If you were looking for the calories in Lincoln’s presentation at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show, you should look past the 2013 Lincoln MKS and 2013 Lincoln MKT. Not that you probably needed any special encouragement to look past these largely forgettable automotive enterprises.
The real message here can be found in the stage itself -- the massive widescreen video display, the tastefully coordinated décor, and the sharply dressed grey of the high-style female models on the show stand. And don’t forget the two corporate people that took the stage, who happen to be the biggest hitters in Ford product these days: Ford engineering supremo Derrick Kusak and Lincoln design magician Max Wolff.
Lincoln is back in business.
Behind the smiling face of Ford CEO Alan Mulally, it has been Derrick Kusak who has been transforming the vehicles that come out of Ford’s assembly plants. He began as a research engineer at Ford in 1978, later developed the Ford Escape in the U.S., led the engineering program that created the previous European generation of the Ford Focus (the good one that we didn’t get), and finally began the program for the current Focus and Fiesta. Kusak returned to the U.S. in 2005 and now he’s the chief of Global Product Development.
We’ve heard from many Ford engineers that Kusak knows cars in a way that only a real engineer does, and yet can also lead people. The fact that Kusak is now on the case for Lincoln means that Ford is finally serious about spending the money that it takes to make Lincoln more than just a place for Ford cars with snappy taillights.
Meanwhile Max Wolff is an Australian designer spirited away last January from Cadillac, where he had been the chief of exterior design. He bounced around the globe during his years with GM, including Holden and Daewoo, and you might recognize him as the designer behind the Holden SSX show car. A Ford executive who wandered into conversation with us on the show floor (he was looking for his dog, he said) told us that Lincoln finally has a dedicated space in the Ford design studio with its own surface plates, a reminder that it’s been a long time since Lincoln was anything other than an afterthought at Ford design.
So we don’t want to make too much of a car company that still doesn’t have too much in the way of cars (though we still like the Lincoln MKZ), but we’ve noticed the way this little Ford property has quietly acquired a group of people that have gotten together, figured out a plan, and made a kind of pact to make it happen.
Edsel Bryant Ford always saw Lincoln as an international-style company when he made it his special project in the 1930s. His design taste was always acknowledged as the most refined in Detroit, GM’s Harley Earl notwithstanding. In fact Edsel’s 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster was the inspiration for Earl’s concept cars for GM. We’ll see if there is any of Edsel’s magic left in the Lincoln brand.
You never know. GM saved Buick, so anything is possible.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Edmunds.com
bankerdanny says:
09:06 AM, 11/21/11
As long as 'back in businss' doesn't require actually selling cars.
A big video display and tastefully clothed modles at an auto show does zip to make up for Lincoln's showroom full of warmed over Fords.
Unless Ford is willing to create a dedicated Lincoln lineup in the way that GM has with Cadillac, Lincoln will soon find itself in history's dust bin along with Mercury.
bimmerjay says:
09:17 AM, 11/21/11
I truly believe Ford can save Lincoln. But it's going to take money and risk, two things Ford has traditionally been reluctant with. The current Lincolns are pretty terrible considering the competition in the luxury space. It's not just the styling that's become arguably hideous, but the cars themselves should not share any styling with Fords and they should give you something extra in chassis refinement, powertrain and overall driving experience.
Case-in-point, the MKZ. I've driven them a lot, and I actually prefer the Fusion. The Lincoln has a softer chassis, more isolated steering and squashier seats. Sure the interior is "chromier" but it doesn't feel like real luxury, and the powertrain is the same. It might as well just be a trim package for the Fusion. Lincoln will not gain national respectability and build brand equity with cars like this. The MKS is a similar disappointment, why not just get a loaded Taurus?
revn says:
09:52 AM, 11/21/11
@bimmerjay
That pretty much sums up Lincoln right now. Really expensive trim packages. If they can actually make their own cars, then they can be saved. Sure it will take more than just that, but it's more or less required if they want to stay around. If that doesn't happen, I can't see them sticking around.
mind_ride says:
10:11 AM, 11/21/11
Even the name, "Lincoln", needs to be changed. He may have been our best president, but any cachet of greatness is lost on today's lux car buyers.
bankerdanny says:
10:37 AM, 11/21/11
The brand name is fine, IMHO. But the model names suck to infiniti and beyond. Quick, tell me which name is made up, MKX, MKZ, MKU, MKL?
Don't know? Me either. I think I made up MKL and MKU, but I could be wrong.
Meaningless initials and Ford's with slightly different noses and brushed plastic trim are hardly the stuff of a luxury car competitor. This was true in 1985 and it is certainly true in 2011.
Lincoln's showrooms are filled with forgetable cars with meaningless names. For better or worese, Town Car and Continental have meaning, even today. Mk used to also mean something at Lincoln. Originally large beautiful 2 door cars (the Mk II) along the lines of the current Mercedes CL500 or even Bentley Continental GT. Later with the MkIV and V it was a gigantic 2-dor lauxury barge. In the 80's we got a Lincoln GT with the Mk VII LSC with the 5.0 and then the sleek Mk VIII LSC with the 290hp DOHC 4.6 V8. Cars that were all Lincoln.
Today Lincoln doesn't have a single car to call its own. Its identity to most younger buyers is as a supplier of the ubiquitous black Continentals that serve as livery vehicles all over the US or the maker of the floaty, 20 foot long Town Car your grandpa drove. Hardly an image to attract high end shoppers to your showroom.
Bimmerjay has it right. Either commit the several billion dollars required to develop a lineup specifically for Lincoln or just kill it off and devote the cash to making better Fords.
windsor5 says:
10:40 AM, 11/21/11
@bimmerjay I think you hit the nail on the head. I am tired of all this badge re-engineering but I think lincoln gets it in 2-3 years youll see huge changes at lincoln now lets just hope acura,lexus,infiniti can get it to
audisport says:
11:50 AM, 11/21/11
I just couldn't see why anyone would buy a Lincoln. Old School GM style badge engineering to the 10th degree.
I would bet that 75% of their sales are $399.00 per month leases of MKZ's and MKX's.
And to boot, I actually thought that the current MKS had a reasonably non offensive front end and they actually managed to ruin that with this new refresh.
Hey, at least cooled seats are standard across the board. Those are nice.
throwback says:
12:39 PM, 11/21/11
I'll put my money on Ford building good Lincolns, as opposed to rebadged Fords. Look what Mullaly and crew have done with the Ford brand in just 3 years. They are clearly committed, based on the money they are spending. They do need to dump the alpha numeric nonsense, I'm a car nut and I get confused as to which model is which.
brn says:
04:30 PM, 11/21/11
Bankerdanny, If the naming convention is your biggest gripe against Lincoln, you don't have a gripe. Which of the below are any better?
Acura: MDX, RDX, RL, TL, TSX, ZDX
Audi: A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q3, Q5, Q7, R8, RS, S4, S5, S6, S7, TT, TTS
BMW: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, i3,i8, M3, M5, M6, X1, X3, X5, X6, Z4
Infiniti: EX, FX, G, JX, M, QX
Jaguar: XE, XF, XJ, XK
Lexus: CT, ES, GS, GX, HS, IS, LFA, LS, LX, RX
Saab: 9-3, 9-4, 9-5
Volvo: C30, C70, S40, S60, S80, V50, XC60, XC70, XC90
bankerdanny says:
08:02 PM, 11/21/11
brn: true, but you can only really apply the same argument to Acura, which jettisoned the perfectly good Legend and Integra names for meaningless letters, RL, TL, RSX, TSX how do you keep track of which is which.
All the other makers you mentioned traditionally use letters and/or numbers.
engineear says:
11:55 PM, 11/21/11
Get RID of the baleen grille! Enough...different direction...please.
It looks out of proportion and besides,...those buyers have died.
greenpony says:
11:34 AM, 11/22/11
Lincoln's naming convention is confusion for three reasons. First, it's relatively new so it's unfamiliar. If you're not a Lincoln fanatic, it's easy to get confused. (The same goes for most other alphanumeric names out there). Second, there is no rhyme or reason to its naming convention. (Compare with BMW, where you know a 1-series is the smallest and a 7-series is the biggest). Third, it consists of a triple alphanumeric where the first two letters are exactly the same across all four models: MKX, MKS, MKT, MKZ. They'd be better off dropping the "MK" completely and calling them X, S, T, and Z.
But the whole alphanumeric craze itself is confusing. MDX, MKX, XK, RX, RL, MKZ, ZDX, XE, EX, FX, GX, RDX, SRX, QX, CTS, CLK, MKT, TL... who makes what? Can the average buyer tell you the difference between an M3, an M35, an MDX, and an MKX? What about a C30, a C300, a CT200h, a CTS?
There's no way I'd confuse a Legend with a Deville, or a Continental with an Escalade.
coolb944 says:
11:57 AM, 11/22/11
You forgot to mention that that beautiful 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster is at the show in the Lincoln stand. It's the only car in the entire exhibit I truly noticed.
Lincoln could be made into a very refined American luxury brand, and I hope these new players mean true commitment from Ford. But I'm not holding my breath until I see the product to back it up. Hell, take the Mustang chassis, stretch it, add IRS, and make a fine luxury sedan out of it. Just do something worth mentioning! You would have thought Ford would have actually taken some of the forward momentum created by the LS and moved Lincoln, but what a dropped ball that was! The Town Car still uses simulated wood, and it shows. That's just depressing.
brn says:
05:16 PM, 11/22/11
greenpony, I agree that all of the alphanumeric naming conventions are confusing. My only gripe is that Lincoln is singled out. I will also agree that because it's 'new', that may lead to further confusion.
I will argue that Lincoln makes as much sense as any of the others. Taking your BMW example. Yes, a 1 is larger than a 3. Is that also true if it's preceded by a letter like 'i' or 'M'? What does an 'i' or 'M' mean? Why is one upper case the other lower? OK, now let's throw in the Z and X. The BMW convention is more confusing than the Lincoln one, simply because there are many more variants. BMW's only advantage is familiarity among enthusiasts.
Lincoln made a (feeble) attempt to put some sense to their naming convention. Everything begins with a MK. What you get to pay attention to is the last letter. X=Crossover, S=Sedan, Z=Zepher, T=Truck(ish).
Again, I'm not trying to say it's not confusing. Just no more confusing than anyone else.