After several failed tries, Ford Motor Co. vows that this time, its revival of the ailing Lincoln brand will succeed.
Lincoln, whose sales zenith exceeded 231,000 cars in 1990, is at the bottom of the luxury brands today, with U.S. sales of 57,800 through August.
Dearborn-based Ford has a lot riding on Lincoln's recovery — and not just its $1 billion commitment to the effort. Successful global automakers need a luxury brand for buyers to move up to, or risk losing a high-margin sale to the competition. Think Toyota and Lexus; Chevrolet and Cadillac; Honda and Acura.
Ford executives say the distractions are gone now — namely the Mercury, Volvo, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover and Mazda brands, which were part of the Ford family but have been jettisoned in recent years. Only mainstream Ford and premium Lincoln are left to vie for the automaker's resources and management attention.
Ford lured designer Max Wolff from Cadillac, giving him a design studio separate from Ford brand projects. A team of about 120 designers, engineers and marketing personnel are dedicated to reimagining Lincoln.
They'll roll out seven new Lincolns by 2014 to try to stake a bigger claim in the luxury market. In addition to updating the MKS, MKZ, MKX, MKT and Navigator, Lincoln will add a compact car.
Derrick Kuzak, head of product development, insists the new Lincolns won't be rebadged Fords. While they may share underpinnings, he said, the similarities end there.
New Lincolns, for example, will include fully retractable glass roofs and push-button electronic gear selectors, freeing space in the center console."If it looks different than a Ford, customers might be willing to pay more for it," said analyst Dave Sullivan of research and forecasting firm AutoPacific Inc. in Ann Arbor.
"Lincoln cannot survive as a Ford trim level. That won't cut it anymore."
Goal is a unique experience
Lincoln's success as a premium brand in the United States will be measured by how it competes against Cadillac and Lexus, Kuzak said in an overview of future plans for Lincoln.
"We need to reposition Lincoln," he said.
The Dearborn automaker wants its cars and crossovers to provide a unique driving experience — the responsiveness of a BMW and the comfort of a Lexus, Kuzak said.
Sullivan said the strategy could work: Aim for BMW handling and make up for any shortcomings with an affordable, fuel-efficient and technologically advanced vehicle with a more luxurious interior.
Rebecca Lindland, analyst with IHS Automotive Inc. in Greenwich, Conn., has seen some of the new designs.
"I was really impressed, far more than I expected to be," she said.
"People might be underestimating what we have planned for Lincoln," said J Mays, the automaker's head of design and chief creative officer.
"Lincoln is going to shoot up quite a lot higher than it is today."
That is necessary, Sullivan said, because in its current form, "I don't know anybody who aspires to get a Lincoln."
Ford has asked buyers and dealers to accept on faith that the new Lincolns are coming. But time is of the essence.
Auto shows have come and gone in recent years with no new Lincoln offerings. Finally, a revamped MKS will be unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show in November and a concept of the next-generation MKZ will be unwrapped at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
While work continues behind the scenes at Lincoln, its competition is charging ahead. GM has been overhauling Cadillac and revitalizing its Buick lineup; traditional German luxury brands show no signs of losing ground.
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