All Aboard The Lincoln Turnaround Train: Admission $1 Million
Just a week after GM CEO Dan Akerson slammed Ford’s Lincoln revival, Ford is asking its Lincoln dealers to put big money down on the brand’s future. Automotive News [sub] reports
A group of 120 Lincoln dealers had been invited to the meeting to hear Ford’s plans to rebuild its remaining luxury brand, say dealers who attended.
Ford expects stand-alone Lincoln dealers to spend an average of $1 million on renovations, dealers say. Owners of Ford-Lincoln duals are expected to spend about $1.9 million to remodel, dealers who went to the meeting say.
If dealers do not invest in renovations, Ford says it will seek to take back their franchises in exchange for compensation. The investment requirement applies only to urban dealers — for now.
And what do the dealers get in return for their hefty outlays? Hot new Lincoln product, or, in the words of a Lincoln rep “seven new or significantly refreshed vehicles coming out in the next three years.” Which means that if you want to get aboard the Lincoln express (destination:viability), you’ll have to get your store to Lincoln standards by the end of 2013, when a redesigned MKZ and a Focus-based Lincoln compact hit dealers.
Ford’s Alan Mulally admits the Lincoln turnarond is going to require a little faith from dealers, as one Lincoln dealer explains the meeting, saying
Mulally said: “We’re asking you to trust us a little bit, just like we asked you to trust us five years ago with the Ford brand. The whole process is starting right now,
And if not all the dealers believe in the Lincoln turnaround, that’s just fine with Ford. Ford started its luxury brand turnaround in October with 500 dealers, had cut that number to 434 by the end of February and will continue to pare down its retail footprint to 325 stores by the end of the year. That means any Lincoln dealer who doesn’t like what he or she sees product-wise is free to move along. And what can those who stay on team Lincoln expect to be selling down the road?
Ford will freshen the MKS sedan and MKT crossover next year. The 2013 MKZ sedan will be redesigned and will offer a 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged EcoBoost engine. Ford says the 2013 MKZ Hybrid will get 47 mpg city, up from 41 mpg city for the 2011 MKZ Hybrid.
The redesigned 2013 MKZ moves to Ford’s global mid-sized platform. It was designed by Max Wolff, Lincoln’s design chief, who was hired from Cadillac late last year.
Dealers who saw the 2013 MKZ say it’s dramatically different from the current model. It has the Lincoln waterfall grille but with more European front and rear design cues reminiscent of Aston Martin and Volvo.
Tada! Turnaround!
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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FINALLY! Finally someone around here other than NulloModo who knows what the heck they're talkin' about. I too, have lived with my 2011 MKS Ecoboost for 10 months and 16000 miles and I couldn't agree more with what you had to say, TrailerTrash. I can't tell you how damn sick I am of people here and on other sites as well who continue to bash Lincoln. And Ford for that matter. These people are simply ill informed. They jump on the bash bandwagon and think it's cool. Hey, everybody else seems to be doing it, so why not me? They're just putting their ignorance out there for everyone to see. Like Jim Cramer from "Mad Money" said "In Alan Mullaly, I trust". He will indeed bring the cred back to Lincoln. The quality is already there. The rest of the world just needs to catch up. The only thing I can think of to add to your post is that the MKS styling is gorgeous. And yes, I know it's gonna get even better looking with the refresh coming in November. I just hope that it's not so much prettier that I'll regret not waiting. But as of now, I have no regrets. Not a single one. Because even though not many people who post here know what I got for the money, what matters is I know it. I know the quality (unsurpassed), I know the luxury appointments, the ride, the comfort, the quietness, the beast of an engine that is the Ecoboost, the outrageous technology, that breathtaking sound system, you name it. I could go on and on. And what a nice value for what you're getting. I couldn't have made a better choice. Beautiful Bourdeoux Reserve with camel interior and real olive ash wood. This is thee full size luxury sedan to own. Genesis? Give me a God damned break. Not on its best day could it touch MKS Ecoboost.
Don't most people buy luxury cars based on a certain amount of cachet or snob-appeal rather than on value for money? For whatever reason, Lincoln doesn't resonate enough on luxury buyers' minds, whether it's because of poor marketing by Ford (who did blow the Jaguar opportunity), product that is not good enough, or not building something that meets the mainstream media's criteria (is a magazine like Forbe's mainstream?)of what a luxury automobile should be like. I doubt that most people are that uninformed, especially in the internet age, about the luxury cars they're buying.