Coming Soon To A Lincoln Dealer Near You: A Redesigned MKS And MKT

[William Maley]

Coming Soon To A Lincoln Dealer Near You: A Redesigned MKS And MKT

William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

June 10, 2011

With all the successes Ford has been having for the past year, you would think the successes would have extended over to their luxury brand, Lincoln. Not so, Lincoln sales have seen a 7.5% drop in sales so far in 2011. Only one Lincoln vehicle has seen success so far 2011; the MKZ has seen its sales increase by 23% due to the new MKZ hybrid. However, the drop in overall sales has caused Ford to accelerate plans for redesigned models.

Ford has moved up the timeline for the MKS and MKT redesigns to be ready by November. The reason for the shift in date is due to the poor sales of the two models. The MKS' sales are off 40% so far this year while the MKT is the slowest selling model in Lincoln's lineup; only 2,112 have sold through this month. The vehicles are expected to have a sleeker design and new technologies.

“Lincoln will give [customers] opportunities to tell a story about what is unique in their vehicle. You think of BMW as engaging to drive; you can think of Lexus as refined. Bring them together and it is a new experience no customer has ever had,” said Ford global product chief Derrick Kuzak.

Ford's plan to help Lincoln differentiate from Ford and other luxury manufacturers is to add more technology to their vehicles. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Lincoln will introduce a noise cancelling technology to make their vehicles quieter. Also on the table will be a upgraded version of MyLincolnTouch and Computer-adjustable steering and suspension system. Kuzak promises Lincoln will be more exclusive and different from their Ford counterparts; something the brand has been lacking since the nineties.

The question remains if Ford will spend the money on Lincoln to have different platforms and powertrains.

Source: Left Lane News

[Intrepidation]

How about some unique platforms? Lincoln should get its own platform ro use for its models so they aren't just reskinned Fords.

[daves87rs]

How about some unique platforms? Lincoln should get its own platform ro use for its models so they aren't just reskinned Fords.

+1

[smk4565]

Lincoln's problem isn't in styling or marketing, it is engineering. Fords for thousands less have the same mechanicals, and now most of the same luxury features, and some of the Fords look as good or better than the Lincolns. There really isn't much point to buy a Lincoln, unless you own a Lincoln and don't want to drive anything else. Why buy an overpriced Ford with old geezer brand image when there are 6-8 other luxury brands with better offerings.

The MKS and MKT are too large also. Most people don't need a 205 inch long sedan or SUV/Wagon/Hearse vehicle. I can pretty much guarantee that the redesigns won't sell either.

[ocnblu]

I disagree that the MKS and MKT (stupid alphanumerics lead to unending confusion) are too big. I think they are just styled wrong. The MKS is there for people who want a tinier Lincoln (and remember there is supposed to be a micro-Lincoln on the way too, instead of looking like an electric shaver in the front, it will closely resemble a nose hair trimmer).

One of Lincoln's troubles is, they have no consistent design heritage to cling to like BMW, Benz and Cadillac. They went for baroque in the 70's, and those cues just will not translate as well as Cadillac's fins and eggcrate grille, BMW's kidneys and kink, or Benz's ribbed tails and massive shield grille shape.

Like hyperV6 says way too often, "let's face it", Lincoln's design pinnacle was the 1961 Continental. Some of the cues from that car showed themselves in the first-gen MKX front, and the MKT's straight beltline with uptick. But so much of the rest of the MKT is wrong. That sloped rear end and high, narrow taillight band do not help. The band is a worthy Lincoln cue, but it should have had some more definition, maybe some sort of drop along the bottom line toward the outer ends or something.

Of course, the MKX and MKZ too closely resemble their Ford counterparts in profile and general shape. People are not blind, generally.

So the more unique Lincolns are blah and the clones belie a laziness that just will not cut it for a luxury brand.

Plus the powertrains are mostly identical to a Ford, something that has hobbled Lincoln, imo, for many decades.

What to do to fix Lincoln? I would have the designers study the '61 Continental, bring some of that beautiful, pure cleanliness, broad horizontals and chrome-capped, razor-sharp beltline into the future without copying it to the point that it becomes a New Beetle. And I'd stick them on a RWD/AWD platform out of Australia (if it can be brought up to true luxury status with NVH and ride quality). Then I'd design an engine family that starts with a basic Ford architecture, but adds displacement, horsepower, quietness and smoothness.

[PurdueGuy]

How about some unique platforms? Lincoln should get its own platform ro use for its models so they aren't just reskinned Fords.

I think platform sharing is fine if the platforms are good enough - drivetrain differentiation would be more valuable IMO. You can take a platform & put a more sophisticated suspension under it for the upper brand, etc.

[riviera74]

For some reason, Ford thinks that Lincoln can survive on Ford platforms and My Lincoln Touch as unique selling points. While I am impressed by that new tech, there is no reason under the sun as to why anyone would buy a Lincoln over a Cadillac or something else. If Chrysler can have a luxury-oriented RWD car in the USA, why can't Ford import that Australian Falcon as a Lincoln (or build it here)? If Ford is not careful, Lincoln will become a Ford clone of Acura's role in Honda, if that has not already happened.

Basically, Lincoln needs an identity. Will Ford allow it to build one?

[ZL-1]

I think platform sharing is fine if the platforms are good enough - drivetrain differentiation would be more valuable IMO. You can take a platform & put a more sophisticated suspension under it for the upper brand, etc.

Audi gained a lot of recognition for some 20 or 30 years while doing exactly that (in most cases even less than that, merely replicating VW's mechanicals). Lincoln needs consistency more than anything, and also to find a sweet spot in the market. I'd say somewhere between Buick and Cadillac, but closer to Cadillac in pricing.

[smk4565]

The problem list is really long. Brand identity is one, inconsistency of styling themes every 10 years is another. Platforms, marketing, bodies, size, pricing, you can pretty much name it and Lincoln does it wrong. I can't think of anything that Lincoln does better than the luxury car field, aside from the MKZ hybrid's gas mileage. There is nothing they excel in that brings in new buyers, or retains their old ones.

To me the main problem is Lincoln is basically a Ford trim level, why pay $10-15k more for the Lincoln when the equal Ford basically has all the same stuff. The engineering behind the product is the main problem, restyling the current product is putting lipstick on a pig.

The only way to save Lincoln is with amazing new product. They really need their own RWD chassis, maybe a second shared with the Mustang, and Ecoboost hybrids that are 300+ hp and 40 mpg good, and body panels that aren't off a Ford. They need smaller products too, small cars are the hot segment now, and Lincoln has nothing.

[cire]

I think platform sharing is fine if the platforms are good enough - drivetrain differentiation would be more valuable IMO. You can take a platform & put a more sophisticated suspension under it for the upper brand, etc.

Audi gained a lot of recognition for some 20 or 30 years while doing exactly that (in most cases even less than that, merely replicating VW's mechanicals). Lincoln needs consistency more than anything, and also to find a sweet spot in the market. I'd say somewhere between Buick and Cadillac, but closer to Cadillac in pricing.

I agree. Lincoln needs to take Buick's product strategy and advance it one level higher. FoMoCo doesn't have the money at the moment to create a brand specific RWD architecture for Lincoln. It will have to upgrade and modify existing corporate platforms to transform Lincoln. If done correctly, I think FoMoCo can transform Lincoln into a relevant premium brand by giving it it's own unique niche in the luxury segment. The resulting vehicles would need to be drop-dead gorgeous, extremely luxurious, and filled with the most technologically advanced powertrains and features that FoMoCo possesses. The exterior/interior designs would need to be completely unique to Lincoln and share absolutely nothing with their Ford brand platform mates. Nothing that the customer sees, touches, or interacts with should remotely hint or suggest that the customer is driving a Ford brand product.

The current MKS sedan isn't ugly or repulsive, but I think it does fail to stand out and it just doesn't quite have the goods or looks to play the role as Lincoln's flagship sedan. To me, the overall shape is just a little too Asian in appearance and sort of blends too well into the automotive landscape. I'm not sure if tweaking the design would help it stand out more. Giving it more extroverted design cues might actually hurt more than help. Look what Acura did with the current RL. The current RL was certainly a bland and very nondescript design when it was initially released. Acura tried to give it more "character" when it restyled it with more "interesting" front/rear treatments, but those styling upgrades failed to gel well with the rest of the design.

The current MKT is a mess to me. It is simply awkward looking. To me, FoMoCo would need to get rid of the side window kink and hunchback rear to make it even remotely appealing. The rear simply needs to be extensively reshaped to take on a more traditional SUV shape (and yes, I know it's not an actual SUV). The rear side window shape gets smaller while the sheetmetal area gets larger and more bottom heavy in the back; I think this throws off the entire exterior appearance of the vehicle.

It looks like FoMoCo is dedicated and committed to repairing and transforming Lincoln. It will be interesting to see what becomes of it.

[smk4565]

Can't save Lincoln by doing their current strategy executed better. Taking the MKS and making it more gorgeous or changing the interior doesn't solve the obesity problem it has, or the nose heavy problem. Regardless of what they do to the MKZ and MKS on those platforms, the car won't be as good as a European car. The absolute best Lincoln can hope for is to build a better Acura. And Acura is in the dump also.

Unless, they leverage the Ford Falcon and Mustang platforms and basically re-invent themselves. To fix Lincoln you need to blow it up and start over, at a cost of billions of dollars. That is a big gamble, which I don't see Ford making.

[regfootball]

actually the MKX and MKT are very nice machines. as far as the MKT whenever i go visit the sister ship they will usually have an MKt on the floor that is simply drop dead stunning.

the price is just wayyyyyy too high for a family hauler (that isn't much different than a Flex or Explorer). So when you look at 50-60k, you're either gonna go German or prob go larger.

One day when i was driving around a more posh part of town, i actually saw 3 MKt's on the same day. I tend to think the MKt is simply not marketed much either.

Now if you are looking for a slightly used program car at some point maybe the MKt will be sold off that way. Get a great deal on a cool ride. In the meantime it is also the starting point for Ford to introduce and amortize some of its new tech like park assist and ecoboost....so they can eventually show up on the cheaper stuff.

one other trend i notice is third row vehicles, i think are cooling a bit in terms of demand. Useful, but they make the vehicle large and thirsty and I think some folks are hitting a ceiling on large and thirsty.

The MKs needs an image of its own and a personality. IMO it needs a new interior, it also needs some styling cues that make it stand out. They can still ride that car out for 3 more years if they really make it better. They need to back off on the Taurus a bit in how well that is equipped too.

The MKz is the dud IMO.

Long term they should reduce the sedan count......at least make a car that is in the 3 series / ATS class with RWD platform and then also an MKs sized sedan with RWD bias. Lincoln needs an image car like a couple or convertible. The MKs can live on and the MKt if it can survive may be nice but i dont know if it will. A smaller crossover will probably be a need. I hedge on whether a third sedan is a need.

[Croc]

The lack of differentiation between Lincoln and Ford hurts Lincoln, and the styling of the Lincolns is frankly cheap-looking for a "luxury" brand even though the actual product has not had much of a resemblance to anything "luxury" in a good 10-15 years.

[ZL-1]

Can't save Lincoln by doing their current strategy executed better. Taking the MKS and making it more gorgeous or changing the interior doesn't solve the obesity problem it has, or the nose heavy problem. Regardless of what they do to the MKZ and MKS on those platforms, the car won't be as good as a European car. The absolute best Lincoln can hope for is to build a better Acura. And Acura is in the dump also.

Unless, they leverage the Ford Falcon and Mustang platforms and basically re-invent themselves. To fix Lincoln you need to blow it up and start over, at a cost of billions of dollars. That is a big gamble, which I don't see Ford making.

VAG was able to do it with Audi, so why can't Ford do it with Lincoln? Or, rephrasing the question, why is Ford management so incompetent in your opinion?

Edited August 28, 2011 by ZL-1

[smk4565]

Can't save Lincoln by doing their current strategy executed better. Taking the MKS and making it more gorgeous or changing the interior doesn't solve the obesity problem it has, or the nose heavy problem. Regardless of what they do to the MKZ and MKS on those platforms, the car won't be as good as a European car. The absolute best Lincoln can hope for is to build a better Acura. And Acura is in the dump also.

Unless, they leverage the Ford Falcon and Mustang platforms and basically re-invent themselves. To fix Lincoln you need to blow it up and start over, at a cost of billions of dollars. That is a big gamble, which I don't see Ford making.

VAG was able to do it with Audi, so why can't Ford do it with Lincoln? Or, rephrasing the question, why is Ford management so incompetent in your opinion?

Audi has a global market, and most of their global sales are at the lower end of the luxury market, on smaller cars. In the USA, Audi isn't having a ton of success, but they do alright. Lincoln doesn't have a chance internationally, so they have to make it in the USA. An E-class outsells an Audi A6 nearly 10 to 1, so Audi's plan isn't working in that regard.

Audi does have good interiors across the board, this is something they do well, and their cars get fairly good mileage compared to other luxury brands, and they did a good job marketing Quattro. Audi also has had a ton of racing success at Le Mans, and VW owns Lamborghini and Bentley, so they can do an Audi R8 based off a Gallardo, or a put a Lambo V10 in an A8 sedan.

Ford doesn't understand global luxury (see Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin) first off. Secondly, they don't have other brands or racing pedigree for Lincoln. At best Lincoln can work on interiors and fuel economy, but I don't see that as being enough. When you have 270 hp, 34 mpg family sedans for $25,000, why spend $40k on a slower, thirstier Lincoln. Plus the technology and features on family compact sedans is catching up with the entry lux sedans.

[balthazar]

>>" An E-class outsells an Audi A6 nearly 10 to 1, so Audi's plan isn't working in that regard."<<

Missed here is any given market segment has a finite volume range. Audi is not going to match mercedeees volume without quantity disappearing elsewhere to a large degree- the market just DOESN'T work that way.

In other words, in your view, if everyone playing in the low-end lux segment was building coin-toss competitive models, not everyone's volume is going to jump to the e-class's.

This is BESIDES the very real fact that not every consumer WANTS a mass-produced car like the e-class; some prefer a different combination of features & attributes with some exclusivity... hence the A6 being at the level it is.

The lux segment is not about lowest common denominator, thusly is isn't and shouldn't be about 'he who moves the mostest is the bestest'. You yourself have used the very same analogy with 'camry' substituted in. It's not a relevant metric.

[smk4565]

>>" An E-class outsells an Audi A6 nearly 10 to 1, so Audi's plan isn't working in that regard."<<

Missed here is any given market segment has a finite volume range. Audi is not going to match mercedeees volume without quantity disappearing elsewhere to a large degree- the market just DOESN'T work that way.

In other words, in your view, if everyone playing in the low-end lux segment was building coin-toss competitive models, not everyone's volume is going to jump to the e-class's.

This is BESIDES the very real fact that not every consumer WANTS a mass-produced car like the e-class; some prefer a different combination of features & attributes with some exclusivity... hence the A6 being at the level it is.

The lux segment is not about lowest common denominator, thusly is isn't and shouldn't be about 'he who moves the mostest is the bestest'. You yourself have used the very same analogy with 'camry' substituted in. It's not a relevant metric.

I would agree that being #1 in sales doesn't make a car the best one in the segment, especially in segments with fleet sales. But the E-class and 5-series are about tied for tops in that segment. I like the Jaguar XF, but it is V8 only, so that limits it on buyers.

My main point was to refute the claim that Audi turned around, why can't Lincoln do the same. The A6, A8 and Q7 are all in the back of the class in sales, even the A4 sales at about the same rate as the Lincoln MKZ. Audi does a few things well, but they aren't exactly the model of luxury success for the USA. Globally, with A3's and 4-cylinder A6's and diesels they do well because they have fuel efficiency and lower price point than a Mercedes.

I don't see Lincoln being successful by improving the sheet metal and interiors of the MKS and MKZ. A $40,000 Fusion is still a hard sell.