Bentley has offered Black Label cars (as well as Red and Green Label), Mercedes-Benz has Black Series, Audi and Porsche have Black Editions. Seeking a pass into the true luxury club, could Lincoln soon have a line of Black Label cars to call its own?
Parent company Ford trademarked the phrase "Lincoln Black Label" last month, and not only do we not have any clue what it might signify, the company might never apply the name to anything. It's an interesting way to go, though; Black Label is a hugely popular appellation for everything from soap to fashion to something called a "pore penetrator," and it's almost always meant to signify an appreciable notch above the norm. The question is, what kind of Lincoln could wear that badge and not be accused of being a cynical marketing exercise? Even on a Ford forum one poster wrote, "While I think that would be an awesome use of Black label unfortunately Lincoln doesn't have any vehicles nor the platform to back that up."
It would also be a departure from how Lincoln has signified its special lines until recently. Designer cars that began in the seventies, like the Cartier Town Car and Emilio Pucci Mark IV, gave way to the generic Designer trim level and then Signature Limited (itself a step above the Signature L) that was last used on the 2011 Lincoln Town Car. The present offerings are only differentiated by engines, lacking an equivalent of Ford's Titanium branding – on the MKS even the options packages are called "Equipment Group 20XA" – and this could be how Black Label finds a home. But tell us, what kind of Lincoln would deserve it?
Parent company Ford trademarked the phrase "Lincoln Black Label" last month, and not only do we not have any clue what it might signify, the company might never apply the name to anything. It's an interesting way to go, though; Black Label is a hugely popular appellation for everything from soap to fashion to something called a "pore penetrator," and it's almost always meant to signify an appreciable notch above the norm. The question is, what kind of Lincoln could wear that badge and not be accused of being a cynical marketing exercise? Even on a Ford forum one poster wrote, "While I think that would be an awesome use of Black label unfortunately Lincoln doesn't have any vehicles nor the platform to back that up."
It would also be a departure from how Lincoln has signified its special lines until recently. Designer cars that began in the seventies, like the Cartier Town Car and Emilio Pucci Mark IV, gave way to the generic Designer trim level and then Signature Limited (itself a step above the Signature L) that was last used on the 2011 Lincoln Town Car. The present offerings are only differentiated by engines, lacking an equivalent of Ford's Titanium branding – on the MKS even the options packages are called "Equipment Group 20XA" – and this could be how Black Label finds a home. But tell us, what kind of Lincoln would deserve it?
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue