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Ford already sells a Ford Fusion Hybrid and a Mercury Milan Hybrid, but according to the Detroit News, a Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is en route as well, giving Ford a hybrid model for each of its three brands. Too bad they’re all the same model. As Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics points out:
Ford’s ability to get hybrid powertrains from its suppliers is limited. Adding another model does not mean the company will be able to add sales.
So, besides the possibility of more profit, why go there? Well, given that a base Milan Hybrid ($32k) starts under a base FWD V6 MKZ ($34k) (Fusion Hybrid starts around $28k), the margins on the MKZ could well be eye-popping. And one Ford dealer is quoted as saying that recalls at Lexus open the possibility of Lincoln stealing luxury hybrid sales. But with Ford moving towards three-brand dealers, these hybrid triplets will only help expose Ford’s chrome-n-badge luxury brand strategy for the minor improvement over badge engineering that it is.
20 Comments on “Finally! Fusion Hybrid Available Soon As A Lincoln...”
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You know, Lexus does the same thing with its version of the Prius. I don’t see how what Ford is doing is any different.
So…it’s ok for Ford to do it as long as Toyota does it?
Ford’s “chrome-n-badge luxury brand” would have been far better off had they killed Lincoln and kept Volvo.
Then this move would make sense.
But the HS is bigger than the Prius, has a larger engine, and features not available on the Prius.
Finally! I’ve been wondering why they didn’t do this for some time. The Milan Hybrid is somewhat of a worthless model, but providing the MKZ’s styling, interior and features with the Fusion Hybrid powertrain is a winning strategy. I would definitely consider this car, depending on what the hybrid premium is.
I like the MKZ – it looks different enough from the Fusion so that it doesn’t look badge engineered. Drop in a Hybrid drive train and Ford gets a worthy competitor to the Lexus hybrid.
Am I imagining this, or is Ford taking hundreds of tiny baby steps? Making incremental changes to existing vehicles, which seems to be adding up to some class competitive cars over a few years, and then hitting the market with totally new and redesigned models (Fiesta, Focus, upcoming Explorer and Escape replacements, new engines, etc.) while their competition is stagnating (Chrysler and Toyota) or keeping to business as usual (GM and Honda)?
And Ford is the only company outside of Toyota to develop their own in-house hybrid system as well.
I was a die-hard Toyota brandwhore until we bought our Focus (90% of Corolla/Civic for 70% of the price) but I have slowly, over the past four years become a Ford booster. Almost everything that Ford has done since Bill Ford and later Alan Mulally took control seems to be working.
I think this move, the MKZ Hybrid, is just another shrewd, small cost maneuver that may pay off bigtime.
Z71_Silvy:
I was making the point that to state that Ford is doing something (badge engineering) which Toyota does is like, as the old saying goes, the pot calling the kettle black. If you don’t like one, it seems odd to leave out the other. Also, off topic, I am glad that Toyota and Ford did not require my tax dollars to continue to operate. I would rather have a Honda Fit anyway.
So let me understand.
Lexus can “chrome and badge,” the Land Cruiser, the Camry, the Highlander, the Avalon, and the Prius (well OK skin, chrome and badge). (I mean cripes the chrome and badge action on the Camry VS ES Lexus is equally as bad)
Nissan can “chrome and badge” the Altima and the 370Z.
THAT is OK when the Japanese do it (or dare I suggest that an Audi A3 is a chrome and badged Golf, or the Volvo C30 is a chrome and badged Mazda3 – OK I’ll stop now).
So basically its OK if the Japanese, or the Germans do it – but phooey on the Americans if they go the same economy of scale.
OK – I get it now, thanks.
Nissan can “chrome and badge” the Altima and the 370Z.
Name me the Infiniti model that’s based on the Altima, or one that shares a wheelbase with the 370Z, or anything else that would indicate a “chrome and badge” job.
I don’t know of any Infiniti based on the Altima, but the G37 is based heavily on the 370Z, isn’t it?
The 370Z and the G37 are based on the same general architecture, which is also used in the EX, FX, and M. It’s not quite badge engineering in the same way that GM does it with e.g. Epsilon II, where the cars will all share the same hard points.
There’s a big difference between platform sharing and badge engineering. I don’t think there’s much, if any, component interchangeability between the Mazda3 and any Volvo.
Lexus has some badge jobs, but also has some cars that are uniquely their own. I’m thinking that isn’t the case with Lincoln. That said, I’d seriously consider a Fusion Hybrid, but the dealers here tell me they are impossible to get.
outdoorplaces, I’m also sick to death of the hypocrisy when it comes to comparing the badge engineering (such as it is) of Ford to any of the Asian automakers.
Right now, with the last styling refresh f the Ford CD cars, the only thing the MKZ shares, in its exterior, with eh Fusion and Milan, are the doors, all the glass, and the roof. Front and rear clips, quarter panels included, are unique, and the interior is unique.
That said, this is the last iteration of this model that will share any exterior sheet metal. Next gen model is reported to be completely unique in it’s exterior.
Except that from a distance, the Milan and MKZ still look like Fusions to me. If I’ve got to look at the grill or tail lights to see a difference, then it’s badge engineering to me.
That isn’t the case with an A3 or C30. Or definitely a G37 (not even the same size as its platform mate).
I wonder if they will use the same engines in the Lincoln hybrids as they do in the Fords, or upsize them a bit.
A 3.0 V6 would do nicely in the MKZ and the 3.7 V6 from the Mustang would do even better in the MKS hybrid? Rumor has it the Mustang engine already runs on the Atkinson cycle while on the highway.
I am taking this as a hint that the Milan Hybrid is on its way to being cut.
Runfromcheney –
You may not be wrong. Once Ford completes the integration of Lincoln/Mercury and Ford dealers, there will no longer be a need for Mercury.
bts –
A small V6 like the 3.0 paired with the hybrid system wouldn’t be a bad idea for a Lincoln version, more power and a good reason to spend a bit extra for the Lincoln, and we know the 3.0 already fits into the engine bay of the MKZ. I wonder if it would be worth the cost to set it up for what will likely be a very low volume model though. I occasionally get some older folk who ask why they can’t get a hybrid with a V6, but most of them don’t really understand hybrids anyway, are poor hybrid candidates considering they drive maybe 5,000 miles a year, and are just asking about them because they keep seeing them on TV.
NullModo: Do most older folks where you work gravitate to the Taurus, as opposed to another model? Not counting the aforementioned hybrids. Also, are they surprised by the size of it? They are bigger than the 2006 and earlier models, but I have never had the opportunity to compare the two side by side.
I don’t think I’ve seen a FoMoCo hybrid of any name on the roads here in Minnesota. Now they are adding another one. Why? What does Ford sell, maybe 850 hybrids per year?
Jeez, have any of you ever driven this Lincoln MKZ? I did, involuntarily, as a rental a few weekends ago. Not my idea of a “luxury car” or even close. A stiff, un-supple ride, an interior with an abundance of hard plastic surfaces and uncomfortable seats. I just spent 4 days and about 600 miles in a Nissan Altima, and I would say that the seats and interior were about equal. The ride was definitely better, with acceptable, but not sporty handling.
I give the Ford points only for the quieter V-6 engine than the 2.5 liter 4 in the Altima, which drew more attention to itself when asked for power. But that doesn’t compensate for what I imagine is a $10K sticker price difference between the two.
I admit I have not driven the lesser Fusion or Milan, but I was shocked and disappointed at the MKZ and could not begin to imagine paying a premium for this car over its “lesser” cousins.