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  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Lincoln To Focus On High Volume Segments

    William Maley

    Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

    August 13, 2012

    Lincoln will not be following in the footsteps of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Cadillac with low-volume niche markets. Instead, Lincoln will be focusing on the volume segments in the luxury segment.

    It's easy to see why Lincoln is going down this path. Sales so far this year are down 11%. So that means we will not see a flagship Lincoln sedan for the time being.

    Lincoln is betting on products like the new MKZ to help pull them out of this slump. Lincoln is also readying a new crossover based on the Ford Escape, possibly wearing the MKC nameplate.

    Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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    Good thing the dropped that antiquated Town Car.... er, wait that's right the

    Town Car WAS their high volume seller.

    FoMoCo is a joke. All that "We didn't need a bail out" talk and yet they're poised

    to go no where. GM & Chrysler are making some awesome products and have

    both taken large bites of Ford's fleet sales. Ten years ago 95% of the local law

    enforcement used Fords exclusively and now a large portion of that market has

    turned way from Ford. I have not seen a SINGLE cop car Taurus in all my travels

    all over New England & the North East and yet about 25% of local police

    departments have turned to the Dodge Charger while another 15% or so have

    been buying Chevrolet Impalas & Tahoe squad cars & the new Caprice PPV is

    about to take a large percentage of of the market locally.

    I talked to a police officer high up in the ranks in Lowell's police department about

    six months ago. he was driving the first Caprice PPV and the first NON-Ford that

    Lowell has bought in over two decades and his reaction to my questions plastered

    a huge smile on my face. He said most people who know police cars are turning

    away from Ford and that the AWD Taurus is not even being considered, The

    motor's sideways placement & delicate AWD is said to be useless for he police

    application and he made it clear that Ford is losing 100% of their business to

    either Dodge or Chevrolet. He said he Caprice was fantastic and indicated there

    was a strong possibility they might go with the Caprice. Since then they're bought

    two more, so that answers that question. Also, the Ford Expedition was replaced

    by a Tahoe. I for one and very happy my tax money is being spent wisely, in this

    one particular instance anyway.

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    Anyone know what the highest volume luxury model is?

    or the highest "volume segments in the luxury segment"?

    Without looking, I'm going to guess the Lexus ES is the highest volume luxury model.

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    Without looking, I'm going to guess the Lexus ES is the highest volume luxury model.

    Most likely, that's the chunk of "high volume" they're after, not the Camry, etc volumes :AH-HA:

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    Nice to hear, Sixty8panther. I have always wondered why Lincoln wants to be as mushy and as poorly defined as Acura. WTF is Ford doing to Lincoln?! Dearborn is literally taking it on the chin from a debt standpoint and punishing Lincoln for it. Not good, especially given Mercury's final 15 years around. The Honda/Acura model simply does not work. Eventually everyone finds out that there is no reason to go upmarket in your automaker if there are two nearly-identical models in your stable with no real differences at all. At least with the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger/Challenger there are real differences that any driver can appreciate. My LincolnTouch and a waterfall grill are not enough to differentiate Lincoln from Ford. Period.

    • Agree 1
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    snapback.pngriviera74, on , said:

    My LincolnTouch and a waterfall grill are not enough to differentiate Lincoln from Ford. Period.

    Is there any real difference between MyLincolnTouch and MyFordTouch?

    CUE, MyLink, Intillilink, it's all the same

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    Ford must think they have the product to compete against Buick and yet they are farther from the truth than they realize. I suspect they need some major gutting of upper management. You know, those that have been sitting on their ass for the last 30 years.

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    Is there any real difference between MyLincolnTouch and MyFordTouch?

    afaik: graphics

    Anyone know what the highest volume luxury model is?

    or the highest "volume segments in the luxury segment"?

    Without looking, I'm going to guess the Lexus ES is the highest volume luxury model.

    tsk

    finally found and (slightly) updated/added to my

    Top Lux Mfg Sales List

    _2011____2010___models

    94,371 - 100,910 - 3 series

    82,595 -- 95,790 - L. RX

    69,314 -- 58,785 - C class

    62,736 -- 60,922 - E class

    57,511 -- 45,644 - Mini Brand

    51,491 -- 39,488 - 5 series

    40,873 -- 48,652 - L. ES

    40,547 -- 35,776 - X5

    35,835 -- 29,698 - M class

    35,234 -- 34,672 - A4

    29,669 -- 34,129 - L. IS

    27,793 --- 6,075 - X3

    25,139 -- 19,943 - GL class

    24,908 -- 23,518 - Q5

    24,310 -- 20,946 - GLK class

    15,385 -- 16,379 - A5

    14,381 -------- 0 - L. CT

    12,258 -- 13,608 - S class

    11,609 -- 16,450 - L. GX

    11,299 -- 12,253 - 7 series

    11,124 --- 8,675 - A6

    -9,568 -- 12,275 - L. LS

    -8,998 --- 7,976 - Q7

    -8,832 -- 13,132 - 1 series

    -6,561 --- 6,558 - A3

    -6,270 -------- 0 - A7

    -6,192 --- 6,257 - X6

    -5,700 --- 1,521 - A8

    -3,903 --- 2,418 - 6 series

    -3,746 --- 7,059 - L. GS

    -3,479 --- 3,804 - Z4

    -3,167 --- 3.983 - L. LX

    -2,864 -- 10,663 - L. HS

    -2,236 --- 1,531 - TT

    -1,145 ----- 799 - R8

    if anyone could redo the list by segments, that'd be great!

    I don't know all the models listed well enough to do it without research I don't have time/energy for

    THO

    imho the 5-series is Not the same segment as a Lexus ES

    ...etc...

    even if they are cross-shopped

    Edited by 2b2
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    The picture I posted above is the best photo I've seen of the new MKZ. One thing Lincoln could do quickly and cheaply to distance themselves from corresponding Fords is to create a unique color palette. And not just in name only. Every color on the MKZ is also available on the new Fusion. Lazy on Ford's part.

    412936_10151032864842982_460590467_o.jpg

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    They still make Lincolns?

    "...maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon..."

    cont6.jpg

    ...One thing Lincoln could do quickly and cheaply to distance themselves from corresponding Fords is to create a unique color palette...

    gc-smiley-sign-i-agree.gif

    still hoping to hear about a "Bespoke Program"

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    for some reason can't edit ^

    so

    ...One thing Lincoln could do quickly and cheaply to distance themselves from corresponding Fords is to create a unique color palette. And not just in name only. Every color on the MKZ is also available on the new Fusion. Lazy on Ford's part.

    I'm ashamed I forgot

    there IS a unique color for each the MKZ & Fusion

    MKZ gets the lovely Smoked Quartz

    while the Fusion gets Ice Storm (tho only on the Hybrid)-(which may or may not be the same as their old Ice Blue Metallic)

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    ^ oops, sorry, I didn't double check on the Z

    as for Smoked Quartz,

    I think it's one of those new paints that change greatly with its surrounds

    but basically a rich gray

    here's a recent video

    favorite frame:

    Zon101.jpg

    Edited by 2b2
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    Is it possible that my distaste up to now for the new MKZ is coming from a place more of misunderstanding?

    Because this video makes the car look unique, elegant, slab-sided and clean, yet with drama... traits of the few truly classic Lincolns we can name.

    Maybe my earlier taunts of "too technical and cold" were not correct, and a better phrase would be "utterly refined, modern, yet still an echo of past greatness".

    As GM fans, we like to point to 1959 as a watershed year for the "longer, lower, wider" look that has forever taken hold as the "correct" proportion for an automobile... yet, it seems, GM was behind the times with their '59 models, by at least one year, if not two, if you count the '57 Mopar products.

    Check out this period Ford video. The Lincoln is clearly longer, lower and wider, with brave, futuristic styling. Sorry I couldn't embed it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8HzUJh-MpY

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    ^ I really disliked the new Z until I saw an early video - either on a turntable or the camera orbiting around the car

    THEN it made sense

    tho

    I'm still withholding judgement until I see it in person

    &

    Kudos on keeping an open mind, ocnblu thumb.gif

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