Autoblog

Farley says Lincoln learnings in China could influence brand in US

Zach Bowman — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:29:00 EST

Automotive News reports Lincoln is looking to Chinese luxury shoppers for customer service ideas. Those notions may eventually make their way back to the US in the form of new dealership training. Jim Farley, the executive vice president of global marketing for Ford, tells Automotive News, "In many ways, China will be a listening post for Lincoln in the United States. Soon China will be the largest luxury market in the world." Farley also said that in China, the Lincoln brand is currently where Lexus was when the Japanese brand first landed in the US.

Lincoln is slated to open its first Chinese dealerships in 2014. The brand is largely unknown in Asia, and Lincoln representatives have been visiting other luxury dealers in China for an idea of what buyers there expect. Lincoln has also studied non-automotive luxury shopping, paying special attention to high-end retail branding.

Of course, this whole song and dance feels awfully familiar. Lincoln has focused heavily on remaking the brand and recrafting its marketing here in the States, thus far without sufficient product to back the play. Lincoln is already late to the China game, and without the necessary products to lure buyers away from established bodies like Buick and Cadillac, Lincoln may be doomed to repeat its fate here in the US.

Farley says Lincoln learnings in China could influence brand in US originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lincoln MKC Concept shows real promise [w/video]

Chris Paukert — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:01:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Crossover, Lincoln, Design/Style, Luxury, Deep Dive

Ford's efforts to resuscitate its moribund Lincoln luxury brand began in earnest with the introduction of its 2014 MKZ sedan, a model many labeled as the marque's make-or-break offering. Of course, one model does not a comeback make, and with the MKZ just now starting to trickle into dealers, it will be some time before America's jury of consumers comes in with their judgment. More to the point, it's likely to take better than a decade's worth of products and sustained marketing effort to even begin to figure out whether Lincoln has a shot at redemption or if it will die of Mercury poisoning. After all, rival General Motors has been pouring resources into Cadillac since the late '90s, and if the sales charts are any guidance, it's still probably too early to declare its rebirth a success.

Certainly, a brand with Ford's resources, free of distractions (read: the now-defunct Premier Auto Group and various other side projects) should be able to successfully market a single luxury brand, particularly one with such a rich - if distant - history. Especially now with the Blue Oval enjoying more consumer goodwill than at any time in recent history. So let's all give Alan Mulally and friends a little room to work, eh?

We can start by focusing on the compact crossover seen before you, the Lincoln MKC Concept. Riding atop the same global C-platform that underpins the Ford C-Max, Escape and Focus, the MKC showcar here presages a production small CUV that will stick its distinctive nose into one of the auto industry's fastest-growing segments.

Continue reading Lincoln MKC Concept shows real promise [w/video]

Lincoln MKC Concept shows real promise [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lincoln MKC crossover headed for Detroit

Jeffrey N. Ross — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:44:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Crossover, Lincoln, Luxury

Fresh off the launch of the stylish new MKZ sedan, the newly named Lincoln Motor Company is reportedly preparing for a lineup expansion. According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the first new product joining the Lincoln brand is a small crossover based on the Ford Escape said to be called the MKC. We saw this machine testing a few months ago, and while we were hoping the name might be reserved for a future two-door model or even the diminutive Concept C hatchback, it looks like the "C" will stand for compact crossover instead.

The report also says that this crossover will be making its debut next month at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, so we'll have to wait until then to see what the new model looks like. Unlike the MKX, which is based off the Ford Edge, we would expect there to be a lot more differentiation between the MKC and the Escape like Ford managed to do with the newest Fusion and MKZ.

In addition to the new MKC, the article states new MKS and Navigator designs are expected to debut by 2014.

Lincoln MKC crossover headed for Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #311

Dan Roth — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Podcasts, BMW, Buick, Ford, Lincoln, Subaru

LA Auto Show, Forza Horizon, Lincoln Motor Company

Episode #311 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and George Kennedy talk about the Los Angeles Auto Show and the big deal Ford is making over its re-launch of Lincoln as Lincoln Motor Company. Also this week, an interview with Turn 10 Studios Creative Director Dan Greenawalt about Forza Horizon. It's a extra-value-length podcast this week. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #311:

Topics:

In the Autoblog Garage:
2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3
2013 Buick LaCrosse Touring
2013 Subaru Outback

Hosts: Dan Roth, Zach Bowman, George Kennedy

Runtime: 02:05:19

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Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #311

Autoblog Podcast #311 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #311 LIVE

Dan Roth — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:25:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Etc., Lincoln

We record Autoblog Podcast #311 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Also for episode #311, Dan, Zach and Autoblog Editor-in-Chief John Neff chatted with Dan Greenawalt, Creative Director of Turn 10 Studios, about Forza Horizon. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #311

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Can't see the EventBox? Click Here.Voices Heard Media

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #311 LIVE originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lincoln and MKZ propose brand reinvention

George Kennedy — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Lincoln, Luxury

Lincoln made a rather assertive statement about the future of its products at the 2012 LA Auto Show. Rather than put any new vehicle on display for the first press day, the American premium brand placed a collection of classic cars from its past on the show floor. For the second day, that assortment was replaced with more than a half-dozen examples of the all-new 2013 MKZ. Following that, Lincoln teased a new ad campaign that was in the works, and it appears we now have the first extended promotional video.

Entitled "The Lincoln Motor Company," the spot acts as more of a mission statement, rather than an ad, featuring (once again) cars from Lincoln's past, as well as certain bits of Americana usually reserved for a Levi's ad. The video concluded with Lincoln reintroducing itself to the world, accompanied by a new name: The Lincoln Motor Company.

The video is likely to be the first of many in a large advertising blitz by the automaker, in concert with the rolling-out of the new MKZ. The sedan was the only new vehicle featured in the video, and Lincoln is betting heavily on this "reinvention" to bring customers in to see its new sedan. We want to know what's next. Scroll down to watch the video.

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Lincoln and MKZ propose brand reinvention originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford's Farley addresses 'the burden of being Lincoln'

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Lincoln

For at least two years, the plot lines concerning Lincoln have been "How much longer until Ford kills it?" and then "How much longer until Ford turns it around?" We were told that the 2013 MKZ would begin the resurrection of a brand that many felt nostalgia for, but not love (not unlike Cadillac of not so long ago). But Lincoln knows it can't get back in the good books with just one new model; Ford's global marketing chief, Jim Farley, clued Automotive News into the lengths Lincoln will go to get customers' attentions again.

Calling it "the burden of being Lincoln," Farley said that the company's duty is to "remove any barrier that would prevent people from considering a Lincoln, taking a test drive and deciding to buy." That means a "massive" and experiential marketing campaign called, in the interim, "Reimagined," that not only wants to make the case for the brand and its cars but give consumers plenty of ways to get into those cars and drive them. Perhaps most importantly, the campaign aims to do this with younger consumers: 65 is the average age of the Lincoln owner, Farley would like to get that particular demographic way down to the 35-50 bracket.

In attempt to make the most of every interaction, Farley said Lincoln will inaugurate at 24/7 "concierge service" that offers live sales reps to help customers build and price an MKZ. It will also rebrand itself Lincoln Motor Company, which is a bit of a head-scratcher, but apparently they've determined that that's what will resonate better with the "cultural progressive magicians" and "agile visionaries" in the 35-50 age group they're after. The push will commence with a music performance on November 26, around the time of the Los Angeles Auto Show. We don't have details on the event yet, but it will be live-streamed on the website that's home for the campaign.

Ford's Farley addresses 'the burden of being Lincoln' originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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