{"id":61550,"date":"2013-05-31T15:39:46","date_gmt":"2013-05-31T19:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=61550"},"modified":"2013-05-31T15:39:46","modified_gmt":"2013-05-31T19:39:46","slug":"mkz-back-on-track-but-lincoln-still-has-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2013\/05\/mkz-back-on-track-but-lincoln-still-has-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"MKZ Back on Track – But Lincoln Still Has Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Jim Farley, Lincoln's brand boss and the global marketing chief for parent Ford Motor Co.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s the classic good news\/bad news situation for Lincoln this month.<\/p>\n

On the positive side, after a painfully slow start due to production snags, the luxury marque\u2019s new MKZ is finally gaining momentum and should set a record for the nameplate when May\u2019s final numbers are tallied. The bad news?\u00a0 As Lincoln gains ground, the rest of the luxury brand\u2019s line-up has been slipping.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
News from a Source You Can Trust!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll have the best month ever with the MKZ,\u201d predicted Jim Farley, head of the Lincoln brand and the global marketing chief for its parent Ford Motor Co.<\/p>\n

While industry sales aren\u2019t due out until next Monday, the current total suggests Lincoln should wrap up the month with sales of around 3,300 MKZ sedans, beating the previous record of 3,092 set in May 2007. A year ago, Lincoln MKZ sales totaled around 2,400.<\/p>\n

The latest figures are a big turnaround from the first quarter when MKZ sales were barely reaching into the triple digits.\u00a0 Ford officials insisted the problem was a snag in production at the Mexican plant producing the new sedan, but skeptics speculated it meant buyers had rejected the new offering.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re encouraged by our MKZ sales in May but we have a long, long road to rebuild this brand,\u201d cautioned Farley.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the executive has suggested it could take a decade or more to make Lincoln truly competitive with key imports like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus, and he points to the slow slog by Audi and Infiniti as examples.<\/p>\n

If anything, May\u2019s numbers are likely to be a mixed bag for Ford\u2019s high-line brand, acknowledged Matt VanDyke, Lincoln\u2019s sales, service and marketing chief.<\/p>\n

\u201cCar shoppers are really falling in love with Z, so that\u2019s putting pressure on S,\u201d said VanDyke, referring to the MKZ and the bigger MKS sedans.<\/p>\n

While the new MKZ does appear to be \u201cconquesting\u201d buyers from other luxury brands, it appears that it is also cannibalizing sales from other Lincoln models, the older MKS in particular. So, when asked about overall Lincoln sales for May, VanDyke warned, \u201cWe expect to be flat, if not slightly down\u201d for the month due to a dip in demand for all models except for the new MKZ.<\/p>\n

Lincoln executives still tried to put a positive spin on the news, noting that there are a lot of positive signs. For one thing, they are seeing more new buyers checking out Lincoln online or rolling into showrooms, potential customers driving brands like BMW and Lexus.<\/p>\n

One of the more significant developments with the MKZ is the strong demand for the hybrid version of the sedan, especially in traditionally import-oriented markets like Los Angeles, as well as in Texas.<\/p>\n

Lincoln took the unusual step of offering either a conventional V-6 powertrain or the hybrid alternative at the same price with the new MKZ.\u00a0 Normally, hybrids carry a premium that can run into the thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has really resonated with customers,\u201d said Farley, during a Friday conference call with reporters, hinting that strategy is something that will be considered with future models.<\/p>\n

Lincoln has so far committed to launching four new models in 2013 and 2014, starting with the MKZ. Next up is the compact MKC crossover, a concept version debuting at the Detroit Auto Show last January. A next-gen version of the MKS will follow, as will the complete remake of the aging Navigator full-size SUV.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, Ford CEO Alan Mulally has confirmed to TheDetroitBureau.com that other products are set to follow.\u00a0 That includes a sporty Lincoln that will share the new platform set to debut with the launch of the 50th<\/sup> anniversary Ford Mustang next year.<\/p>\n

Lincoln does have more to come, Farley hinted.\u00a0 And though he declined to discuss specific plans, he hinted that the maker will actively be looking for \u201cnew segments\u201d that might just be starting to gain traction in the market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lincoln faces the classic good news\/bad news dilemma. On the upside, the new MKZ sedan will set an all-time sales record for May, according to brand boss Jim Farly. The downside? It’s stealing sales from other Lincoln products. TheDetroitBureau.com looks at what’s happening at Lincoln.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61550"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61550"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=61550"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=61550"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=61550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}