Ford Announces Flex-Based Lincoln Crossover
For whatever reason (to please Hannibal Lecter fans?), Ford's product planners have decided to produce an upmarket version of the new Flex. Ford spokesman Mark Schirmer told the Detroit News that Ford "is actively pursuing a luxury crossover for Lincoln." By offering a new vehicle based on the so-not-a-minivan Flex, plus discontinuing the Mark LT pickup, The Blue Oval Boyz hope to "refocus the Lincoln brand and make it a serious contender again in the luxury space." The MOU812 is based on the whale baleen-snouted Lincoln MKT concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show. It's now due to hit the streets in 2009, bolstering sales and destroying what little brand equity Lincoln may have left. Oh, and no word on a Mercury variant, despite FoMoCo's promises not to leave Jill Wagner high and dry.
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Ingvar: I will admit its not a bad idea, but we're also talkin' about precedent here. This idea isn't a revolution, far from an Audi Quattro or '61 Conti. More often than not, big CUVs do not sell well. And they are hardly a good foundation for a hypothetical brand revolution: every popular luxury automaker's sedan rules the roost, because luxury buyers are more traditional. More to the point, the MKT (and maybe even the MKS) look light on gaining traction in this market.
Lincoln needs to produce the cars that they are traditionally known for with the styling that made Lincoln distinctive in the 1960s with modern dynamics, amenities and quality. Lincoln has had numerous stunning concepts years ago and they decide to rebadge the FLEX? Give Lincoln a suicide-doored, V8, RWD luxury sedan with real American and Lincoln styling presence, that would be a much better move. Also bring back the real names.
Talk about a face only a mother could love. This thing is BUTT UGLY !!!!!!!! Another lot queen Ford won't be able to sell. Or maybe Ford is tring to invent a market segment with a vehicle that no one will want like Chrysler did with the Pacifica (and no one wanted it). Will GM follow suit with something for Caddy that will be just as big a flop as this proposed Lincoln????? Just a thought!!!!!!!! And i saw in the article where Ford discontinued the Mark LT Truck. Another example of a vehicle invented for a market segment that didn't exist and no one wanted it. And it was way over priced....it was NOTHING but a gussied up F-150 after all !!!!! P.S: How could this Lincoln crossover not be ugly??????? It's based on the UGLY as can be Flex (another vehicle Ford won't be able to sell) without buyer bribes (oops, sorry rebates!!!). It must be easier to combine letters for a vehicle "name" than to actually come up with something new and unique !!!!!!!!
I've seen pictures of this car, and I thought it was a sedan. Must've been the angle. So this the MKX are replacing the Navigator and Aviator, respectively? Don't really see anything wrong with that. The MKS will fill the place of the old Continental, but I agree with others that the replacement of the Town Car is huge for Lincoln.