$5 Billion to Revitalize Lincoln: Enter the 400 BHP '16 MKZ
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It'd make sense. For a company that needs to recoup a lot of those costs from developing that fancy-ass independent rear suspension, yeah, they've gotta use it on something else. Only thing is, I pretty much have no idea how flexible it is to take different drive layouts. Ford hasn't been saying. All begs the question I guess, is this how they plan on replacing the Falcon?
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I don't know how much $5 Billion is to Lincoln, but my main concern with them is their "brand". Currently, in the area I'm in, it's not even taken very seriously. The Germans aren't letting off, and brand like Lexus & Cadillac may be playing catch up, but I feel like they are almost at that high level(talking about the brand, not the polish of individual vehicles).
I personally like the look of the latest Lincoln vehicles, but during their attempt at the crucial turnaround over the last few years, they just blew it, one after another. Navigator went from the second place to Escalade to completely irrelevant. MKS, MKT, they flopped, hard. Advertising has been mostly quiet, awkward, or poor.
I obviously don't know what it would take to re-establish Lincoln, but if it were up to me, I'd go with value. Luxury game is ultra competitive & they were unbelievably late to the game(due to their troubled finances), and they clearly has lost the war at this point. IMO, their hail mary is to somehow get the consumers back on board with Lincoln. I have no faith in Ford to come up with something superior('as good' isn't good enough at this stage in the game) to the Germans or the Japanese. Go with the Korean approach from few years ago. Build desirable cars, undercut the competition by significant margin. You have to get the people back in the showroom first. Again, IMO, once you get the Lincoln name matter again, then you can talk about competing with the pros.
P.S. As @Pupik mentioned, Lincolns are mostly sold through Ford dealers today. I haven't seen enough upgrades to those dealers, as Pupik would surely notice the difference from his old workplace(Lexus) toMotel 6 your local Ford Dealers. Yeah, make the cars affordable, but you still have to let the shoppers know you are serious!
P.S.S. Don't 🤬 up the new Navigator. I feel that Escalades & Navigators are in the class of their own. This vehicle can help, or hurt Lincoln brand image. All last Navigator did was put few more nails in their coffin.
I personally like the look of the latest Lincoln vehicles, but during their attempt at the crucial turnaround over the last few years, they just blew it, one after another. Navigator went from the second place to Escalade to completely irrelevant. MKS, MKT, they flopped, hard. Advertising has been mostly quiet, awkward, or poor.
I obviously don't know what it would take to re-establish Lincoln, but if it were up to me, I'd go with value. Luxury game is ultra competitive & they were unbelievably late to the game(due to their troubled finances), and they clearly has lost the war at this point. IMO, their hail mary is to somehow get the consumers back on board with Lincoln. I have no faith in Ford to come up with something superior('as good' isn't good enough at this stage in the game) to the Germans or the Japanese. Go with the Korean approach from few years ago. Build desirable cars, undercut the competition by significant margin. You have to get the people back in the showroom first. Again, IMO, once you get the Lincoln name matter again, then you can talk about competing with the pros.
P.S. As @Pupik mentioned, Lincolns are mostly sold through Ford dealers today. I haven't seen enough upgrades to those dealers, as Pupik would surely notice the difference from his old workplace(Lexus) to
P.S.S. Don't 🤬 up the new Navigator. I feel that Escalades & Navigators are in the class of their own. This vehicle can help, or hurt Lincoln brand image. All last Navigator did was put few more nails in their coffin.
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About every other Ford dealership I go to has a Lincoln dealer "attached" to it. Usually, they're bigger, newer, and slightly more modern. They'll have a few more amenities to justify the luxury end of things, for those cross-shopping a comparable luxury brand. Cadillac does the same, as most are paired with GMC dealers or even Chevrolet-branded stores in a similar way. This is more the case in larger-to-medium-sized cities. It's unusual you'd see a Ford-Lincoln dealer in the sticks, just as you wouldn't typically see a Mercedes-Benz, a Lexus, or a Cadillac dealer in rural/semi-rural areas (unless it's the only thing out there for many, many miles - Fort Wayne, Indiana comes to mind).
I think I've been to one standalone Lincoln dealer out of perhaps...10-12 in my travels. Like I said before, they felt the pinch from the loss of Mercury...a medium-sized city in Florida with a solid middle-class area; many retirees as well. Here's one which closed, citing the pinch.
I don't know what it's going to take, but if Ford is on such an upswing right now, why isn't Lincoln getting some of that magic? I can really only presume they're having that brand identity crisis and an aging fanbase; maybe they just figure everyone will grow old any buy their products because that's as close to a constant* you could ask for in this universe. I don't think it's totally because the car is "just a nicer version of the lesser brand", if Toyota and Nissan have been able to do it, there's something missing and I presume it's that there isn't a lot of dynamic difference between the models, just more features and sound-deadening.
Meaningless Acronym Nameplates don't really work...look at the wonder it's done for Acura's brand awareness in America. They're above-average cars, too. But they've slumped, sales-wise. What's an MKS? an MKT (besides ugly)? an MYXLPLYX? These things don't really resonate because there's way to rank them or evoke anything out of those names.
* death, taxes, mutability, Lincolns...I may have hit on something.
I think I've been to one standalone Lincoln dealer out of perhaps...10-12 in my travels. Like I said before, they felt the pinch from the loss of Mercury...a medium-sized city in Florida with a solid middle-class area; many retirees as well. Here's one which closed, citing the pinch.
I don't know what it's going to take, but if Ford is on such an upswing right now, why isn't Lincoln getting some of that magic? I can really only presume they're having that brand identity crisis and an aging fanbase; maybe they just figure everyone will grow old any buy their products because that's as close to a constant* you could ask for in this universe. I don't think it's totally because the car is "just a nicer version of the lesser brand", if Toyota and Nissan have been able to do it, there's something missing and I presume it's that there isn't a lot of dynamic difference between the models, just more features and sound-deadening.
Meaningless Acronym Nameplates don't really work...look at the wonder it's done for Acura's brand awareness in America. They're above-average cars, too. But they've slumped, sales-wise. What's an MKS? an MKT (besides ugly)? an MYXLPLYX? These things don't really resonate because there's way to rank them or evoke anything out of those names.
* death, taxes, mutability, Lincolns...I may have hit on something.
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it can be the Cougar's spiritual successor, Like the Lincoln Leopard
Keef
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I don't know, I personally think the current MKZ is a stunning looking car.
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Keef
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For real tho. It doesn't get enough love! I think it's stunningly new, different and futuristic. It always looks like a spaceship floating down the road. Much more futuristic than what Cadillac is design, though theirs are good in their own right. The general design language of the new Lincolns is fantastic, even the grille in my opinion because its instantly recognizable, but the proportions of the Fusion/MKZ make this car look especially interesting.I don't know, I personally think the current MKZ is a stunning looking car.
Sure, but they've also had a Mark X concept car already. In keeping with the naming scheme, they can't use MKX because it's already taken. MK10 would work fine but they never produced a Mark 9 at all so I figure starting with that would be the logical progression. Then again, the number 10 probably has more positive connotations than 9. I like 9 myself. I find 10s to be full of themselves.
EDIT: As I'm looking at the Lincoln Mustang renders, I'm seeing way too much Mustang. Everything down to the wheel arches and exhaust tips would have to be changed. I say, basically stretch and form an MKZ onto the Mustang chassis and you'll have the sexiest car of the year.
Also, I prefer the MKZ's design over the MKC's. Maybe it's more to do with the car's proportions but I like the lack of pronounced shoulders on the MKZ for some reason. I also prefer the flatter, thinner tail light treatment. Idk, it just looks cleaner and simpler. More like the classic Continental. I think simple and clean and horizontal is where Lincoln should be going. I believe a Lincoln Mustang should look more like the smooth MKZ than the chunky MKC. The reason is that the MKC retains the chunkiness of the Ford Escape and it is too obvious. The MKZ looks nothing like a Fusion which is good. The Lincoln Mustang would have to be greatly separated from the actual Mustang if its going to fool anybody and the smooth, elegant design of the MKZ is definitely the way to do it. No chunky fender arches needed. This will be a powerful but elegant cruiser.
Lincoln in general needs to focus on smooth luxury, not sporty luxury. Think about where Lexus used to be. That's where Lincoln needs to be. Boring, yes, but has American luxury ever been exciting? No, that's not what it's about. With all the luxury brands now moving toward sportiness, Lincoln has an opportunity to be the only smooth and elegant brand left. I would definitely buy into that because if I want a sporty experience I'd be getting a Miata.
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I really hope Lincoln doesn't become what Oldsmobile did, which is a brand on the rebound but killed before any real results came back. That said, Whereas Olds was competing with three other brands within it's own stable, FoMoCo is AFAIK just Ford and Lincoln. I agree with Keef on this note:
Aside from Rolls Royce, I can't think of any company putting luxury and/or comfort ahead of sportiness. It's what MADE Cadillac, and Lincoln. Does the world care for it, no, but on that same note the F-series is only sold in North America and is one of Ford's cash cows.
Aside from Rolls Royce, I can't think of any company putting luxury and/or comfort ahead of sportiness. It's what MADE Cadillac, and Lincoln. Does the world care for it, no, but on that same note the F-series is only sold in North America and is one of Ford's cash cows.
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The problem with Oldsmobile once GM made the shift to common platforms and powertrains was that Oldsmobile had a hell of a time differentiating itself from products in-house, in addition to new foreign competition that pretty much destroyed their sales prowess. Olds went from one of the top-selling brands in the US to a middling also-ran. The Aurora was their last-ditch effort to stay relevant, but as what would have been a Lexus competitor was overrun with substantially better products.
Lincoln on the other hand wouldn't really have to worry too much about competition if they took the more "comfortable" route that is being suggested. Lexus, Acura and Volvo generally serve that category, but Lexus is drifting more toward the performance pissing match of the Germans and Cadillac, while Acura fades to obscurity, and Volvo... So, a more luxurious luxury car that's cheaper than most of the competition? Why not? The car doesn't have to drive poorly to be nice to drive, or to ride in... See the new Chevrolet Impala for striking a nice balance. I see absolutely no reason why Lincoln can't do it.
Plus, Chrysler is giving up on that end of the market. Its pretty much all Lincoln at this point.
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Lincoln. An all for "grille" company
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This seemed as suitable a thread as the Conti's...
Lincoln proudly announces their newest adopted child, hailing from a British-German family. A strong Jaguar XF father provided the nose, while it definitely has its mother's eyes, a four-ringed family trait.
What is interesting, however, is this new 3.0L EcoBoost. 400hp and all-wheel drive? I'd guess that this is the next engine for the SHO, but since the MKZ is based off the Fusion, I wonder if the rumoured Fusion ST is actually the next most likely home for this new heart.
Lincoln proudly announces their newest adopted child, hailing from a British-German family. A strong Jaguar XF father provided the nose, while it definitely has its mother's eyes, a four-ringed family trait.
What is interesting, however, is this new 3.0L EcoBoost. 400hp and all-wheel drive? I'd guess that this is the next engine for the SHO, but since the MKZ is based off the Fusion, I wonder if the rumoured Fusion ST is actually the next most likely home for this new heart.
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I'd call it a home-run for Lincoln, here. The powertrains are crazy, the styling is very attractive inside and out, and sounds like it'll have some serious sporting credentials... All of which hopefully boils down to the Fusion, eventually. I'm seriously impressed, here. Where the current MKZ has had fantastic styling, but narry a powertrain to back it up, this one levels everything out. That $5BN investment looks like its working.
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What that article forgot to mention is that it has the fancy torque vectoring system from focus RS. I wonder if it comes with drift mode too? 
Rotary Junkie
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It looks like a Jauditi XQA508F. As in Jag XF grill opening, A8 headlights, Q50 lower fascia.
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Only old people with bad eye sight would buy the newly redesigned Lincoln...
I dont see anyone younger than 55 buying this on purpose...
I dont see anyone driving this any faster than 55... So i am not sure what the extra 250 ponies are for...
Sorry to say but i hate everything that Lincoln is doing right now....
I am surprised. To say but the previous design was actually better...
I dont see anyone younger than 55 buying this on purpose...
I dont see anyone driving this any faster than 55... So i am not sure what the extra 250 ponies are for...
Sorry to say but i hate everything that Lincoln is doing right now....
I am surprised. To say but the previous design was actually better...
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It honestly doesn't look at all that bad. The front I would say looks better then the current one right now, props to the rear of the current gen, though.
I'd drive it.
For more power?
I'm sure there will be a bunch of people driving this faster than 55, though. It has AWD and a powerful engine, I'm sure it would be performance worthy.
How so? So nobody buys Audis or Jaguars or basically any luxury sedan under 55?
Its basically a generic sedan now, they all look the same now other than front and back lights and bumpers.
