Ford’s soon-to-be last remaining auxiliary brand, Lincoln, is in dire need of an overhaul in order to be truly competitive in every segment in which it competes.
In Paris, Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally acknowledged that fact, and even went on to say that the plan is to overhaul the brand in the U.S. over the next four to five years, and once complete, begin to take the brand worldwide, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Although Lincoln has recently revealed a thoroughly refreshed and competitive MKX crossover, as well as the fuel-economy leader in the luxury realm with its MKZ Hybrid, the brand overall falls well short of a complete, competitive lineup in today’s crowded luxury market. This is a stark contrast from Lincoln’s heyday in 2000, the year in which Lincoln claimed the top spot out of all luxury brands in the U.S., selling an impressive 193,000 vehicles.
Fast forward to 2009, Lincoln managed less than half what it could a decade before, selling just shy of 83,000 vehicles, and finding itself slipping to the number eight spot – down a hefty seven spots.
Mulally plans to change that
With Ford’s recent announcement to kill off Mercury, not long after Ford sold off Land Rover Range Rover, Jaguar, Aston Martin and Volvo, the automaker is set with a laser-like focus to perfect its blue oval and Lincoln lineups. Mulally believes that in four to five years, after Lincoln is overhauled, there will be room to leverage a luxury brand in many world markets.
“There’s going to be a lot of customer pull around the world,” for a freshened Lincoln, said Mulally at the Paris auto show. “Now that we have global product platforms and reach, we will absolutely support that.”
“American luxury heads to Europe…” – Wait a minute, sound familiar?
If it sounds like this is something you’ve already heard, it is – kind of.
A little over seven months ago General Motors announced that Cadillac would be reentering the European market after a short hiatus. GM believes that Cadillac’s fresh lineup and strong new product offerings will be enough to change European consumers’ minds, minds that had as recently as 2009 rejected the brand with its pocketbooks.
Ford will closely watch Cadillac as it finds its place in the European market, as Lincoln will be aiming for the same target buyers as GM’s luxury brand.
