Comments on: Has Lincoln Lost the Plot? (Concept C)

By: Jim Cherry

Jim Cherry — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:42:48 +0000

I like this a lot. And I grew up riding in Lincolns. Nothing wrong with a premium brand attempting to join the 21st Century. The world is changing. A premium hatchback with style will make more and more sense as time goes by. The only thing wrong with the “C” is it’s too far ahead of its time. For now. Read more: http://www.examiner.com/x-6882-Classic-Autos-Examiner~y2009m10d21-Lincolns-radical-Concept-C-Can-classic-style-and-prestige-work-as-a-hatchback

By: jerseydevil

jerseydevil — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:42:28 +0000

Actually, i think it shows promise, at least they are thinking out of the box. I thinkin cars it might be nice to redo some of the rockin cars of the 40’s.

I also saw a slab sided continental redo a few years ago – it was GREAT. I hope they make that one instead of this tho.

By: cdotson

cdotson — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:39:11 +0000

Looks to me like the following exchange might have taken place prior to this vehicle’s existence…

Ford exec: “We gotta find a way to keep the Flex plant running now that we’ve botched the launch. How can we make more of ‘em?”

Designer: “We can add a trunkish area and a Mark VIII taillamp strip or a Continental kit and call it a Lincoln!”

Ford exec: “Skip the Continental kit; anybody who remembers those is dead, but good idea!”

Did Lincoln lose the plot? I can only imagine a derisive Clarkson replying “They hadn’t one to lose!”

By: Mirko Reinhardt

Mirko Reinhardt — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:09:42 +0000

psarhjinian :
I’ll bet GM will have a Corsa rebadged as a Buick, just to compete.

The Buick Sail was made from 2001 to 2005, and it was just a rebadged ‘94 Corsa sedan or station wagon.
http://www.histomobile.com/dvd_histomobile/histomo/612/8718.asp

The still sell it in China, but with Chevy badges.

By: ItsABrandNewCar

ItsABrandNewCar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:38:56 +0000

“This is just Ford’s way of telegraphing some of the technologies coming to the new Focus. Ford’s press release says this car weighs 2750lbs, and has a 1.6L Ecoboost putting out 180hp and getting 43mpg. Sound like numbers we’d expect out of the 2011 Focus?”

…Then why didn’t they just bring this concept out as a Ford, instead of a Lincoln?

By: King Bojack

King Bojack — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:57:31 +0000

No, Lincoln hasn’t lost anything. They made a freaking CONCEPT car to toy with new ideas big whoop. This still isn’t as bad as other concepts. A small premium car that can comfortably seat six? Holy shit that’s AWFUL. I mean no one on Earth has ever made a good premium small car right?

I love how the domestics are so screwed, if they do what they’ve done they’re crappy dinosaurs that can’t adapt. If they adapt they’ve gone batshit and lost touch with their roots. I ask what the hell are they supposed to do?

By: dwford

dwford — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:11:11 +0000

This is just Ford’s way of telegraphing some of the technologies coming to the new Focus. Ford’s press release says this car weighs 2750lbs, and has a 1.6L Ecoboost putting out 180hp and getting 43mpg. Sound like numbers we’d expect out of the 2011 Focus? If the 1.6L Ecoboost can get 43mpg and 180hp/180lbs, then expect smaller Focus engines to get even better mileage. 1.2L Ecoboost with 140hp and 46mpg? Wouldn’t that be nice in a Focus sized car? Or how about the 1.6 in a Fusion getting 40mpg.

Obviously it will be a while if ever for Lincoln to actually sell small cars like this. Maybe the styling is a preview of Mercury’s small car coming in 2011, or the styling of the BEV.

By: Dangerous Dave

Dangerous Dave — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:06:39 +0000

WOW! Lincoln’s answer to the PT Cruiser.

By: brush

brush — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:34:44 +0000

I know, I know! Tom Cruise is making Minority Report 2 and asked Ford/Lincoln instead of Honda to design their vision of the future!
This isn’t real is it? Metal/plastic/recycled coconut fibres haven’t been sacrificed as of yet to bring this to the roads of the world.

By: BMW325I

BMW325I — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:32:21 +0000

Lincoln is copying Renault now?

By: Landcrusher

Landcrusher — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:16:12 +0000

Does it really matter? Once you put the Lincoln badge on something, does anyone want it?
I wonder if you could take an obscure, non-imported to the US luxury car worth 100k plus, but which most people would not recognize. Divide a bunch of middle aged folks into two groups, and tell each group a different story. One group hears it’s a Lincoln, and the other is told the truth. The Lincoln version will supposedly cost 60k though.
I bet the group that hears the truth will be more likely to say the car is worth the price.
Ford should simply end Lincoln and Mercury as brands, and instead make them models. You could have an upscale Taurus called a Mercury 2.0 (or whatever) and Towncar called the Lincoln TC. Then, be done with it for now.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:07:32 +0000

“ Has Lincoln Lost the Plot? (Concept C) ”

Easy one, YES.

To be fair they lost their relevance at least 30 years ago.

By: jybt

jybt — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:04:25 +0000

Simply the worst new-car design I have ever had the displeasure of looking at. You would have saved yourself a lot of expense making this concept if you’d just shown the car to one person on the street.

By: Rosso

Rosso — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:43:19 +0000

The blackwood was a loss of plot if anything was for Lincoln. The Lincoln demographic is in their dotage and having an entire brand dedicated to four barely disguised Fords wearing suits isn’t going to cut it. A small premium car is not an impossibility. Look at the Mini. Prestige is not simply bland badge engineering and massive chassis.

By: John Williams

John Williams — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:34:10 +0000

Stretch this car out, give it a very long nose and something of a real trunk, drop a V8 in and you have a Town Car.

By: argentla

argentla — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:23:15 +0000

@ Richard Chen: Except that the Multipla was as useful as it was wacky…

By: foolish

foolish — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:19:26 +0000

Umm..

I like it.

Not as a Lincoln, so yes, they’ve lost the plot, but I like it.

By: srogers

srogers — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:52:24 +0000

I’ll be a rebel – I like it! The grill could use some work though.

I get a kick out of all the concern for Lincoln’s brand equity. Lincolns are almost non existent where I live and the only Lincolns worth remembering were from the 60s. They may as well re-invent themselves now.

It looks considerably bigger than a compact to me.

By: ItsABrandNewCar

ItsABrandNewCar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:16:39 +0000

So, a few years ago gas-guzzling trucks and SUV’s were the hot, gotta-have thing (fad) in the automotive world so every carmaker had to have one in their lineup, regardless of what it did to brand equity.

Now, small, fuel efficient compacts are the hot, gotta-have thing in the automotive world so every automaker has to have one in their lineup, regardless of what it does to brand equity.

It’s good to know FordMoCo’s learning from their mistakes.

By: Hank

Hank — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:11:24 +0000

Relax. It’s just a concept car. They didn’t lose the plot with the Batmobile, and this is an obvious stretch of the boundaries with no production intent.

By: 70 Chevelle SS454

70 Chevelle SS454 — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:38:57 +0000

That’s certainly a nice Toyota.

By: cwallace

cwallace — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:29:20 +0000

If the idea was to develop yet another car that I wouldn’t be caught dead in, then they’ve succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

By: eastaboga

eastaboga — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:24:39 +0000

I was wondering what Ford could possibly do with this thing (besides the completely wrong answer of making it a Lincoln) and then it hit me, this would be a great Mercury! This project likely started as a Mercury, urban upscale (or “metrocool” as I once saw on an internal Mercury marketing spec) is supposed to be what passes for brand DNA, and this it it. The Concept C confirms what we all already know, Mercury is well and truly dead.

By: Robert Schwartz

Robert Schwartz — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:22:18 +0000

It has been down hill for Lincoln since the early 60s. The tonka toy above is not the answer to any question other than: “why bother?” Which in Lincoln’s case is: “No reason to. We’ll just quit now.”

By: Rod Panhard

Rod Panhard — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:34:20 +0000

Oh boy, it’s another hearse-like product from Lincoln for tiny people. Well, eventually the baby boomers will start to die in big numbers, so we might as well be prepared.