

2013 is around the corner and Lincoln's future is still up in the air. Lincoln is hanging on by a thread that will snap any second. Ford made a mistake by shutting down Mercury but after years of neglect, it was the right move. IMO, I had a good plan for Mercury.

 

1. Mercury Sable. Counterpart to the Taurus

2. Mercury Mountaineer. Counterpart to the Explorer

3. Mercury Bobcat. Exclusive compact car

4. Mercury Colony Park. Same platform as the Fusion but different looks/interior

5. Mercury Mariner. Counterpart to the Escape

6. Mercury Cougar. Sports car

 

Ford let Mercury go and even during Mercury's last year, they still outsold Lincoln, although not by a huge margin. The biggest mistake was replacing the Sable and Taurus with the Montego and Five Hundred. Granite, three of the above our rebadges while the other three are exclusive vehicles to Mercury.

 

My plan for Lincoln is totally different that Ford's plan for Lincoln.

 

They need to drop the MK naming system and revert back to the traditional names, the historica Lincoln names. The names that the public are familiar with.

 

1. Lincoln Town Car. the flagship sedan. No Grand Marquis, no Crown Victoria. The Town Car is exclusive to Lincoln... No rebadged Ford or Mercury.

2. Lincoln Zephyr.

3. Lincoln Flex varient. The Flex never should have went to Ford as it compete's directly with the Explorer with the Explorer stealing sales due to its equal passenger capacity, fuel efficiency due to the 2.0 Ecoboost option and can tow more with the 3.5 V6... 5,000 for the Explorer and 4500 for the Flex.

4. Lincoln Aviator. Exclusive to vehicle to Lincoln.

5. Lincoln Continental

6. Lincoln Mark IX

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Thanks for bumping this thread, FordFanForEver

here's my hopeful prediction:

circa Jan 1, 2015

MKC littlest Cuv

MKZ smallest sedan

MKX mid Cuv (re-MCE'd)

MKS mid sedan (re-MCE'd)

Aviator mid-lg "Suv" (part aluminum swb Navi)

LTC (modern LincolnTouringCar, D3/4-based)

Navigator large "Suv" (all/mostly aluminum)

 

&

think I'm making progress on my marketing/product plan for THE RETURN of MERCURY in 2020

:D

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