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Where Is Ford taking the Lincoln Motor Company?

4170 messages,  Last post on May 21, 2013 at 6:54 AM

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What is this discussion about? Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKX

    

Messages Page 1 of 417

#1 of 4170 Where Is Ford taking Lincoln?? by big3forlife

Feb 20, 2006 (11:14 am)

I belive Lincoln has a history that neither Lexus or Infiniti have, and if Ford wanted to, it could make Lincoln a better brand than Lexus/Infiniti. THe new MKS and MKX are a good start, but ford has to keep going, Lincoln needs a flagship sedan (RWD platform would be best), that can compete with a LS430 or Infiniti Q45, the Town Car is simply to old and underpowered to even compete against these two.
 
What do you think Ford should do with Lincoln??

#2 of 4170 Good Question by ubbermotor

Feb 20, 2006 (1:03 pm)

I'm afraid I have no answer. Like Cadillac, Lincoln was established by Henry Leland. Unlike Cadillac however, he didn't have GM's bean counters looking over his shoulder and set out to build a car that would "last forever". And went bankrupt. It was saved by Edsel Ford who continued who continued with the highest quality/no profit view of luxury. When Henry II took over Lincoln began its long slow move away from high-end prestige, towards profitability. Should they try moving back up market? Or should they change their target from Cadillac to Chrysler.

#3 of 4170 Re: Where Is Ford taking Lincoln?? [big3forlife] by socala4

Feb 20, 2006 (1:22 pm)

Replying to: big3forlife (Feb 20, 2006 11:14 am)
I belive Lincoln has a history that neither Lexus or Infiniti have
 
I don't think that matters much, frankly -- heritage for the Big 2.5 is vastly overrated, and is probably more of a hindrance than a help. But I agree that the situation isn't utterly hopeless.
 
If I was CEO, this is what I'd do:
-Punt Mercury. It's a redundant exercise in cynical badge engineering that simply dilutes the brand, and is relegated to the role of Old Man's Car. Let Ford be the main brand, with Lincoln as the luxury/ niche provider, but keep a seperate dealer network so that the service styles can be sufficiently different.
 
-Dump the badge engineering. There is no reason to have ever had both a Taurus and a Sable, for example, nobody is fooled and both cars end up with diluted images as a result. Put the marketing and R&D dollars into one exceptional car, instead of creating ugly grilles to end up with two mediocre ones.
 
For Lincoln, what it shouldn't do:
 
-Sell rebadged Fords. If platforms are to be shared, make the resulting cars highly distinct. (If Ford can use the same platform to build cars as varied from one another as are the Volvo S40, Mazda 3 and Ford Focus, it can be creative here, too.)
 
-Copy the Europeans or Japanese. If people want a Mercedes, they will buy the genuine article; if they want the reliable version of the Benz, they will go Lexus or Infiniti instead. No reason to run into a market niche that is already crowded with tough competitors, when the buying public won't take it seriously.
 
Instead:
-Follow the path of the 300 and such, and build a uniquely "American" sedan (whatever that means.) Give it the best interior in its class, outstanding fit-and-finish, an exceptionally smooth small-block V-8 standard (no pushrods, but do give it some nice low-end grunt), with a nice poised balance between handling and ride.
 
Offer one larger engine option, high standard equipment levels and few options, as well as a look and feel not quite like the imports, but not quite in the vein of the outgoing Lincolns, either. Give it the longest warranty in the business and a complete free maintenance package that is akin to BMW's.
 
And don't give it a name intended to remind people of a past glory car, just in case you create more annoyance than excitement.
 
Create an SUV in the same vein as the above, as well as a special limited-edition coupe that is meant more to showcase the brand as a performance-luxury car -- it need not sell in high numbers. Get away from the image of being a barge, while avoiding any attempts to copy the Germans or Japanese.
 
In other words, build a relatively cheap V-8 version of a Bentley. Continentals are flying off the shelf, relatively speaking -- go for the crowd that would love to own a Bentley, but couldn't possibly afford one and would like one at a fraction of the price. It doesn't have to look like one, but it should exude character and quality, whatever that happens to be.
 
By the way, none of this will ever happen, so we'll just keep this between us...

#4 of 4170 lincoln by harlequin1971

Feb 20, 2006 (11:32 pm)

the zephyr IS a merc milan/ford fusion and although I have not yet had a chance to drive them - it comes down to a small matter of styling and options.
 
but then, the ES300 Lexus was really little more than a Camry with better options and some sound-deadening equipment and the Infiniti I30 was a Maxima in new sheet metal - as was the old G20 (a Sentra-knock off, of all things)
 
I just bought a Ford and I like it, but not so keen on the new grill for 2006 - the Merc one is better. Also, the "Fusion" does have a different interior and attitude than the "Milan" version.
 
Lincoln shouldn't be just another destination for Ford's parts-bin. If they want to keep it, it needs to step back up and make luxury cars that are truly luxurious - and then allow Mercury and Ford to handle "cheap luxury" cars.
 
A $80k Lincoln? If it had a V10/12, and could keep up with an Audi A8 in styling and performance - heck yeah...
 
Question is, can Ford's engineers build them? They are showing lots of promise - but the jury is still out if the blue oval can make a true luxury car to even compete against the likes of the VW Phaeton.
 
Sadly, money will make it very unlikely to see this stuff happen - so instead...let's just hope that Lincoln means conservative styling for grown-ups who want a Ford but don't want to look like a teen.

#5 of 4170 Re: Where Is Ford taking Lincoln?? [socala4] by prosa

Feb 21, 2006 (10:21 am)

Replying to: socala4 (Feb 20, 2006 1:22 pm)
If I was CEO, this is what I'd do:
-Punt Mercury. It's a redundant exercise in cynical badge engineering that simply dilutes the brand, and is relegated to the role of Old Man's Car. Let Ford be the main brand, with Lincoln as the luxury/ niche provider, but keep a seperate dealer network so that the service styles can be sufficiently different.
 
Ford is trying to market Mercury toward women. An unusual step, but it might just work.
I'm not so sure if Lincoln-only dealers could survive.

#6 of 4170 Re: Where Is Ford taking Lincoln?? [prosa] by rockylee

Feb 21, 2006 (10:52 am)

Replying to: prosa (Feb 21, 2006 10:21 am)
Mercury's are rebadged Ford and Lincolns, is that a good thing ????
 
Rocky

#7 of 4170 The "lincoln"... by wilcox

Feb 21, 2006 (10:55 am)

I like Ford products, but...
 
Today, Lincoln (and Caddy for that fact)... Neither their SUV's nor their smaller passenger versions are impressive.
 
Lincoln was a famous name....at least it was back in the 1860's to the 1960's.
 
Today, it's pretty weird to have a "luxury" vehicle that has the same name as a one cent piece....(which is nothing more than a piece of steel with a copper color...a penny so worthless that none evens wants to bend down and pick it up off the pavement).
 
Remember the "Olds"? The older names seem to be burning out.

#8 of 4170 Re: Where Is Ford taking Lincoln?? [prosa] by socala4

Feb 21, 2006 (10:56 am)

Replying to: prosa (Feb 21, 2006 10:21 am)
I'm not so sure if Lincoln-only dealers could survive.
 
If quietly tied to Ford dealers or with a large enough Lincoln lineup, they could. (Once credibility is built with the quality sedan and buzz created with a hot coupe, I could see a roadster, crossover vehicle and possibly other cars.) But if the former, the relationship should be fairly opaque, similar to how Lexus and Toyota are clearly distinguished from one another, despite the ES 300/ Camry relationship.

#9 of 4170 Re: The "lincoln"... [wilcox] by ubbermotor

Feb 21, 2006 (11:42 am)

Replying to: wilcox (Feb 21, 2006 10:55 am)
Lincoln was a famous name....at least it was back in the 1860's to the 1960's.
 
Unsure of your reference here. Lincoln was started during WW1, building Cadillac engines for airplanes. They moved into cars after the war (1918) and were bankrupt by 1922. Only the fact that Ford bought the company, has kept it around the last 80 years. The last 10 years have been perhaps there best years ever.

#10 of 4170 Re: The "lincoln"... [ubbermotor] by 210delray

Feb 21, 2006 (8:30 pm)

Replying to: ubbermotor (Feb 21, 2006 11:42 am)
I'm sure he's referring to the original famous Lincoln -- old Abe himself!

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