Filed under: Lincoln, Mercury, Earnings/Financials
Battle in the Basement: Lincoln may overtake Mercury in 2008
click above image for high-res gallery of the 2009 Lincoln MKS
Ford is reporting that its Lincoln luxury brand will overtake Mercury in sales sometime in 2008. Now, if you replaced 'Mercury' in that last sentence with a word like 'Cadillac' or 'Lexus', then we might have some news to talk about. Instead, this appears to be further evidence that A) Lincoln's sales are improving, but too slow to overtake any of its competitors, and B) Mercury is destined to remain nothing more than a well-defined trim level for Ford. Don't get us wrong. We're not saying Mercurys are bad vehicles, we're just saying they're Fords.
Nevertheless, Lincoln is building some sales momentum thanks to the fact that it's actually getting new models like the MKX crossover. Next summer the MKS sedan will also go on sale, and Lincoln sales will likely get another shot in the arm. That should do it for Mercury in this bout of sibling rivalry, since it has no new models scheduled, and certainly none exclusive for the brand.
[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Avinash machado 11:40AM (12/03/2007)
So I guess Ford might eliminate the Mercury brand after all. I will be sad to see it go. Hope they do come up with some plan to retain Mercury.
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Greek Boy 11:43AM (12/03/2007)
Shot in the arm?
I bet that MKS will be a big hit. Plus too, Lincoln will be adding lots of updates to it's current lineup in the fall, like the new MKZ, more power for MKX and MKZ, freshenings for Navi including new powertrains. Should be another good year for Lincoln with steady progress.
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AlexP 11:45AM (12/03/2007)
It will be a hit alright, a hit like the Taurus.
Seminole 12:01PM (12/03/2007)
Shot in the arm is a good thing. It doesn't mean shot with a gun, but rather getting a shot with a needle to bring you back to life/etc...
AlexP 1:25PM (12/03/2007)
Lol, I guess the Dearborn fans didn't like my comment, it went from highly ranked to neutral. Sorry guys, but this car is far from being class-leading, so I'm not expecting much in terms of sales numbers from it - and admit that the Taurus is a complete and utter failure (Taurus X is another story, though).
Robert 1:36PM (12/03/2007)
Actually, if the MKS sells as well as the Taurus, Ford will be very happy... The MKS will sell well - at least as much as the MKZ and MKX. That's not Lexus ES numbers, but 35k a year of a profitable vehicle is nothing to snivel at.
Adam 11:46AM (12/03/2007)
Lincoln is maybe finally realizing that their luxury brand can't seem like a trim level. We understand using an existing platform but that doesn't mean it has to be the same thing but with leather standard. That being said, I don't really care for this new front end........reminds me too much of the latest generation of Gallants for some reason.
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WolfgangNC 11:55AM (12/03/2007)
Look Ford needs to either make Mercury a Euro variant similar to what GM is doing with Saturn or kill it. I have been saying the same thing with Chevy Trucks and GMC. As far as Lincoln, they are going in a different direction than Caties; but I believe that it will work out.
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Mercury Fan Forever 11:56AM (12/03/2007)
I have said it before and I will say it again Ford is not going to get rid of Mercury they are going to keep it But Ford plans to invest much more heavily in Lincoln and make it the volume-leader of the Lincoln Mercury franchise and Ford Motor Company has stated this before...
http://www.fomoconews.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1491
"We've been very clear on what Mercury stands for," Mark Fields stated.
But in my opinion Ford should have killed Lincoln years ago and took Mercury upmarket.. And all the help Mercury needs it a NEW!!! RWD V8 Powered COUGAR!!
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John 5:29PM (12/09/2007)
I AGREE WITH YOU!!!
And, I don't like Lincoln styling.
The people that comments here forgot that Lincoln is more expensive than Mercury.
Big J 11:56AM (12/03/2007)
It appears Lincoln has added virtually identical Acura TL headlights and Kia Amanti tail lights to this mundane vehicle.
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Matt 12:07PM (12/03/2007)
Ford is wasteing too much time and money on Lincoln.
I think Ford should eliminate Lincoln.. Then take the money they were wasteing on Lincoln and use it to import Euro Fords and badge them as Mercurys here in the U.S.A. and use it to make a better Ford Lineup.
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Judy Zik 12:27PM (12/03/2007)
Yeah that's it. Abandon the ability to sell vehicles on the same platform coming off the same production lines for thousands more (as in profits) so you can invest in bringing over cars to compete with your core brand for sales. Cars to be imported from Europe to the US while the dollar is in the toilet and european plants for some of these products are running at capacity but they are going to be able to wave a magic wand and produce enough to support the worlds largest car market overnight. Sure. That makes so much more sense than waiting until the next model change and just switching your Ford factories in NA over to making a world product. It is called buisness and making a profit.
That One Person 5:44PM (12/03/2007)
Why kill Lincoln? Sales are up. It seems that their crappy products aren't selling. And if the MKS does as well as the MKZ has done, Lincoln will be fine.
Also, Big J, the Amanti taillamps are a direct ripoff of, get this, the LINCOLN TOWN CAR!!!
CT-Jake 12:11PM (12/03/2007)
The MKS is an attractive looking sedan, at least in pictures. If you want to see a gawd awfull ugly grill, look no further than Audi. That gaping hole up front gives me visions of the painting "The Scream". Personally, I wish Lincoln well.
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Mercury Fan Forever 12:35PM (12/03/2007)
Look at Mercury Sales!!!!
Mercury UP 27.6% From a Year ago
Lincoln Down 7.1% From a Year ago
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=27313
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Infinihertz 1:20PM (12/03/2007)
From the Ford Media article you reference:
"Lincoln continued its winning streak in November as retail sales climbed 4 percent. November marked the 14th straight month of higher retail sales for the premium brand. Total Lincoln sales in November were down 7 percent, reflecting lower fleet sales."
This is Lincoln's 14th straight month of higher retail sales. They just aren't selling as many taxis... which is probably a good thing.
John P. 12:35PM (12/03/2007)
While this is good for Lincoln, I find it amazing that Mercury has been left to to rot so badly. Mercury is such a great name for a car company, how could it get screwed up so badly?
I hate to beat a dead horse, but I think Lincoln has to go further upscale to get away from Ford and Mercury, and Mercury needs to bring the Euro Fords over, kinda like Saturn is doing, along with a couple RWD V8's, as others have said here.
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Resh 1:26PM (12/03/2007)
a new retro Cougar based off the Mustang, but with an IRS and better interior fit & finish (to justify the higher price) would be awesome! given the sales of the Mustang and all of the special editions they keep releasing, it doesn't make sense why they wouldn't try this... unless they really are gonna kill Mercury.
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Paul P. 1:31PM (12/03/2007)
It seems like Ford is eventually going to be the following companies:
Ford
Lincoln
Mercury
Mazda
Volvo
Therefore, it would make sense for each one to have a well defined image. With that it would be easier to develop cars around that image. I propose the following:
Ford should be the bare bones models. Simple cars, suvs, trucks, ect for those who don't want to pay a lot. Price is the key focus.
Lincoln should be their luxury car branch and also the showcase for their new technology. With Caddilac being focused towards sporty luxury (like BMW), Lincoln could find a solid niche being all about overbuilt luxury and neat features. Like Mercedes was years ago.
Focus is on luxury and innovation.
Mercury should be the traditional American muscle/sporty car side of things. Kind of like what GM is doing with Pontiac. Interiors should be better than Ford's, but not as good as Lincoln; however they should offer special stripped out models for the most performance. Performance for the price is key here. More specifically, high HP, high torque and straight line performance. Think RWD, V8's, superchargers on smaller engines, ect. The brand for the (traditional American car) enthusiast; for people who would buy a Ford, if it weren't so slow and boring.
Focus is traditional American performance cars (and maybe trucks/suvs). Power for the price is key.
Mazda would be kind of like Mercury's import counterpart. Mazda's focus would be more towards handling, lightweight, high revving power plants, sporty exteriors. Basically, what they are now.
Focus should be fun and well rounded vehicles you can drive everyday.
Volvo would be Ford's European counterpart to Lincoln. Solid safe luxury cars. This would be more of an all encompassing brand though. Luxury, power, handling, technology.
Focus here would be BMW/Audi/Mercedes luxury and performance at a lower price point.
While that's my idea of how each brand should be structured and other people might have different ideas, I don't think it really matters as long as each one follows a well defined path. Even if they decide to drop Mercury, they still need to work on distinguishing each brand better. There is too much overlap of the same exact vehicle between the brands. People shouldn't be looking at Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln and notice the only difference is interior and a little chrome trim.
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