Posts Tagged ‘lincoln’
Detroit Three help push April sales results.
by Michael Strong on May.01, 2013
Ford's April sales were up 18% with Escape sales rising 52% this month compared with last April.
The Detroit Three automakers posted sales increases for the month of April with a mix of full-size pickup trucks and new products, such as the Lincoln MKZ and Jeep Grand Cherokee, helping to lead the way. The remaining automakers report sales this afternoon.
For the month, automakers, analysts and other industry observers are reporting April sales will come in between 1.31 million and 1.34 million units for a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of about 15.5 million to 15.6 million units.
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Ford sales in April were up 18% led by Fusion and Escape. Both models posted April records with increases of 24% and 52% respectively. For the month, the Dearborn-based maker sold 212,586 units.
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Tags: ATP, Cadillac, Chrysler Group, Dodge, Ford, Ford Sales, GM sales, Ken Czubay, Kurt McNeil, Nissan sales, Ram, TheDetroitBureau.com., average transaction price, buick, chevrolet, chrysler sales, gm, gmc, jesse toprak, lincoln, michael strong, reid bigland, thedetroitbureau, truecar
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After delays Lincoln ships 11,000 units to dealers.
by Michael Strong on May.01, 2013
Lincoln sold 4,000 MKZs in April exceeding sales for the first three months of 2013 combined.
After a slow start to eliminate potential quality issues in early production vehicles, Lincoln Motor Co. is finally selling MKZs in volume. The maker sold more than 4,000 units in April.
The figure exceeds the combined sales of the car for the first quarter of 2013. Total MKZ sales from January through March were 3,758, a 47 percent drop from the same period in 2012.
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Additionally, Lincoln has shipped more than 11,000 MKZs to dealers in the month, although some are still in transit, according to Jim Farley, Ford’s executive vice president of global marketing and the head of Lincoln.
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Tags: 2013 MKZ, Flat Rock, Ford, Ford's Jim Farley, Hermosillo Mexico, Jim Farley, Lincoln MKZ, TheDetroitBureau.com., hybrids, lincoln, lincoln motor co., michael strong, mkz hybrid, thedetroitbureau
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Production finally approaching “launch levels.”
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Apr.02, 2013
The new Lincoln MKZ is now at "launch levels."
With production of the new Lincoln MKZ finally approaching “launch levels” after a costly delay in the production of the critical new luxury sedan, parent Ford Motor Co. is studying just how extensive a re-launch will be needed to put the 2013 model back on the radar for potential buyers.
The Lincoln MKZ was supposed to serve as the foundation for the revitalization of the long-struggling luxury brand. But even as the first of the sedans began rolling into showrooms late last year, Ford decided to curb production, worrying that the MKZ could fall victim to the same snags that resulted in quality problems and recalls for other new 2013 models, such as the Ford Fusion sedan and Escape crossover.
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The problem, admitted marketing chief Jim Farley, is that the carmaker went ahead with a major nationwide marketing campaign, including several costly Super Bowl spots, even without product in the showroom. That left dealers unable to serve potential buyers – some of whom are still waiting while others likely switched to competing brands.
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Tags: 2013 Lincoln MKZ, Ford, Ford Motor Co., Ford luxury brand, Jim Farley, TheDetroitBureau.com., compact luxury cars, lincoln, luxury brands, mkz, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Supply crisis short-circuited critical sedan’s launch.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.25, 2013
The new Lincoln MKZ should reach normal levels of inventory in the coming weeks.
It was billed as the most important product new product roll-out in decades for Lincoln, the 2013 MKZ expected to anchor a wave of new products designed to put the long-suffering domestic luxury brand back on the map.
But things didn’t go right almost for the start for the new sedan, parent Ford Motor Co. putting the brakes on production in a bid to head off troubling signs of potential quality problems. The result was a crash-and-burn that instead of kick-starting Lincoln sales saw them fall to a 32-year low.
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But the maker finally appears to be back on track, a senior official has advised TheDetroitBureau.com, with production now on a fast increase that should soon see plenty of 2013 Lincoln MKZ sedans in dealer showrooms.
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Tags: 2013 Lincoln MKZ, Alan Mulally, Lincoln MKZ, auto news, automotive design, bmw design, car news, ford lincoln, ford news, lincoln, lincoln design, lincoln news, luxury cars, max wolff, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Domestic luxury brands gain little traction in 2012.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jan.04, 2013
Cadillac is hoping to see the ATS win North American Car of the Year honors, which could put its sales push back into gear.
The long-promised revival of Detroit’s two main luxury brands failed to materialize in 2012 despite the launch of some major new products that generated largely positive reviews.
Both Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln and General Motors’ Cadillac wound up losing market share last year – 4.1% and 1.7% respectively — despite the makers’ anticipated improvements . Only the near-luxury GM brand Buick posted a modest, 1.6% gain for the year, though company officials insist the real test will come in 2013.
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That’s quite likely the case, says David Sullivan, of AutoPacific, Inc. “Looking back at 2012, I would say they were semi-disappointing and if we didn’t know there was promising new product in the pipeline it would be pretty bleak.”
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Tags: BMW sales, Cadillac, Cadillac ATS, German luxury cars, Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln sales, auto news, bmw luxury sales leader, caddy sales, cadillac sales, car news, detroit luxury cars, domestic luxury cars, lincoln, lincoln mkc, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Old name for a newly updated brand.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.03, 2012
Lincoln launches its name change -- and the new MKZ -- with a new multimedia campaign.
What difference does a name make? No, that’s not the beginning of an essay on Shakespeare, though Ford is hoping a new name for its long-struggling Lincoln brand will make it smell as sweet as a rose.
The Detroit luxury marque is taking a step forward into the past by reviving the name it first had back in 1922, the Lincoln Motor Co. Ford officials are hoping that the subtle change – which it plans to heavily promote as part of a new multimedia ad campaign – will help signal the broader changes coming at Lincoln, starting with the launch of the new MKZ sedan.
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“Befitting this new chapter in the life of Lincoln we are making a complete new start in every aspect of consumer communication to emotionally welcome our new target customer into our brand,” said Matt VanDyke, Director of Global Lincoln Brand.
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Tags: Ford, Jim Farley, Lincoln MKZ, auto news, car news, lincoln, lincoln ads, lincoln la auto show, lincoln motor co., lincoln navigator, lincoln news, lincoln revival, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Will luxury import buyers notice?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.08, 2012
The 2013 MKZ with Lincoln design chief Max Woolf.
They were once the benchmarks of the luxury market but today, Detroit’s Cadillac and Lincoln brands struggle in the shadows of better-known imports like Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the latter now the world’s largest premium automotive manufacturer.
But the coming months could be critical for the two domestic luxury marques as they both launch critical products that could help redefine their brands – and as they prepare for the critical step of going global.
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For Caddy, the 2013 model-year brings the launch of the big XTS and, arguably more important, the ATS, a compact sedan challenging the likes of the segment-defining BMW 3-Series.
As for its cross-town rival, Ford Motor Company’s luxury division is set to launch the first of four major new products, the MKZ, which Rich Kreder, the program’s Vehicle Integration Manager, calls, “The first really important step in redefining Lincoln.”
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Tags: Cadillac, Cadillac ATS, Lincoln MKZ, auto news, caddy china, cadillac china, cadillac elr, car news, china luxury cars, dan akerson, detroit luxury cars, global luxury cars, lincoln, lincoln china, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Collaboration “the order of the day, not the exception.”
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.19, 2012
A clay model at the new Lincoln Design Studio.
Ford Motor Co. has opened a dedicated Lincoln Design Center in Dearborn, Michigan, part of its effort to put the long-struggling brand back on track as a true competitor to marques like BMW, Lexus – and even the resurgent cross-town competitor Cadillac.
The new design center and studio will house approximately 150 designers, craftspeople and engineers dedicated solely to Lincoln production and concept vehicles, Ford said. It also marks the first time in 40 years that all the disciplines required to develop a new vehicle for Ford’s up-market brand, both creative and technical, will work collaboratively in one space.
Setting up the new design center is all part of Ford’s efforts to reinvent the Lincoln brand, executives said. Once a serious competitor to Cadillac as dominant players in the U.S. market, Lincoln has become a weak second-tier nameplate – and one with virtually no presence outside North America.
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Ford hopes to change that situation by rolling out more stylized, technically sophisticated products – including an all-new version of the Lincoln MKZ coming for 2013. It has an assortment of additional models under development but industry observers warn that Lincoln now has to prove it has a unique identity and isn’t just a marketing operation for slightly more up-market versions of vehicles sold by the mainstream Ford “Blue Oval” brand.
A 2013 Lincoln MKZ shown with the brand's design director Max Wolff.
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Tags: 2013 Lincoln MKZ, Alan Mulally, Lincoln MKZ, auto news, automotive design, bmw design, car news, ford lincoln, ford news, lincoln, lincoln design, lincoln news, luxury cars, max wolff, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Ad team heading to the Big Apple.
by Joseph Szczesny on Dec.16, 2011
The updated Lincoln MKT. An even more radical design concept will be revealed in Detroit next month.
So much for “Made in Detroit.” Ford Motor Co. has announced it is shifting the advertising work for the Lincoln brand from Detroit to New York after the first of the year in a bid to rebuild the brand’s luxury image and cachet.
Lincoln and Team Detroit at WPP have announced the creation of a new “luxury-oriented boutique agency” dedicated to Lincoln’s brand reinvention and creative marketing communications strategy. The WPP-owned agency, based in New York City, will open its doors on Jan. 1 and be headed by luxury automotive veteran, Cameron McNaughton, who joins as president of the agency and reports to Satish Korde, CEO of Team Detroit.
The ad shift is paired with a significant new product strategy that will be previewed at the Detroit Auto Show next month, Lincoln sources confirm.
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“We’re reinventing the Lincoln product and ownership experience and working to make it a unique, compelling proposition for today’s luxury customer,” said Jim Farley, group vice president, Global Marketing, Ford Motor Company. “Assembling a talented, Lincoln-only creative agency team, in partnership with Team Detroit and WPP, to build this brand is an important next step in our plan.” Farley said.
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Tags: Jim Farley, Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, auto news, car news, ford lincoln, ford news, joe szczesny, lincoln, lincoln advertising, lincoln advertising moves to ny, lincoln marketing, lincoln naughton, lincoln new york, lincoln news, lincoln wpp, thedetroitbureau
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Can Ford revive a once-grand brand?
by Tim Healey on Aug.08, 2011
Despite high hopes, recent products like the MKS have done little to revive the ailing Lincoln brand.
Lincoln, Ford’s luxury brand, has been struggling of late, leading more than a few skeptics to wonder whether it’s time to abandon the once-grand marque, much as Ford recently dropped the long-suffering Mercury. The Dearborn maker insists it remains committed to fixing Lincoln, with plans to introduce several new or redesigned models in the coming years, shuttering dealerships in over-saturated markets while renovating those that remain.
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While executives haven’t exactly been calling us for advice, we’re going to offer it anyway, because that’s what journalists do. If our plans for Lincoln succeed, we’ll expect our payment in a briefcase of $20 bills, thank you very much.
Just kidding—we give our advice for free. It’s up to the executives in Dearborn to take advantage. And Ford is taking the challenge seriously: The company has put together a 92-person task force to address Lincoln’s issues and hired designer Max Wolff away from Cadillac.
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Tags: Lincoln MKS, Tim Healey, auto news, car news, fixing lincoln, ford lincoln, ford news, lincoln, lincoln division, lincoln mercury, lincoln news, luxury car reviews, luxury cars, thedetroitbureau
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