For whatever reason (to please Hannibal Lecter fans?), Ford's product planners have decided to produce an upmarket version of the new Flex. Ford spokesman Mark Schirmer told the Detroit News that Ford "is actively pursuing a luxury crossover for Lincoln." By offering a new vehicle based on the so-not-a-minivan Flex, plus discontinuing the Mark LT pickup, The Blue Oval Boyz hope to "refocus the Lincoln brand and make it a serious contender again in the luxury space." The MOU812 is based on the whale baleen-snouted Lincoln MKT concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. It's now due to hit the streets in 2009, bolstering sales and destroying what little brand equity Lincoln may have left. Oh, and no word on a Mercury variant, despite FoMoCo's promises not to leave Jill Wagner high and dry.
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Actually, this could be a step in the right direction for Lincoln. Done right, with a top notch interior, a “Lear jet for the road” Lincoln could be the perfect addition to the lineup. Asn assuming it looks nothing like the Flex, what’s the problem? Oh, price is the problem – a loaded Flex will cost over $40k, so expect the MKT to be low $40s to low $50s!!
dwford:
And assuming it looks nothing like the Flex, what’s the problem?
First, how can we assume it will look nothing like the Flex? Same basic architecture; there’s only so much you can do with [horrific] noses and taillight treatments.
Second, Lincoln needs distinctive product, preferably a bespoke sedan. By turning their backs on loyal Town Car and LS buyers, Lincoln left their base in pursuit of what? Sales.
Third, don’t be fooled by Lincoln’s growing sales. They’re simply replacing Mercury, feasting on Mercury’s carcass, taking the Lincoln brand downmarket. Why? Doesn’t anyone at Ford have the balls to carve a place for an American luxury car (yes car) at the top of the market?
Death or glory!
If it looks anything like the MKT concept not even Hertz will take it.
This is actually kind of an intelligent and logic way for them to go.
What they are doing is re-inventing the american land-yacht. It’s not that the idea of a Town Car is obsolete, it’s the ancient architecture. this is the new way of doing things. It fills a need more than replace a particular model or even segment. It stands for an idea more than anything, and it actually might work. I am not american, but is it anything that american cars represents, its wallowing land yachts. From the 50’s to the 70’s, and some modern SUVs after that. And I want one.
The problem is that SUVs are truck-based. I have NEVER recognized the Escalade as a “real” Cadillac, in the same sense that the Saab 9-7X is just a Chevy TrailBlazer with the ignition key between the seats. And both the Town Car and DTS are old. Old money, old people, old platforms.
I think this could work. This is the 70’s Mark V re-invented.
They are still trying to compete with Lexus, Infinity, Acura, BMW, and Mercedes. I don’t see where this makes a lot of sense in their line up.
Robert is right – they need a good sedan (and coupe variant) to be competitive.
I still remember the old Mark x coupes from childhood and my teenage years. A nice larger luxury sedan with a kick-ass V8 in it powering the rear wheels. They may not have been the best built cars, but they had a stigma attached to them that nothing in their current line up has.
Ingvar: I think this could work. This is the 70’s Mark V re-invented.
Wrong.
(Sorry, you touched a nerve because I’ve driven Mark V’s, and no way a Volvo Wagon can do what the Mark V did.)
The Mark V was the epitome of what was “right” with the American car, with an evolution of styling elements from the 1930s and the requisite Lincoln styling cues. Not to mention it dwarfed its downsized competition, sold well over 200,000 units in three years, and had a 7.5L V8 underhood.
The MKT is cramming a confused Crossover down the throats of desperate Lincoln-Mercury dealers. They need a new Town Car, not this. Granted Ford’s broke and they are doing anything they can with the lame D3 platform to make it stick, but this is the wrong move for the Lincoln brand. Its a short term solution: Lincoln needs REAL product, not reskinned CUVs.
RF: Third, don’t be fooled by Lincoln’s growing sales. They’re simply replacing Mercury, feasting on Mercury’s carcass, taking the Lincoln brand downmarket. Why? Doesn’t anyone at Ford have the balls to carve a place for an American luxury car (yes car) at the top of the market?
Amen. But Lincoln dealers (and the brand) have no choice but to make Lemonade with Lemons.
Sajeev Mehta: “Wrong.”
Well, think outside (the 3-box) box.
What will the Town Car of tomorrow look like? There have been several land-yacht inspired vechicles the last couple of years:
The Ford F-250 Super Chief:
http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/top-2006-Ford-F-250-Super-Chief.htm
There’s the Audi Q7 V12 TDi Concept. And there’s a Mercedes GL-based and yacht-inspired one-off I can’t remember the name of, that has been presented recently.
And there’s the old Chrysler Pacifica and Mercedes R.
The point is, I think they are on to something here. It’s all about timing. Just because there hasn’t been a “hit” doesn’t mean the idea isn’t right. It has just not been executed in a perfect way. Some ideas just takes longer to be accepted by the general public. It took ten years from the first concepts of MPV:s until Chrysler and Renault succeded with thier cars, the ideas had been floundering at many companies for years.
Aside from the Super Chief concept (more of a Navigator) the CUVs you mentioned are niche players (or duds like the Chrysler/Mercedes) in a brand with strong sedan offerings. Sedans that are true to their brand.
Lincoln can (foolishly?) try to make a “hit” like all the others after they get the basics down: they need a 3-box sedan that’s RWD and with a V8. For a new generation of Limos, luxurious rentals, and pimp-worthy cruisers. Restored brand equity will follow. Everything else is a Hail Mary, or a waste of resources.
For all the crap we give Cadillac for going downmarket, at least they have a sedan (CTS) that’s strong enough to rise the tide for all Caddies.
So Subaru got the whale’s vagina and Lincoln got the face?
Lincolns weren’t always rebadged Fords with waterfall grills. They used to have their own styles on the same chassis. Seeing that the MKT concept looks nothing like the Flex, there is reason to hope.
I don’t say that you are wrong, but this ideas is not wrong either.
There are many examples through car history, when a maker has re-invented the whole brand through one daring concept that changed the perception.
For example the Audi Quattro, that single-handedly changed Audi to what it is today.
Or Peugept 205. The idea of a racy Peugeot was quite daring, when that brand was bought by the conservative european bourgoise, not unlike the cachet that Buick had once upon a time. That move brought Peugeot a completely whole new set of buyers, as nobody before hade recognized Peugeot as “hip” or daring. The 205 was for many years the hottest small car in Europe.
Or for that matter, the Continental of 1961. In that year, Lincoln only had one model to offer. Lincoln was effectively a one model brand. Their whole existence depended on the success of that singular model.
What would Chrysler be without the Voyager/Grand Caravan? What would Mazda be without the Miata?
The point is, Lincoln as a brand is in such a bad shape that it really doesn’t matter what they do. They could scrap all their cars and re-invent not only the brand but the concept itself of what american luxury should be. Instead of aping Lexus and being a me-too player in the world of Benzes and Bimmers, they could shift the entire perception to their field, and make something that no one ells will offer. And after that, “Restored brand equity will follow.”
Ingvar:
Instead of aping Lexus and being a me-too player in the world of Benzes and Bimmers, they could shift the entire perception to their field, and make something that no one ells will offer. And after that, “Restored brand equity will follow.”
Like… the Renault Avantine?
dwford :
Lincolns weren’t always rebadged Fords with waterfall grills. They used to have their own styles on the same chassis. Seeing that the MKT concept looks nothing like the Flex, there is reason to hope.
Yeah, but that’s what the concept looks like. No telling what they’ll do to the production model.
The MKT will look nothing like the Flex. It will be as similar as the MKS is to the Taurus (ie – nothing like it).
I don’t know if I agree with this move, but it is an interesting one. Theoretically, they’ve done all the platform and powertrain work with the MKS – so the cost and risk is fairly low for an automobile that might change perceptions about Lincoln (I imagine it will push the price barrier for Lincoln upward – which it needs to do)… but that said, I just don’t see a need for this vehicle. The SRX, Q7 and other similar vehicles have not been huge successes so far. It could be. It’s different enough to spark interest, but I just don’t know…
A RWD large sedan is coming and there are rumors about a RWD coupe or coupe-sedan. And Lincoln is considering a Focus-sized sedan ala 3-series, IS, A4, C-class as well. But both those platforms are still a couple years away.
Robert Farago: “Like… the Renault Avantine?”
Uh, that was a cheap shot…
As I said, the idea is not fundamentally wrong, it’s all in the timing and execution.
But yes, the history is full of also-rans…
Come on, guys. Give me some slack. I’m just thinking loud here. It’s time to put some fresh ideas on the table. And, as Winston Churchil would have put it, Lincoln is a modest brand with much to be modest about. Turning Lincoln upside-down could actually be a good idea.
Hannibal Lector, indeed.
Sorry, Ingvar, but no one can go along with your line of logic after seeing that picture. Now please excuse me, I have to clean the puke off of my keyboard, and monitor, and desk…
Ingvar: I will admit its not a bad idea, but we’re also talkin’ about precedent here. This idea isn’t a revolution, far from an Audi Quattro or ’61 Conti.
More often than not, big CUVs do not sell well. And they are hardly a good foundation for a hypothetical brand revolution: every popular luxury automaker’s sedan rules the roost, because luxury buyers are more traditional. More to the point, the MKT (and maybe even the MKS) look light on gaining traction in this market.
Lincoln needs to produce the cars that they are traditionally known for with the styling that made Lincoln distinctive in the 1960s with modern dynamics, amenities and quality.
Lincoln has had numerous stunning concepts years ago and they decide to rebadge the FLEX?
Give Lincoln a suicide-doored, V8, RWD luxury sedan with real American and Lincoln styling presence, that would be a much better move.
Also bring back the real names.
Talk about a face only a mother could love. This thing is BUTT UGLY !!!!!!!! Another lot queen Ford won’t be able to sell. Or maybe Ford is tring to invent a market segment with a vehicle that no one will want like Chrysler did with the Pacifica (and no one wanted it). Will GM follow suit with something for Caddy that will be just as big a flop as this proposed Lincoln????? Just a thought!!!!!!!!
And i saw in the article where Ford discontinued the Mark LT Truck. Another example of a vehicle invented for a market segment that didn’t exist and no one wanted it. And it was way over priced….it was NOTHING but a gussied up F-150 after all !!!!!
P.S: How could this Lincoln crossover not be ugly??????? It’s based on the UGLY as can be Flex (another vehicle Ford won’t be able to sell) without buyer bribes (oops, sorry rebates!!!). It must be easier to combine letters for a vehicle “name” than to actually come up with something new and unique !!!!!!!!
I’ve seen pictures of this car, and I thought it was a sedan. Must’ve been the angle. So this the MKX are replacing the Navigator and Aviator, respectively? Don’t really see anything wrong with that. The MKS will fill the place of the old Continental, but I agree with others that the replacement of the Town Car is huge for Lincoln.