Ford’s taking a page out of its own history (and Hyundai’s playbook), positioning the refreshed Ford Taurus’ talents against significantly more expensive competition. According to The Detroit News, “In one spot, the Taurus and the $67,000 Infiniti M45X have their radar systems challenged by an obstacle course and a pair of aggressive drivers. It is designed to show the [$26k starting] Taurus’ blind-spot detection system, which the Infiniti doesn’t have.” Passive construction aside, props to Bryce G. Hoffman for getting Infiniti to play the dozens with The Blue Oval Boyz. “We’re flattered that Ford would pick us,” Infiniti spokesman Kyle Bazemore to the DetN. “But features don’t tell the whole story. The M45X is a world-class luxury sedan. Our entry-level Infiniti G beat the Taurus in a head-to-head test by Edmunds.com.” ZING! Point – counterpoint on Lexus after the jump.
In another spot, a Taurus and a $69,000 Lexus LS trail behind a gravel truck spilling its load to test each car’s paint quality.
“Only one aspect of the car is being featured and we’re not sure what the basis of any claims would be,” said Deborah Senior, Lexus corporate marketing manager. “The LS and the Taurus tend to appeal to different audiences so it will be interesting to see how the message resonates with consumers.”
Interesting, as in what do you call your wife’s dress when it’s hideous? Probably. Meanwhile, despite the head-to-head comparison, Ford says it’s not about . . . head-to-head comparisons.
Ford said the ads are not designed to win customers from the foreign luxury brands.
“Our goal is not to position this car as a luxury product,” said Matt Vandyke, U.S. marketing communications director for Ford. “We have very different customers…. They’re not looking for a badge. But they are people who absolutely want advanced technology.”
Absolutely positively? I jest. While the idea of a Taurus as a budget Infiniti or Lexus may have legs, one wonders where that leaves Lincoln.
one wonders where that leaves Lincoln
Good question. Can Lincoln make a comeback?
I think that Ford buyers may like the idea that their vehicle has qualities shared with some of the world’s best.
I think that this strategy of comparison to cars in higher price categories may also be a subtle way for Ford to further distinguish itself in the domestically manufactured auto-space.
Clearly the strategy is: “Taurus shares qualities with Infiniti, ergo – is better than Malibu.”
OK! Ergo is an Infiniti-level word but, WTF?
Everything old is new again. In the 1970s Ford’s advertising for the Granada featured a whole lot of Granada vs. Mercedes match ups. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dht4E6yBwsE
The Granada sold very well.
Marketing fail! The Taurus should be going against the Avalon, the Impala, Buick sedans, and MAYBE Audi, not Lexus and Infiniti. The latter is Lincoln’s job.
Ford has a long history of comparing its cars to class leading luxury cars. In 1965, the Ford LTD was advertised as quieter than a Rolls Royce at 60 mph. And it was true. In the 70s, Ford pitched the Granada as a worthy alternative to a Mercedes at a much lower price. This comparison did not work out as well over the long run, but the Granada was (at least when new) a better class of compact than had come before it.
2 points. First, while I have not seen the ads, I dislike these “trick” comparisons that find some little feature that the expensive car doesn’t have, then compare the two. “Look, the Veyron lacks a keypad on the drivers door which we offer on a Taurus!” But an ad that compares some objective measurement that out-does an expensive competitor, would seem a reasonable selling point. I fear that these ads are more like the former than the latter.
Second, Good point on Lincoln. This has been a FoMoCo issue for decades. Ford has, in my view, been very successful in being able to offer some fairly expensive vehicles with a straight face. But Lincoln has been collateral damage, largely because it has been allowed to shrivel since the 70s. However, this is ultimately a product issue. If Ford can outdo Lexus or Infiniti or BMW on some performance criteria, then Lincoln needs to outdo Ford. They have to get away from the GM-style badge-engineering, and offer something that you cannot buy at the Ford Dealer.
I think that they are moving in a positive direction. Look at the Lincoln line that Mulally inherited (I am particularly thinking about the Zephyr/MKZ). Pure Fusion, and obviously so. There has at least been some effort put towards unique styling on Lincolns. Now there has to be some engineering work done too. I still think that the Town Car could be stripped to the frame and some genuine high end running gear and suspensions could make a worthy competitor to the big Lexus. Lexus is successful with modified Toyota in their middle and lower reaches, but they have a flagship that gives those lower models some luster. The current Lincolns could be reasonable sellers, but there needs to be a Flagship, and it needs to be good.
…one wonders where that leaves Lincoln.
I guess that the logic goes: “If Ford can put this much quality/luxury/technology into a Ford, how great must a Lincoln be?”
Tuscaloosa anyone? https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/better-living-through-technology-2010-taurus-edition/?cp=all#comments
The current Lincolns could be reasonable sellers, but there needs to be a Flagship, and it needs to be good.
I’m thinking a long-wheelbase MKS with EcoBoost standard.
“Marketing fail! The Taurus should be going against the Avalon, the Impala, Buick sedans, and MAYBE Audi, not Lexus and Infiniti. The latter is Lincoln’s job.”
Not an issue. The point of that kind of advertising is not to get people to buy a Ford instead of a luxury brand. The point is to get mass market buyers to think they are being oh-so-smart buying a Ford instead of an everyday mass market car like a Chevrolet. It appeals to both the bargain hunting and the pleasure seeking mindsets.
Lincoln has its problems, but the new Taurus ad campaign isn’t one of them.
BDB :
I’m thinking a long-wheelbase MKS with EcoBoost standard.
It’s not good enough for that, unfortunately. MKS is a good but flawed vehicle, and power and size won’t solve its problems and make it competitive with cars over $45,000.
A lot of brands without identity end up trying the “technology and gadgets” route. Acura pulled the same thing in the last few years.
Meanwhile, how many buyers are walking into the showroom because Lincoln’s ads say the MKS is a starship? (Actual word used in an MKS ad to describe it)
Justin–
In my dream world they’d build a RWD Panther replacement based on the Ford Interceptor concept, and make the Lincoln version the new Town Car (or MKTC for Mark Town Car, or MKF for Mark Flagship, or whatever alphabet soup they choose.).
But sadly I don’t think FoMoCo has the cash to do that right now.
Well, to be fair…this leaves Lincoln in the same place it has been for a long time…fighting to be taken seriously in the true luxury game.
Lincoln has been turned into a fancy trim level on a Ford…but the problem with that is even the blue-collar Fords have the same stuff that the Lincolns have.
Lincoln’s (laughable) flagship the MKS, is not worth anywhere near what Ford is charging for it…and the 2010 Taurus proves that. How can Ford offer the Taurus SHO for $38K (starting) and then, offer the same car with a Lincoln sticker on it, for $48K?
Ford cannot move up market like they are trying to do. Because when they do that, it makes Lincoln even more pointless than it already is.
Why would anyone buy a Lincoln, when they can buy the exact same car at their Ford dealer for much less $$$?
At least Ford will now have an excuse when their new “high end” Taurus does not break the 100,000 sales mark next year.
Justin Berkowitz
I usually love your remarks and thoughts.
But…
” MKS is a good but flawed vehicle, and power and size won’t solve its problems and make it competitive with cars over $45,000.”
I have no idea what you are referring to.
How is the MKS a flawed car?
Why can’t it be competitive with cars over 45K?
It IS the best from 38 to 50 K of any car.
Here it is, now you give me another car offering this UNDER the 45K I can pick today
http://cars.overstock.com/configurator.html?makeId=2247&modelId=1108&upfrontPricing=Y:
Adaptive headlights.
Heated AND cooled driver and passenger seats.
Dual/panoramic sunroof.
AWD.
Gigantic rear seating.
Enormous trunk (although hard to get anything past the opening).
Sync.
355 HP…on Regular gas.
One of the most, if not THE most, soft leather seats.
Quiet as a coffin.
Self/Assisted parking.
When I read things like this, I am stumped as to where it comes from.
And this is for Lincoln drivers.
We do not take the mountain roads at 75 mph.
Show me the car, any car, offering this.
I’ve worked on FoMoCo “luxury” brands like Lincoln in the areas of marketing and advertising.
Over the last 7 years or so, this approach of pitting Fords against the likely competitors for Lincoln has done much to render the Lincoln brand worthless.
In addition, as an advertising tactic, very few in the target audience believes these highly irrelevant claims when supported by bogus third party product evaluations anyway.
Most of the discussion above is about product, technology, features and lack of model differentiation. The real big long- lasting damage continues to be done because of a lack of brand focus at FoMoCo.
This problem reached its zenith during the PAG years. Not only was the Lincoln brand damaged by Ford’s overreaching products but brands like Volvo and even Land Rover also suffered.
Chevy is in the same boat: Selling Aveos to $100,000 Corvettes? WTF?
If these two brands are so strong that they can be all things to all buyers and their products support that positioning then why even go to the added effort and cost involved with supporting a luxury brand?
Everything old is new again. In the 1970s Ford’s advertising for the Granada featured a whole lot of Granada vs. Mercedes match ups. Check it out:….
The print ads for the Granada were very similar; the kids of the family called it their mother’s “Mercedes”…ugh. Remember the trim piece between the front and rear door? Every Grenada I have seen in the yard years ago had that piece missing, only on the driver’s side…
Lincoln is a ship running adrift without direction. Even if the cars themselves are well made and reliable, just what is a Lincoln? Right now, I consider Lincoln a trim upgrade on FMC products. Too bad; the MK VII LSC was a great start to the road to direction, as was the LS. They kinda pulled a GM here, abandoning their effort before it bore real fruit.
I have no idea what you are referring to.
How is the MKS a flawed car?
Because electronic gimmicks do not make the MKTaurus a legit luxury car.
The 3.7L engine is unrefined and not powerful enough to move that hulking mass, the interior is so-so…I found it to be a HUGE let down at the auto show, it’s looks are not polarizing at all…very bland, and the price…people are not going to pay that kind of money when they can have MUCH better cars for the same money. Ford ruined Lincoln…by coming out with ONE new product in 1999 and then NOTHING for SIX years years. And then once they did manage to cobble something together…it was the Zephyr…a rebadge of an already cheap Ford. The MKX is the same way.
Lincoln is a legit competitor to Buick…not Cadillac, Acura, Lexus, Mercedes, or BMW.
Lincoln is a ship running adrift without direction. Even if the cars themselves are well made and reliable, just what is a Lincoln? Right now, I consider Lincoln a trim upgrade on FMC products. Too bad; the MK VII LSC was a great start to the road to direction, as was the LS. They kinda pulled a GM here, abandoning their effort before it bore real fruit.
NAILED IT!
You are exactly…A Lincoln is a trim level on a Ford…only with a nonsensical name.
Ford needs to compare its warranty to the luxobrands. It needs to compare its buying experience. It needs to compare its shop experience. It needs to compare its free loaner experience.
Until then it remains low rent, with pretensions of grandeur for a single model surrounded by all the rest of its prol models.
Which means the Taurus is ridiculously overpriced, Batman utility belt toys notwithstanding.
Lincoln needs to be the Jaguar of Domestic luxury brands: comparable luxe, on-par-or-better performance, lower initial cost.
Especially now that Jaguar is no-longer a Ford product AND since both have similar resale value.
P71_CrownVic
I own one.
It is a low end luxury car.
..if 41K is low end.
And one that offers much more than anything close.
I asked for cars in that range, you offered none.
The 3.7 IS a nice engine and has plenty of power getting me around the Ozarks without any effort what so ever.
But the Ecoboost, as the Lincoln now has, blows the others away for the money.
45K.
Your Caddy nearest is the CTS, with road noise not acceptable to a Lincoln roader.
The TL is a nearest, I just cannot take the look!
And every other import you mentioned runs 15 grand more, easily.
That is my exact point.
Its the money.
Now make my day….give me the cars near it in cost.
Mu point is, you cannot.
the Lincoln MKS is flawed because it has such a short wheelbase for it’s length it’s ridiculous.
the Holden Caprice is an inch shorted than the MKS but the wheelbase is 6 inches longer. even the Mondeo has the same wheelbase as the MKS while being a full 14 inches shorter overall.
“Ford needs to compare its warranty to the luxobrands. It needs to compare its buying experience. It needs to compare its shop experience. It needs to compare its free loaner experience.”
No it doesn’t, because the point isn’t to try and take sales away from the luxury brands. The point is to try and take sales away from the likes of Chevy and Toyota. Comparing a Ford to an Infinity in advertising isn’t about trying to persuade anyone to buy a Ford instead of an Infinity. The point is to associate Ford in customer’s minds with luxury brands so that the person who buys a Ford will mentally sneer at the neighbor who bought a Chevy. Meanwhile, the Lexus/Infinity/Acura buyer sneers at the unwashed masses who put up with riding a bus while their lowly Taurus is in for service.
But the Ecoboost, as the Lincoln now has, blows the others away for the money.
45K.
Except for the Taurus SHO. Without the optional performance package, the SHO is basically an easy going big and fast executive sedan with all-season tires. The same as the MKS Ecoboost.
___
Does the SHO offer:
Adaptive headlights? Yes.
Heated AND cooled driver and passenger seats? Yes.
Dual/panoramic sunroof? Nope. SHO has a normal sunroof.
AWD? Yes.
Gigantic rear seating? Yes.
Enormous trunk? Yes.
Sync? Yes
355 HP…on Regular gas? Yes
One of the most, if not THE most, soft leather seats? Maybe. I’ve never been in either. The SHO has been reviewed as being a very comfortable car though.
Quiet as a coffin? Yes. (according to Edmund’s road tests the SHO and MKS have the same noise levels at idle, WOT and 70mph.)
Self/Assisted parking? SHO has a rear camera, BLIS, and rear parking sensors.
_______
Final price for a Lincoln MKS Ecoboost with the dual sunroof, park assist, adaptive cruise, and “Ultimate” seating: $53,930.
Final price for a Taurus SHO with navigation, the adaptive headlights, heated/cooled seats, multi-contour seats, rear camera, premium sound system, BLIS, adaptive cruise, and every other luxury feature : $44,480.
A nearly $9.5K price premium is a lot to pay for a bigger sunroof, a fancy parallel park system, and a badge.
@ John Horner,
You are correct AND…
…do the lowly Taurus drivers sneer @ the L/I/A and B/M/A crowd when their techno-vagen is in and they are being dropped off by a Caravan with a Roundel on the side?
This Subaru driver sure as hell does! ;-}
I agree that Lincoln needs to offer more car and more exclusivity to be a meaningful brand.
One of the big problems for all of the lower end offerings of the luxury and near luxury nameplates is that the top end trim lines of mass market nameplates like Camry, Accord, Fusion, etc. are getting to be very nice vehicles. All of the goodies which were once reserved for luxury cars have migrated down a class. This is part of why Saab and Volvo have no market left to themselves to speak of.
Now make my day….give me the cars near it in cost.
Somebody already beat me too it.
And the Egoboost MKTaurus STARTS at $48K…not $45.
I’m sorry, but only an utter fool would pay that kind of money for a flawed, rebadged Taurus.
Lincoln does not exude luxury…even Hyundai was able to get it right with the Genesis. It is a proper luxury car with a V8 under the hood (with the SAME mileage as a SHO/MKTaurus SHO with the 3.5 V6) and proper drive wheels.
The MKTaurus screams “designed by committee”, it has no soul, it does nothing special, the styling is bland, and for what it is, it is extremely overpriced.
And those other luxury cars are WORTH the coin…Lincoln is not.
The MKTaurus should follow the real Taurus’ pricing model. The Egoboost MKTaurus should start at $38K and end up around $45K.
If the consensus here is that the Taurus advertising strategy leaves Lincoln out in the cold, then what the heck does it do to Mercury? Talk about your neglected brands. At least GM even now still runs Saturn commercials (actually, now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve seen one in the last few weeks…). Really, is it so difficult to fork out a few bucks to get Jill Wagner back in a Mercury? Or if they don’t want to pay to bring her in, give away Mercuries as prizes on Wipeout.
Disclaimer: My grandmother was a big Mercury devotee, and bought our family a few of their Ford rebadges in the 80s. While even then there was little differentiation between the brands, I always remember thinking of the Mercury as being a little more decked out, with more options and a cushier feel (or maybe that was the velvet seats in the Grand Marquis). I don’t know why Ford doesn’t just drop the pretense of running three brands and go back down to one, with how little effort they’re putting in to the other two.
Oh, and great comments all around. Love the insights of the B&B.
Every Grenada I have seen in the yard years ago had that piece missing, only on the driver’s side…
My favorite Granada memory was going to the Ford dealer when I was a kid and seeing more than one brand new Granada with a ‘Granada’ badge on one fender and a ‘Monarch’ badge on the other.
My low opinion of the UAW started really early.
Mullholland :
August 1st, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I’ve worked on FoMoCo “luxury” brands like Lincoln in the areas of marketing and advertising.
When I first arrived, I thought the perky girly pushing Lincoln’s was walking very fast between all these deals of different models in the one ad, not trying to market a luxury brand or the best you can buy in any segment at the Ford dealer.
There was always a deal to be had in those ads. I felt that Lincoln was being marketed as if it was positioned in a similar position to Seat and Skoda in VW’s lineup, rather than being the Audi-wannabe. Sort smelt of desperate.
I personally didn’t see the point in any of the Lincolns at that point (2006-early 2009), particularly the Milan and Navigator before they all got renamed.
As my wife has veto power on car purchases (a situation probably shared by all Lincoln buyers), a cute chick with upstanding boobs is not going to sway the decision.
To be a proper Lincoln, it has to aspirational, high end, and so far beyond what you can buy from the main floor of the Ford dealership. None appear to be that way. And the naming scheme sucks. I can never remember the new names. MK-blah.
Andrew
As other posters have mentioned, Ford did this with the 1965 Galaxie LTD, when it trumpeted that it was “quieter than a Rolls Royce.” Which was the truth, and sold a fair number of LTDs.
It’s also still remembered today – how many other ad campaigns, and associated slogans, for domestic or imported cars from 1965, can posters recall immediately? It obviously worked (full-size Ford sales were also strongly up for 1965, and continued strong into 1966).
From the descriptions of the ads contained in the article, this new campaign has a similar angle, and will work, in my opinion. People may not expect a Ferrari to have a blind-spot detection system, but they do expect an Infiniti sedan to have one.
And people who buy a Taurus will be reassured that THEIR purchase has one. Considering that hard times – and the end of easy credit – are forcing a fair number of people to downsize their brand aspirations, pointing out that a new Ford isn’t quite the step down that people imagine is a good move.
The valid concern is the effect on Lincoln. Interestingly, Jim Wangers noted that, in the early 1960s, Pontiac had considered advertising that its full-size cars were “more luxurious and quieter” than a Rolls Royce (the dirty little secret about the Rolls at that time was that it wasn’t all that great a car, and was outdated in many respects).
Cadillac management hit the roof when it got wind of this plan – Cadillac was supposed to be the one taking on Rolls, not lowly Pontiac – and the campaign never got off the ground.
Ford hit upon the same idea, and since Lincoln was always weaker within the Ford Motor Corporation than Cadillac was within GM, ran with it.
It didn’t seem to have hurt Lincoln at the time – post-1960 Lincolns had a very distinctive look, were widely admired for their styling and workmanship, and were the official car of the White House. Lincoln had more of an identity at that time than it does today. I guess Lincoln will continue to be an also-ran both within Ford and within the industry as a whole.
The MKS isn’t all that bad. I had the chance to drive one for an extended period, and it rode no worse than say the previous gen E-Class (in fact the steering was a great deal better). Would I own one? Maybe, but then again I could give a damn about a badge.
And P71 it’s rather obvious that you’ve never owned anything remotely close to a luxury car, as none of them are worth “the coin”. Slightly used yes, but new ….. absolutely not. Justifying the purchase of something that depreciates to all hell because it’s worth “the coin” is amusing.
And what makes a vehicle a proper luxury car? Driven wheels and a V-8. Negatory…
Oh and this:
” Our entry-level Infiniti G beat the Taurus in a head-to-head test by Edmunds.com.”
Well duh! That comparison test was the equivalent of testing a 3 Series vs. an S550. In fact there was nothing wrong with the SHO per say. It simply didn’t handle/accelerate/stop better than the G, which was pretty much a given considering the dimensions.
ajla
and P71_CrownVic
First P71.
I had in my initial posting a link to the MKS w/Ecoboost…45K.
I bought mine new when listed at 45K, at 41.
Show me, again, any car that offers all of this for 45K
It doesn’t exist.
ajla
Good for you.
You named the Taurs.
And then proceeded to prove my point even more.
No panoramic sunroof.
You called hte Taurus sunroof “normal”, as if normal is better.
Well, the luxury seeking look at the panoramic as a special added feature…above normal.
No bridge of weir leather.
You don’t consider this a plus?
And you didn’t mention assisted parking, as if its nothing special.
Look, this is to easy.
The MKS is a s special car…for the money.
P71_CrownVic
“I’m sorry, but only an utter fool would pay that kind of money for a flawed, rebadged Taurus.”
Come on, lets keep this about cars.
This is a sentence offering nothing.
I own one and although admittedly not very bright, not a fool.
I also own a 2010 Mazda6, 2a 05 and 08 Mazda3.
I think I choose cars well.
And every day I drive the MKS, it makes me proud and reasured nothing beat the car at 41K.
@paulie:
If you absolutely have to have Scottish leather seats, a panoramic sunroof, and park assist on a big AWD twin-turbo sedan, then yes, the MKS is the only game in town right now. However, I question how many people fall into that category.
____________________
Lincoln prices the optional panoramic sunroof at $1695 and the park assist system at $535. So $2230 for those two features.
The MSRP difference between a SHO with all the luxury options and a MKS Ecoboost with the big sunroof, park assist, adaptive cruise, and “Ultimate” seating is $9450.
The only things the SHO doesn’t offer is the big sunroof, park assist, and Bridge of Weir leather seats.
That means Lincoln is charging $7220 ($9450 less $2230) for the nicer leather seats and the luxury car badge.
I personally wouldn’t be willing to make the jump and pay that premium. I don’t think many people shopping at Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealers will either.
The MKS is going to be a hard sell next to a comfortable and viable full-size Taurus that cost $7K-$10K less.
That is going to be the problem Ford faces with the Lincoln brand.
ajla
I am not sure, but it seems you are right.
They seem to be similar with the exception of available options.
But options are what does separate.
These are very major options.
IF the softest leather is important…as it is to luxury seekers.
What really separates the ES350 from the Camry?
Another exapmle of badge enginering, but not really damned on this sight.
I am also not really up on the tech differences of the 20010 Taurus vs the 2010 MKS.
There is, however, a major difference with the 2009 Taurus.
The MKS has a reallt different rear.
One final point…badge engineering is the only way to survive.
We should not bash what has made the Japanese brands so successful when the domestics do it.
I think the real problem is not Lincoln, its Mercury.
One final point…badge engineering is the only way to survive.
We should not bash what has made the Japanese brands so successful when the domestics do it.
Lexus is really the only Japanese luxury brand that I would consider a success. Acura is fast becoming a joke, and Infiniti might as well change its name to G37.
I would bet that a lot of Lexus’s profit comes from badge-engineering the Camry as the ES and the Highlander as the RX. However, I’d argue that their success comes from the LS. I don’t think that the Lexus brand could exist solely with badge-engineering. That seems to be what Ford is trying to do with Lincoln.
Lexus knows that it has to offer a unique dealership experience, unique products like the IS/GS, and a unique flagship like the LS to keep RX, GX, and ES shoppers from feeling like they are spending high sums of money on up-optioned Toyotas.
Lincoln needs to have some unique Lincoln-only products if it wants to be able to charge the kind of price premiums that Lexus and Audi can get away with on their badge-engineered vehicles.
What really separates the ES350 from the Camry?
Obviously the higher level of trim and the badge, but for some the longer warranty, loaner car availability and overall dealer experience makes the ES350 more attractive.
At least initially, Lexus and Infiniti were careful to dictate that their dealerships had to stand apart from Toyota and Nissan stores, even if the Toyota-Lexus and Nissan-Infiniti dealers in a community shared common ownership. In my experience, that also meant a different service department with concierge-level “service consultants” who simply took your keys and handed you another set to your loaner. I’ve been in private clubs that weren’t as nice as the waiting area at the Lexus dealer where we take my MIL’s car for service.
With Lincoln dealers, they’re always teamed with Mercury and very often teamed with Ford, as well. When you are selling vehicles above a certain price point the expectations of the salesperson’s product-specific knowledge and the service after the sale are much higher.
And that’s a key area where Lexus and Infiniti have succeeded (can’t speak for Acura due to my unfamiliarity with their dealers). The owner of one of these makes feels “special,” in a way that goes beyond the better leather and real wood trim.
Justin Berkowitz :
August 1st, 2009 at 12:26 pm
It’s not good enough for that, unfortunately. MKS is a good but flawed vehicle, and power and size won’t solve its problems and make it competitive with cars over $45,000.
Really? You think that in these times, no one is going to be swayed by a $50,000 MKS that is bigger, faster and (arguably) better looking than many of its rivals, and costs a lot less?
The market segment here is midsized luxury, and the players are the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5-series, and Lexus GS. For MKS money, you’re talking the base version of all these cars – small engines, no AWD, and no nav. Heck, BMW and Mercedes don’t even toss in leather seats for their base cars.
I drove an MKS, and I’ve driven all its competitors. Is the MKS 100% competitive with a BMW on a twisting road? No. But do 90% of car buyers care? Again, no. But they do care that a $50,000 BMW is a stripper, and the MKS comes with every option imaginable for basically the same price. I think that’ll speak to many buyers.
P71_CrownVic :
August 1st, 2009 at 11:25 pm The MKTaurus screams “designed by committee”, it has no soul, it does nothing special, the styling is bland, and for what it is, it is extremely overpriced.
So, let me see if I get this right…the MKS is bland, but you extol the virtues of a Hyundai Genesis, and your handle invokes a Crown Victoria?
You, sir, have an awfully funny idea of what “bland” is.
And, please…you’ve been asked to do this before, but please show me a car that, dollar for dollar, offers the same size, features, performance, and equipment as the MKS turbo for 50 large.
If you’re honest, and know the market, you’ll name one car: the Hyundai Genesis 4.2. I’ve driven it. Nice car, but talk about bland styling…and 45 large for a Hyundai?
Put differently: walk into a BMW dealership, tell them you want a midsize sedan for 50 large, and they’ll show you a 528i…with a 230-hp engine, no nav, no voice-activated toys, no heated seats, no AWD, no Ipod interface, and no premium stereo. You don’t even get leather seats at that price point with BMW.
You think the MKS is a poor value? Prove it.
BuzzDog is right. Cars are an emotional purchase for most people. People buying luxury goods want first and foremost to feel clearly above the commonplace ordinary people. A fancy showroom, hot and cold running fawning attention from attractive (male and/or female) employee-servants and the other trappings of a high end experience are all very important to making these people feel special.
This is but one of the many reasons Buick has such a hard time competing with Lexus. Buicks being sold in old fashioned dealerships along side Pontiacs and GMC trucks is exactly the wrong move if GM was trying to position Buick as a luxury or near-luxury brand.
Cadillac and Lincoln have this very same problem in many of their outlets. Our nearest Cadillac dealer is a Cadillac-Chevrolet store. Believe you me, the experience there is no better for the Cadillac buyer than it is for an Aveo buying schlub. Same sales people, same take a number service writers, same stale coffee.
BMW takes the whole luxury experience to another level with the I’m a real driver boys club shtick.
Luxury car buyers buy the car primarily because of what is say about them, and they want it to say they are special. I’m rather surprised that the high priced help at GM and Ford don’t seem to understand this. After all, these are people who themselves buy all manner of goodies with which to prove how rich and important they are.
BuzzDog :
August 2nd, 2009 at 5:03 pm
With Lincoln dealers, they’re always teamed with Mercury and very often teamed with Ford, as well. When you are selling vehicles above a certain price point the expectations of the salesperson’s product-specific knowledge and the service after the sale are much higher.
And that’s a key area where Lexus and Infiniti have succeeded (can’t speak for Acura due to my unfamiliarity with their dealers). The owner of one of these makes feels “special,” in a way that goes beyond the better leather and real wood trim.
Agreed 100%. I’ve car shopped pretty extensively, and I’ve found that most luxury car stores are a cut above in this respect, but Lincoln dealers aren’t in the same league, while Lexus and Infiniti are really a cut above. Caddy and Lincoln need to step it up when it comes to their dealers.
You, sir, have an awfully funny idea of what “bland” is.
I also didn’t over-pay for my Crown Vic.
And even the lowly Crown Vic has two things that make it much more desirable than a Taurus Rebadge…a V8 under the hood and RWD.
And, please…you’ve been asked to do this before, but please show me a car that, dollar for dollar, offers the same size, features, performance, and equipment as the MKS turbo for 50 large.
You think the MKS is a poor value? Prove it.
Ford already did with the Taurus. Different chairs, a parking gimmick, and a bigger moonroof do not make the Lincoln worth the extra 10 GRAND over the Taurus SHO.
The MKTaurus is not a very good car on the face of things…but when you factor in the outrageous price and the 2010 Taurus, it becomes clear that Ford just put the final nail in the MKTaurus’ coffin.
Here is a excerpt from the TTAC review of the Lincoln Taurus:
Lincoln aimed for a base hit here, and by God they got one. It’s too bad, because you can’t come back from three runs down by taking the safest route. Had Lincoln swung for the fences, we might well have seen a very different MKS: a signature car for reborn brand. But they didn’t, or couldn’t. At this point, my advice is to buy a fully-loaded Mercury Sable instead or buy something used with genuine upmarket cachet.
‘Lincoln’ used to mean something. And as Lincoln’s new, rebadged lineup proves, it means nothing now.
Back to comparing the Taurus to an Infiniti, geeber was spot-on with his recollection of Ford and Pontiac’s “quietness comparison” to Rolls-Royce in the 1960s. It’s not that they’re saying their car is as good as the more expensive one – in fact, 1965 Ford ads clearly stated that the buyer should not expect to get all the trappings of a (at the time) $16,655 Rolls-Royce…but it gives the buyer some bragging rights that an aspect of his vehicle is better than the so-called best of the best.
Similarly, when it was noted within General Motors that the 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air V8 was nice enough to be sold as a Cadillac, an executive (I think it may have been Ed Cole) said something along the lines of, “That’s what we were going for…creating an ‘austure mink.\'”
The nice thing about today’s vehicles is that even lower-priced ones have many of the same features as the higher-priced ones, or at least offer them as options. But the downside is that the luxury marques are mostly differentiated by more subtle (and often intangible) qualities, such as dealer experience and the brand’s prestige.
“And even the lowly Crown Vic has two things that make it much more desirable than a Taurus Rebadge…a V8 under the hood and RWD.”
You mean the same V-8 that is outclassed by most V-6 engines, and an ancient RWD platform that the MKS probably out handles? Just because something has a V-8 and is RWD does not in any shape or form mean that it is desirable. If the CV was such a great vehicle, it would still be available to retail customers.
“And even the lowly Crown Vic has two things that make it much more desirable than a Taurus Rebadge…a V8 under the hood and RWD.”
The vast majority of the mass market large sedan buying crowd either doesn’t care which end the drive wheels are on, or prefers front wheel drive.
Caddy screwed up when they first made the Seville into a blander FWD car in order to share a platform with Pontiac and Buick, then screwed it up even more by changing the name (STS!) and moving it to a RWD platform. In the 1990s the Seville and its platform mate the Eldorado dominated a good sized, highly profitable market niche. Caddy threw it away in search of more European-ness.
Everybody…
Lincoln is not the one with the real problem.
The MKS ends up around 8 to 10K more than the Taurus SHO.
That is enough, considering the extras listed above.
Regular, luxury.
Mercury is the one with the problem.
No one elsle has the two brands, with a 3rd thrown in.
Toyota, Lexus.
Nisson, Infinity.
Honda, Acura.
Ford, Mercury…and Lincoln.
Good, little better, best?????
That’s the problem!
The facilities points are dead on…..as I’ve driven in my mom’s 2000 Continental in for service numerous times…..all the area Lincoln dealers have had $0.00 invested in their physical plant in the past twenty years while the local Audi, Infiniti, Lexus, Merc., BMW dealers have modern showrooms. Though I like the service people at Lincoln dealerships….they’re the old-school guys that know their stuff and have been working w/Lincolns for decades.
it’s sad that within this thread you have the very points that should have been argued ad nauseum and resolved in some corner conference room in Dearborn circa 1999.
Given Ford’s other problems hopefully what to do with Lincoln is next on Mullally’s list. As an ex-Lexus driver maybe he can finally open some eyes in Dearborn on how Lincoln is lost.
I think we will slowly see Ford quietly let Mercury die.
They will not make noise about it, unless financial problems force its death publicly.
This year we saw the Sable exit.
Soon more.
FreedMike,
Point of order – a 528i with leather, heated seats, navigation, HD radio, wood trim, sunroof, prices out at $49,200. Plus, a sweet-singin’ I6, 6 speed manual and RWD are standard. The MK-whatever is not only not in the same league, it’s playing a different sport.