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Lincoln to become global luxury brand

Lincoln to become global luxury brand

Kenneth Hall January 31st, 2008 Kenneth Hall By Kenneth Hall Author January 31st, 2008
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December 31st, 1969 If America’s luxury brands want to be around in years to come they need to expand sales overseas and become more relevant in a global context. Cadillac has made it clear that it wants a big slice of the international market. It’s already launched several models in the Middle-East and Europe and next year the brand will be launched as far away as Australia. Ford’s Lincoln brand, on the other hand, is barely acknowledged in markets outside of North America but this may soon change according to recent comments from Ford boss Alan Mulally. Lincoln is already sold in the Middle-East but Mulally apparently wants the brand launched in Europe and Asia as well. During a recent interview with Auto Motor und Sport, a Ford official told reporters that Lincoln isn’t targeting top level luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW in Western Europe. Instead it sees itself moving into new markets like Eastern Europe, Russia and China, where most brands are still on a level playing field. One major problem for Lincoln is its lack of a RWD lineup. If Ford is serious about competing with Europe’s luxury brands it will need to add more RWD models in Lincoln’s lineup and perhaps even a diesel. Lincoln already revealed the RWD MKR concept at last year’s Detroit Auto Show and recently Ford’s group vice-president in charge of global product development, Derrick Kuzak, admitted there is a RWD Lincoln model in the works. Still, it will take several years before the Lincoln brand becomes a household name in countries outside of North America and tough competition from the established European marques as well as a new and improved Cadillac could make it take even longer.
Lincoln to become global luxury brand

Lincoln to become global luxury brand

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If America’s luxury brands want to be around in years to come they need to expand sales overseas and become more relevant in a global context. Cadillac has made it clear that it wants a big slice of the international market. It’s already launched several models in the Middle-East and Europe and next year the brand will be launched as far away as Australia. Ford’s Lincoln brand, on the other hand, is barely acknowledged in markets outside of North America but this may soon change according to recent comments from Ford boss Alan Mulally.

Lincoln is already sold in the Middle-East but Mulally apparently wants the brand launched in Europe and Asia as well. During a recent interview with Auto Motor und Sport, a Ford official told reporters that Lincoln isn’t targeting top level luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW in Western Europe. Instead it sees itself moving into new markets like Eastern Europe, Russia and China, where most brands are still on a level playing field.

One major problem for Lincoln is its lack of a RWD lineup. If Ford is serious about competing with Europe’s luxury brands it will need to add more RWD models in Lincoln’s lineup and perhaps even a diesel. Lincoln already revealed the RWD MKR concept at last year’s Detroit Auto Show and recently Ford’s group vice-president in charge of global product development, Derrick Kuzak, admitted there is a RWD Lincoln model in the works. Still, it will take several years before the Lincoln brand becomes a household name in countries outside of North America and tough competition from the established European marques as well as a new and improved Cadillac could make it take even longer.

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Comments (11 total)

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  1. By chris #1, Posted: 1/31/2008

    just friggen move them up market and start laying the beats on caddy here before you bother wasting your time anywhere else. If lincoln cant beat caddy here, then you're only going to embarrass yourself internationally. Mercury should be placed where lincoln is and lincoln should be going head to head with the ONLY american luxury brand right now.

  2. By Gus #2, Posted: 1/31/2008

    They're not going to get anywhere with the grille on that ugly concept...

  3. By chris #3, Posted: 1/31/2008

    gus; i agree... the new face of lincoln isnt exactly nice like the caddy look. it looks too throwback.. and i would have thought that ford learned their lesson with jag. The MKR was nice, but the MKS is the MKR drapped over the taurus... this concept MKT is just the MKR draped over the flex/freestyle/taurusX.

    Lincoln is going to have to step up to where jag is.... and more... to really do this.

  4. By SuperSkyline89 #4, Posted: 1/31/2008

    I agree, that grille is disgusting. I used to like Lincoln's back when they made the LS and the Navigator a few generations ago. But their new designs just aren't good looking. Chris is right, Cadillac is the only American luxury brand. If Lincoln can't even compete with Cadillac, how the hell do they expect to survive in countries that Mercedes, BMW, and Audi control.

  5. By big L #5, Posted: 1/31/2008

    what hapened to that great lincoln Continental design from about 4 yrs ago. I thought it was beautirul and even tho it re called the past, the vehicle still shouted luxury. And Linc was part of Premium auto Group at one time but it was taken out.

  6. By bambam #6, Posted: 1/31/2008

    Ok, its not perfect but they are moving in the right direction. It will be perfect and this is not for Europe yet. The over all package will be better then the Cadillac. it should sell more anyways.

  7. By NaBUru38 #7, Posted: 1/31/2008

    A6, S80, 9-5, 607, Thesis... they all have front-wheel drive, and the first two sell quite well (sad there aren't any European or Asian best-seller lists by category). Lincoln doesn't need rear-wheel drive either, I think.

  8. By Erik #8, Posted: 1/31/2008

    lincoln needs to change there design direction away from this look. I'd love to drive a lincoln, but with the navigator displaying such a ugly exterior, being so closely linked to the expedition (not that the expedition is a bad truck, its just not pretty enough to be a lincoln) and the rest of the lineup taking on this nasty front end and wrong lines, I'd rather buy an audi, bmw, or caddy. I want ford to excel so bad and they are only hurting themselves with cars like this.

  9. By Alan #9, Posted: 2/1/2008

    NaBUru38, i think they will need RWD to compete well with the European marque. A6 is also available in 4WD, and S80 actually sells in quite modest number compared to the leaders of the segement, namely 5-series and E-class.

    Personally i doubt lincoln's global push will be a success, the brand is not well known enough globally, not as well known and prestigious as Caddy.

  10. By Keith #10, Posted: 2/1/2008

    I to want them to succeed badly. I actually like the new styling alot. Few if any liked Caddies new style when the CTS first came out because it was so different. A year later and bam folks warmed up to it. Now people expect it from Caddy. AWD will do just fine if they can tune it for RWD feel. They are just going to have to go all out on interior fit and finish as well as driving dynamics. These are paramount. They vehicles will have to be better in every way than they are right now at this moment. If they introduce the MKR in RWD and MKT along with the MKS in the for mentioned AWD set up this would be a good start. Like I said before even though I haven't owned a Ford product of any kind in about 15 years I would love for them and Caddy to get back to being world challengers.

  11. By Joh #11, Posted: 7/15/2008

    Ford has a RWD platform in the form of the Australian FG Falcon (currently only sold in Australia and New Zealand) - they could easily use that as a basis for their Lincoln models...

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