Can The Lincoln MKC Revive A Once-Proud Luxury Brand?

[slusher]

http://autos.aol.com/gallery/lincoln-mkc-preview/#!slide=1573174&kgal_next?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D407823

[Lownslow]

Nope, If Lincoln plans on surviving they should take note at what the Germans are doing with their compact SUVs.

[Eshaver]

Yes, place emphasis on the "Main stream Ford products part ". Lincoln is supposed to represent a higher achievement than some dressed up Ford , course too, that's kind of what Mercury started and now , I dunno .................

[Kris Morgan]

Lincoln needs to build something on par with the Town Car. A pure luxury car.

[cobraman]

I'm going to say "no". I'm a Ford guy but I believe Lincoln is all but dead. May go the way of the Mercury, who knows ? I personaly believe thay would need to do some drastic changes to save Lincoln. Just my opinion.

[SSNJim]

Gotta agree - it's a big no. It's just more of the same FWD econobox SUV junk that Lincoln has been pushing for years. That stuff may work for Ford, but not for a luxury car maker.

[Speedfreak]

The only thing that could really 'revive' the Lincoln brand at this point would be for them to come up with something 'original' that 'truely' competes with what Cadillac has done in the sport/luxury catagory, and they need to hit it out of the park to make it work. Ford though seems to be playing it safe these days so I don't look for this to happen. Lincoln exists in name only, no real 'brand' ID.

[Chuck Most]

It's still better than any of the new Cadillacs (wonder why Mercedes Benz hasn't sued for copyright infringement yet, or do they see the new Cadillacs and just take it as flattery?), especially when you consider that it's still a good idea to trust a GM vehicle no further than you can push it. Pretty sure J. Mays can figure something out, if Ford is willing to give him a few years. And since Ford has said they're committed to bringing Lincoln back to its former glory, it just might happen. This MKC might work as a stopgap, but I hope they aren't putting all their eggs in one basket.

[Foxer]

No

[Agent G]

Why buy this when I can purchase a well equipped Escape for $1000's less? Same same with the MKS (Taurus) and MKZ (Focus).

I lost all hope for Lincoln when the Town Car went away.

G

[Harry P.]

I don't think they're fooling a lot of people by selling tarted-up Fords at luxury prices.

If I was in charge I'd stay away from SUVs and keep Lincoln strictly a luxury car brand.

What they need to do is offer a unique model or two... something you can't buy for thousands less at any Ford dealer, but something that's unique to Lincoln. My first suggestion would be a luxury sedan to compete with the Chrysler 300.

[slusher]

Why buy this when I can purchase a well equipped Escape for $1000's less? Same same with the MKS (Taurus) and MKZ (Focus).

I lost all hope for Lincoln when the Town Car went away.

G

l have to agree with you G, a Lincoln use to be a Lincoln. Now they are more dressed up Fords and l like ford and have had many..

[Tom Geiger]

The MKZ is a pretty good looking car. I agree that Lincoln needs another Town Car to be relevant. Ford's Town Car and Crown Vic were the staples of the transportation industry. I don't know how they just abandoned that market.

[Nxr]

What they really need to do is bring back the Lincoln LS, that car still looks better today than modern lincolns and was made in 1999. You can find many of them still well taken care off because it was just such a nice car Lincoln put out.

[Casey]

What they really need to do is bring back the Lincoln LS, that car still looks better today than modern lincolns and was made in 1999.

That car looked dated the minute it hit dealer lots. Very conservative styling:

Lexus has created an entire division company based on Toyota underpinnings, so the formula can work, but it's not as easy as it looks. The Lincoln Blackwood and Navigator didn't seem to help Lincoln's image much, either, though I can understand why Ford chased SUVs sales when that market segment was hot (and supposedly growing again...ugh.).

[Ace-Garageguy]

Exactly. A large part of the problem is that a top-line Ford is so good, what's the point of paying premium money for a set of emblems and a little different styling? Maybe the whole idea of wasting money on nothing but "sizzle" to impress the neighbors is going away. Nah, it's just that Lexus has positioned itself as the Japanese equivalent to a Mercedes, and Linclon is still just seen as a gussied-up Ford.

I DO like the idea of Lincoln building something to compete heads-up with Cadillac's hot rod. They've certainly got all the mechanical bits on the shelf to pull it off.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[sjordan2]

The lead paragraph in the article linked at the top may show that Lincoln has a long way to go here:

"As she prepared to introduce the 2015 Lincoln MKC at a press conference, a colleague’s remarks caught Lisa Drake, the car’s chief program engineer, off-guard.
Better know the Escape’s specs, the colleague advised.
"The Escape?," Drake said. "Why?"
She was dumbfounded."

Cadillac's brand rebuilding efforts are going nicely (Motor Trend Car of the Year) in spite of a similar, conservative market to Lincoln. But I agree with Harry -- an SUV may not make them a luxury leader. Pimped-out Town Cars were highly visible bling for rich people, and even the tamest-looking versions are still well-appreciated by owners. The return of the Town Car will get them back in the limo business (or perhaps they think that their SUV IS getting them back in the limo business along with Escalade).

Anyway, calling themselves the snootier-sounding "Lincoln Motor Company," as they've been doing in their more recent marketing, ain't gonna do it.

Edited November 19, 2013 by sjordan2

[Ju Ju]

It's still better than any of the new Cadillacs (wonder why Mercedes Benz hasn't sued for copyright infringement yet, or do they see the new Cadillacs and just take it as flattery?), especially when you consider that it's still a good idea to trust a GM vehicle no further than you can push it. Pretty sure J. Mays can figure something out, if Ford is willing to give him a few years. And since Ford has said they're committed to bringing Lincoln back to its former glory, it just might happen. This MKC might work as a stopgap, but I hope they aren't putting all their eggs in one basket.

WOW- And I was thinking about buying a new 2014 Cadillac XTS - I'm glad I read your insightful assessment

[Nxr]

The Cadillac SRX gives me a headache, but everything else they make especially the ATS i like a lot, of course can not afford but like! What i do miss is cars actually having personal names like Continental, El dorado, Deville, Seville, even the Zephyr was better than "insert useless letter combo" Hey man lets take the ole' Coupe Deville for a spin! Hey man id rather go cruise in my awesome EmCasey, yeah the EmCasey man! They the bomb!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Sounds like you all got a lemon, Roger, but that can happen with any make. I think most car-guys know Lexus is just a fancy Yotayo (and a whole bunch of interchange parts prove it), but the marketing-to-the-typical-consumer-perception from the days when the Lexus LOOKED just like a Merc has stuck around.

I've had very good results and a long long life from multiple Toyota products...and Ford products too.

[John Morrison]

Pretty sure J. Mays can figure something out, if Ford is willing to give him a few years.

Yeah that's not gonna happen since he is retiring in January. BTW his replacement has been responsible for the designins of Ford's cars in the Americas since 2006.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/automobiles/j-mays-noted-ford-designer-to-retire.html

[Rob Hall]

Meh..the MKC is just another dull FWD/AWD 4cyl CUV. Women seem to flock to these cute-utes, but I find them unappealing...

I do like the current Cadillac styling direction and designs, esp. like the new ATS and CTS. I've been happy w/ my STS, probably will trade up to a CTS sooner or later... though a used CTS-v would be quite appealing also.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Rob Hall

[FordRodnKustom]

No. They need to bring back the Panther platform and update the Town Car.

[charlie8575]

Give me a Town Car. I, for one, still equate size and luxury. When I pay more, I expect more, and not useless gee-gaws I can't figure out how to use or that I simply don't want in the first place. I want a big, comfortable interior- one that actually is spacious, not just "spacious-feeling." I also expect it to have a large trunk and seats that I fit into and won't disturb my slightly-sciatic left leg on a long drive. Along with that, I expect as close-to-perfect as possible fit and finish and genuine durability and longevity.

I know, how horrible of me that I actually expect value for my money.

Even though a lot of the undercarriage and mechanical parts have been shared amongst various Ford products for years, with Lincoln, it used to be you got something for your money.

The gorgeous styling of the 1956-57 cars, the absolutely take-no-prisoners quality control of the 1961-'69 Continentals, some kind of new or innovative idea in a car. Those all made a difference in making a car better. More room. More trunk. Better seats and better interior materials. Strict quality control, which even in the dark days of the 1970s, Lincoln, as best it could, from historical record, tried to maintain, even going so far as to order the removal of Thunderbird production from Wixom because the Ford-brand guys couldn't (or wouldn't) dance to the Lincoln division's fiddle. Even into the 1980s and '90s with some platform sharing, when you bought a Lincoln, you got extra.

Lincoln, I think needs to start doing the following things.

1. The Navigator is a cash-cow for them, and is still quite popular. I would suggest offering more unique styling on the outside to further differentiate it from an Expedition. For a little better mileage, I think the diesel V8 should be offered as an option, as well.

2. They MUST bring back the Town Car- as Harry noted, they need a direct competitor to the Chrysler 300. If they took the Mustang chassis, and really stretched and widened it, you'd have a large, well-handling, 4-door sedan. This car needs to be V8-only, but I also think a hybrid version with a smaller V8 and an electric motor should be available for anyone that wants it, and I can see the limo companies flocking to that in droves for the improved gas mileage. The lack of a separate frame might still cause some trouble amongst the coachbuilders, but I highly doubt full frames (much as I'd like to see them), will be returning because of nanny-state and nanny-insurance edicts. This might also set the stage for a return of the Crown Vic.

Oh, and it has to be six-passenger, using the real Twin Comfort Lounge seats, not those goofy buckets with the center lump.

3. Again, using the Mustang, I think we're due for a Mark IX. Lincoln seriously needs the halo product. Re-use all the underpinnings from the 'Stang, and change the interior, sheetmetal, and wheels. A V6 and V8 should be available- your choice. Consider a convertible, too.

4. The Taurus and MKS can be ordered as AWD, too. I wonder if, with some modification, a rear-wheel-drive, longitudinal-mount engine platform could be worked up, and offered as a slightly smaller sports-sedan, perhaps with a de-bored Coyote V8 (say, back to around 250-260 cu. in.,) which would still have plenty of pep and a little better mileage. Or, perhaps an AWD-only A4/A6-fighter keeping the as-existing orientation? This should be the Continental.

5. Let's face it, some people actually like smaller luxury cars. Again, using a more-or-less unmodified Mustang chassis, a new Zephyr could be built as a four-place four-door sports sedan. The twin-turbo V6 would be a good choice for this car. I could also see a hybrid small V6 or a diesel V6 as an option.

Notice that I'm calling for a minimum of six cylinders. I think one way they could really trump Cadillac is moving to all luxury-car-level engines. The proliferation of 4-cylinder engines in Caddies is both troubling and puzzling, then charging outrageous extra sums in most cases for a six-cylinder engine. Personally, I still think a luxury car should have a V8, period, although with the smaller cars, I can and will accept a well-designed and engineered six-cylinder.

6. As an alternative to the SUVs, perhaps a Zephyr wagon could be offered? If one was built, I'd buy one, and I think a lot of people would if we don't do a repeat of Cadillac and not promote it.

In addition, they really need to start offering some nice colors and better interior color choices, too.

Charlie Larkin

[george 53]

My Dad was a continental guy fromWAYYYYY back! Our first one was in 65 his last one was a 98. Without a Continental, the WAS no Lincoln. Just jazzed up Fords. So, No.