Lincoln News: Lincoln Sets A Goal Of 18% Increase In Sales

[William Maley]

William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

December 20, 2012

Ford Motor Company has set an ambitious sales goal for the Lincoln Motor Company in 2013. A source tells The Detroit News that at a recent dealer meeting, Ford announced an 18% rise in sales for next year would constitute a "good year".

For a brand that has experienced a 60% decline in sales during the past two decades, any growth would be considered good news. Some analysts believe that the 18% increase is not enough.

"An 18 percent increase from this point will probably be a modest increase, For them to show any kind of momentum, they need to have a 25 percent-plus year," said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry analysis at TrueCar.com.

Ford's executive vice president of global marketing, sales, service and Lincoln, Jim Farley has said Lincoln is not trying to be the volume leader in sales. Instead, Lincoln hopes to be the brand that introduces new and unique designs, color schemes and technologies.

The new Lincoln MKZ has just entered the market, and dealers are saying that preorders of the car are the highest they have seen since the Navigator in the late nineties.

Source: The Detroit News

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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[G. David Felt]

Missing the word Year in the "Ford announced an 18% rise in sales for next would constitute a "good year"."

Any gain for a line of product that is lack luster and clearly looks badged engineered would be good.

[Robert Hall]

An 18 percent increase over 5 or 10 years is probably more realistic.

[Drew Dowdell]

Lincoln has sold 74,766 as of November 2012 and if they're lucky will hit 80k sales for the year.

18% is only an increase of 14,447 cars. MKZ should be able to do that on its own. At least the goal is achievable.

[G. David Felt]

surprised they sold that many cars this year. I hardly ever see new Lincolns on the road here, plenty of 90's generation Town cars but rare to see anything new from them in the Seattle area.

[Drew Dowdell]

surprised they sold that many cars this year. I hardly ever see new Lincolns on the road here, plenty of 90's generation Town cars but rare to see anything new from them in the Seattle area.

To put it in perspective, Ford sells 68k F-series, E-Series, and Transit Connect in a month, more Mustangs than the entire Lincoln brand in an entire year.

[G. David Felt]

surprised they sold that many cars this year. I hardly ever see new Lincolns on the road here, plenty of 90's generation Town cars but rare to see anything new from them in the Seattle area.

To put it in perspective, Ford sells 68k F-series, E-Series, and Transit Connect in a month, more Mustangs than the entire Lincoln brand in an entire year.

WOW That tells me it is a pretty dead product line. I am surprised they have been able to recover the R&D cost for those cars.

[smk4565]

I don't see an 18% increase as possible, that new MKZ is ugly and their line up overall is terrible. If they get the Lincoln Escape on sale this year, and steal some sales off Ford, then maybe they get the 18% gain.

[ocnblu]

I think they'll do it. I think the MKZ will do well. It is a unique luxury product, distinctly American. I'll cheer them on for the MKZ and the upcoming MKC small crossover.

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't see an 18% increase as possible, that new MKZ is ugly and their line up overall is terrible. If they get the Lincoln Escape on sale this year, and steal some sales off Ford, then maybe they get the 18% gain.

If they can't get a 14k out of the new MKZ and MKC, then they should just pack it in.

[regfootball]

i was always LOL the months when we almost sold more suzukis then our lincoln dealer sold lincolns....

new MKZ is pretty nice, but the interior screams, 'uplevel fusion trim package' more than anything.

[balthazar]

I haven't followed the current Lincoln products much, but the TV ads are pretty nice. Of course, they need to back the upscale image there in the showroom.

Linc would've been well ahead of today had they put the MKR in production right off. That, and getting a palatable naming scheme going.

[G. David Felt]

The local Ford/Lincoln dealership by my house is still dated from the 60's, they have the lincolns on the same showroom as the fords. I do not see them getting people to really buy these cars as more than a glamorized Ford. They have totally lost their identity of a stand alone luxury auto.

[smk4565]

I think that new MKZ is ugly, it looks worse than the MKS that nobody buys. And even though they redesigned their car, the Fusion looks better and is cheaper, and you have a new Lexus ES and new 3-series on sale, the ATS and a new CTS coming, a new Mercedes C-class isn't far away, there are too many better options than the MKZ.

The NKZ got a little bigger too, so it might even steal sales off the aging MKS, and the Navigator is seriously outdated, so sales should keep sinking there, and the MKX has probably hit it's sales peak and will decline. Even if the MKZ goes up 15%, the rest of that lineup could drop 15%.

[ocnblu]

I wonder if the MKC will be shown in Detroit City.

[bobo]

_{I liked the MKR concept. The MKZ is quite nice in person. The new ad is nice. However, the brand has become irrelevant as Fords and all other entry-level brands have gone upmarket.}

[Drew Dowdell]

I wonder if the MKC will be shown in Detroit City.

yes, it will be

[Robert Hall]

I haven't seen the MKZ yet in person...looking forward to seeing one, I like the taillight treatment and other details..wondering where they are going to go w/ the next MKS..

[ehaase]

Lincoln won't develop a RWD flagship but I wish it would develop a large roomy sedan using the Flex wheelbase to replace the MKS.

[2b2]

Lincoln won't develop a RWD flagship but I wish it would develop a large roomy sedan using the Flex wheelbase to replace the MKS.

I'm trying my best to believe that the "large" sedan Mr. Mulally recently mentioned is the MKS's bigbrother (E386) to replace the MKT!!...

...imho eventually the MKS will be replaced with a new RWD Continental