Ford cuts 20% of metropolitan Lincoln dealers

Chris Shunk — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:31:00 EST

Filed under: Ford, Lincoln, Earnings/Financials

In late 2010, Lincoln outlined a plan to cut 175 of its 500 metropolitan dealerships. The goal was to eliminate redundancy, while at the same time giving the remaining stores a better chance to succeed.

Six months into the plan, Bloomberg reports that The Blue Oval has so far cut 100 of those dealers, bringing the total amount of retail outlets in the top 130 markets to 400. The next step for the remaining dealers is to upgrade their facilities to include new training and staffing standards and perks like free car washes in the hopes of meeting or exceeding the buying experience at Lexus or BMW stores. Dealers have until August 31 to meet these new standards, which are said to cost up to $2 million per store. Those who don't qualify may receive decreased marketing support from Ford. The Blue Oval is reportedly still offering to buy Lincoln dealers or pair them with Ford franchises.

There is no question that Ford is asking dealers to heavily invest in their dealerships, and at a time when sales are very, very poor. Lincoln sales are down 11 percent so far in 2011, while the industry at large has experienced a 20-percent sales increase. But while sales are slow now, Ford has promised to introduce seven new Lincoln models by 2014. Ford is meeting with the Lincoln dealer council this week to discuss changes in customer service, while also giving the select dealers a sneak peek at some next-generation Lincoln models.

[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Stephen Brashear/Getty]

Ford cuts 20% of metropolitan Lincoln dealers originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford, Lincoln and Mercury will be redesigned by 2010

Dan Roth — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 07:11:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Etc., Ford, Lincoln, Mercury

In the interest of not going belly-up, Ford will be hard at work over the next three years to remake their entire Ford, Lincoln and Mercury fleet. We've got high hopes that the Bold Moves will start to come at us quickly now, and that great new product will offer significant improvements over their current offerings. It makes us wonder how long we'll have to live with the Five Hundred's rhinoplasty and the newly penned Focus. Ford also indicated an interest in selling "B" segment cars, which are sub-Focus size. Along with offering new small cars, technology integration will play a role in revamping the offerings. The newly unveiled and very cool Sync system is another way Ford will add value and substance to their wares. We also expect to see interesting developments on the hybrid and fuel-cell (and fuel-cell powered hybrid) fronts.

Our hope is that a little attention be given to the house of Lincoln Mercury first. The recent introduction of the Fusion, along with the refresh of the Focus and Five Hundred has bought Ford a little time, but the Town Car's looks have not aged well, and it's the odd-man-out styling-wise. The bold lines of the MKR concept bode well for some style to return to the long barren flanks of the bulbous Town Car. Mercury could stand some strategic focus. More effort should be paid to further differentiate Mercury, rather than just being tarted-up Fords. There has to be a reason for people to wander into the showrooms. We'll see in the coming months the fruits of Dearborn's labor, as they've got a lot of dedicated people working extremely hard at stanching the bloodflow at the Blue Oval.

[Source: Automotive News sub req'd]

Ford, Lincoln and Mercury will be redesigned by 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 07:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments