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No Fixed Abode: The Cadillac-Killer Ford’s Afraid To Build

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#1 ·
By Jack Baruth on March 26, 2014

Few topics stir the blood of the Best&Brightest like the future of the Lincoln brand. Some of you agree with me that the company should build a new Continental. Others think that Ford should, as Michael Dell once famously stated of Apple in the pre-iMac era, sell the assets and distribute the money to the shareholders. Lincoln has platform problems, dealer problems, image problems, and competition problems — but the biggest problem Lincoln faces is its parent company’s current product line.

Ford built its business and its reputation on affordable product. Remember the Model T? What about the flathead V-8? Well into the Nineties, the company often sold the lowest-priced entries in any given market segment. The Ford of the past decade, however, has climbed steadily upmarket on a wave of Euro-style product, both in terms of price and consumer perception. Nowhere is that more apparent than with the new Mondeo/Fusion siblings.

The Fusion is expensive, complex, and remarkably stylish when compared to the rest of the family-sedan field. It also looks a fair bit like an Aston Martin, or at least what an Aston would look like were it inflated to a slightly higher pressure than recommended. While your humble author thinks the Lincoln MKZ has it beat for visual upscale-ness (upscality?) most of our readers disagree, preferring the Ford’s styling, interior materials, and overall packaging to those of its nominally superior platform mate.

This is a problem for the MKZ, but we live in a world where the Sloan Plan is long dead and artificial differences between brands from the same mother company won’t survive in the light of the competitive day. In other words, it doesn’t really matter if the Fusion impacts MKZ sales, as long as it impacts sales of the real competition by a greater amount. With the Fusion, Ford has a chance to stick its finger in the eye of its primary rival in the American market.

No, not Honda or Toyota. Don’t believe the hype. The crew at General Motors is still Ford’s closest competitor, and even if they’ve made it relatively easy for the Blue Oval to shine by contrast, they’re probably still the family of brands most often considered by those who eventually purchase Fords. Which leads to the question: If Ford is heading upscale and will eventually pass Lincoln, won’t the time eventually come when the Ford brand is in direct conflict with brands besides Chevrolet?

To some extent, it’s probably already happening. The Taurus Limited probably steals sales from the LaCrosse and vice versa. Surely the higher-end variants of the Ford trucks are shopped against the GMC Denali products. But what about Cadillac? Could Ford strike at Cadillac using its mainstream brand, not the currently aimless and product-starved Lincoln?

I’d suggest that it could, using one of its strongest models to attack one of Cadillac’s weakest. We’ve discussed the sales of Cadillac’s ELR “flagship” in the recent past, and although I’m not sure if the word “catastrophic” was used, it probably should have been. The ELR has a variety of problems, from its obvious affinity to the Chevrolet Volt to the bizarre bobtail styling that frankly makes some of us nostalgic for the slantback Seville, but it has one major strength. The ELR’s green credentials are unimpeachable. At some point in the near future, surely the self-consciously environmental among the nouveau riche will realize that it’s possible to get most of the Prius cred without having to drive a Prius. At that point, sales have to go up.

Ford has a chance to seize that ground for itself, and a Malaysian illustrator has already shown how:

That’s right: it’s a Mondeo/Fusion coupe. While it would certainly be possible to make a sleeker coupe, one that looked more obviously like an Aston Vantage, the bulbous look of this one kind of shouts “green”, doesn’t it? Isn’t it considerably more upscale-looking than the stunted ELR? Just imagine them parked next to each other. Which one looks like an expensive car? Which one looks like a premium product?

Alert readers will no doubt remember that Honda and Nissan currently offer mid-sized coupes, and that neither of those coupes have much pull above thirty grand or so. This is true, but that’s largely a function of how they’re configured and sold. The Fusion coupe, on the other hand, could and probably should be sold only as an Energi plug-in model, with every possible option, in a range of unique colors. A $39,999 single price point would split the difference between affordable and luxury, and it would be considerably less than even the actual transaction prices of the ELR. It might not even need to be called the Fusion Energi Coupe. It could be the Evos or the Fairlane or pretty much anything besides “Probe”.

Could Ford dealers handle selling a $39,999 luxury coupe? Well, they’re already selling $60,000 trucks and loaded Expeditions, so I’d suggest that it would be no problem whatsoever. The sales numbers wouldn’t have to be all that impressive to be useful; 90% of the car’s already paid for. The important thing is that it would give Ford’s more upscale customers a way to establish their green credentials and their luxury credentials at the same time. As long as the coupe isn’t available as anything but a plug-in, the message will be strong and clear. The advertising could even target the ELR directly, although Ford, unlike GM or even Jaguar, is too strong and smart lately to put their competitors in too much of the marketing material.

It’s hard to see how this strategy could go wrong. It’s a minimum cost for considerable reward and it would give Ford the chance to have what might be the first successful upscale-priced plug-in hybrid. The Aston similarity could be played-up a little further if the designers want to. There’s precedent, after all: the original idea for the Continental Mark III was “A Thunderbird with a Rolls-Royce grille on it.” A Mondeo with an Aston grille, stuffed full of batteries and sent out to hunt for Cadillac’s lifeblood? With a plan like that, who needs Lincoln anyway?

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/03/no-fixed-abode-the-cadillac-killer-fords-afraid-to-build/
 
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#3 ·
I disagree with SO much of this article

imho the Fusion photographs better than the Z (esp the AWFUL initial pix of the Z Concept) but in person the Lincoln is AT LEAST the equal of the Ford, exteriorly - and much more upscale on the inside!!

Agree the ELR is in critical ways a travesty...
GM took the already-too-small Volt and made it SMALLER! (on the inside)
+ a 2(TWO)door!?! which just doN'T sell anymore
++, the petrol range-extender sucks (for MPG)

Also the demographics of the "Honda and Nissan currently offer(ed) mid-sized coupes" have nearly NO overlap with the green crowd, imho.

It IS interesting that the "$39,999 single price point would split the difference between affordable and luxury" pricepoint is exactly where I'd currently position the base-price of my MKEenergi...
... but JUST the base-price.
Then, a coupe that "isn’t available as anything but a plug-in", imho is less impactful than offering a couple MKElectrics as well.
 
#5 ·
^ TY for posting 2(TWO!) links I prolley wouldn't've found on my own, iculookn :thumb: :joyous:

interesting that ScoopsChop talks about how the front was re-done
YET I didn't even notice that
(thinking
-- ya seen one split-wing ya seen them all
-- the s-w-stylin' is perhaps "too-TOO" for moderate-differences to differentiate the models)-(for me anyway)
 
#7 ·
#8 ·
In other words, kill the Lincoln brand so you can put a modified Ford Fusion against a Cadillac which was never intended to sell more than four figures per year.

Baruth is clearly receiving money from GM for writing that kinda idiocy.
agree, I don´t understand that, that fusion coupe looks bad, the MKZ coupe of the other link looks good. To kill Lincoln is a bad idea for Ford but these days I´m tired of not seeing something new.
 
#9 ·
Bloggin said:
An MKZ Coupe and MKZ Coupe Energi with at least 30 EV miles will do very well, and enable Lincoln to expand the lineup efficiently
I'm still disagreeing here (no offense, Bloggin
)... let me count the ways
imhos
-- the Z is already so coupe-ish that if ^it^ wasn't PARKed & in the right orientation, no one would notice that coupe wasn't the sedan
-- to change the STRUCTURE to 2 doors would not come cheap = no such thing as a 2-d CD4 built anywhere in the world yet
-- 1+2= to really change the Look would require ALLnew sheetmetal = beaucoup bucks ...for very few sales!
-- they can cut'n'paste the Fusion-Energi's drivetrain into the existing Z for relative-PENNIES
-- they have the C2-C-Max Energi drivetrain & C2-Focus-Electric drivetrain just waiting to plugged-into (pun) the GRAND-C-Max's plus-sized chassis...
...IF (I hope) they find the reasons for unique sheetmetal
 
#10 ·
I'm still disagreeing here (no offense, Bloggin
)... let me count the ways
imhos
-- the Z is already so coupe-ish that if ^it^ wasn't PARKed & in the right orientation, no one would notice that coupe wasn't the sedan
-- to change the STRUCTURE to 2 doors would not come cheap = no such thing as a 2-d CD4 built anywhere in the world yet
-- 1+2= to really change the Look would require ALLnew sheetmetal = beaucoup bucks ...for very few sales!
-- they can cut'n'paste the Fusion-Energi's drivetrain into the existing Z for relative-PENNIES
-- they have the C2-C-Max Energi drivetrain & C2-Focus-Electric drivetrain just waiting to plugged-into (pun) the GRAND-C-Max's plus-sized chassis...
...IF (I hope) they find the reasons for unique sheetmetal

It would be so beautiful. Then add a hard electric convertible top model. What I am talking about may be the LincStang coupe/convertible. I am sure the Energi drivetrain can get in there somehow.
 
#12 ·
Ford/Lincoln won't make either, so there's no sense in speculating what it would like. Mid-size FWD coupes just don't pull the sales numbers needed to justify their production.
Neither does specialized electrified vehicles. The fact that Ford has been able to make up so much ground on the Toyota Prius juggernaut in such a short period of time shows that people want the added efficiency of a hybrid, but they clearly like getting in a package that doesn't look like an egg.
 
#13 ·
I gotta disagree with you about a LincStang. Regardless of how advanced the new chassis is, a RWD Lincoln would be huge for the brand, if for no other reason than to show the brand still has a pulse. You gotta walk before you can run. Trying to out-Volt the Volt or ELR is a fools errand: the next Volt is set to bow fairly soon, and the ELR's price point is probably going to cause it to share the same fate of the XLR before it. Cadillac's on a roll, but they ain't perfect.
 
#14 ·
Neither does specialized electrified vehicles. The fact that Ford has been able to make up so much ground on the Toyota Prius juggernaut in such a short period of time shows that people want the added efficiency of a hybrid, but they clearly like getting in a package that doesn't look like an egg.
That's kind of my point. Obviously there is some value in producing hybrids and EV's. Like you said, Ford seems to be eye and eye with Toyota in the hybrid market these days. Mid-size FWD coupes are just a dead end though. The only one left is the Accord Coupe.
 
#18 ·
It would be so beautiful. Then add a hard electric convertible top model. What I am talking about may be the LincStang coupe/convertible. I am sure the Energi drivetrain can get in there somehow.
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh ...now a LincStang (of course) I agree with
in fact I've listed *my* LincStang Coupe as a coupe-cabrio/hard'vert STD
believe that'd be an excellent way to differentiate (More!!) from the Mustang

from^ Mustang6g, sorry don't have the link (also posted iirc in Mission:Lincoln)



obligatory MKE micro-proposal graphic

found it!
 
#21 ·
Jose said:
...To kill Lincoln is a bad idea for Ford but these days I´m tired of not seeing something new.
seriously, Jose
we've already seen 2 (TWO! or 1½ for grinches) new vehicles in the last 5(?) months and the intro of production [BlackLabel] will happen later THIS year.
imho
considering the size of Lincoln's lineup:
-- that's a Lot
-- I doubt we'll much more in that kind of timeframe before Lincoln is several steps further along in its journey to "True Lux™"

TexasUncle said:
I like both renderings, both could do well in their respective markets, but I would go with the MKZ coupe in the end, Lincoln needs it more at this point than Ford, and the idea of killing off Lincoln is just crazy.
somehow/someway, TexasUncle, your post makes think about the Long Wlb MKZ for China... ("LWZC"?, think it needs an acronym) &
turning it into a coupe for the U.S. (since I can't shake the feeling the LWZC won't be sold here AS IS)(even tho I'm NOT a proponent of 2-doors) WHICH
would be a full segment-size larger than even a stretched-S550 LincStang
((rant: LincStang MUST have a sportsedan version too!))
& which could/might let the nextgen-MKS (whatever it's called) skip the sport and take on full-Lux directly?
 
#22 ·
seriously, Jose
we've already seen 2 (TWO! or 1½ for grinches) new vehicles in the last 5(?) months and the intro of production [BlackLabel] will happen later THIS year.
imho
considering the size of Lincoln's lineup:
-- that's a Lot
-- I doubt we'll much more in that kind of timeframe before Lincoln is several steps further along in its journey to "True Lux™"
well 2b2 my big problem is that I feel that the people doesn´t think in Lincoln, doesn´t consider it and IMHO they should try to stay in the peoples mind, not sure if more marketing but they need to be more "popular", to be a stronger brand, no necessarily with new products but with the current ones, also I feel that other luxury brands like MB launch their vehicles quicker than Lincoln does.
 
#23 ·
^ I feel for you(/us) Jose

tho maybe remember how small Lincoln (still) is
and how "MumBle" is really a full-line mfg, even including trucks

maybe it be easier on our nerves to compare Lincoln to (& in between) Jaguar & Acura
where
when a new model comes out, it's a BIG deal
cuz it doesn't-&-can't happen as frequently as a full-line mfg


edit
after I posted, "between) Jaguar & Acura"...
decided I really Like that continuum for Lincoln
maybe partly cuz (IMHO) Jag&Ac areN'T all that identified with RWDvsFWDvsAWD?
 
#24 ·
2b2, I understand where Jose is coming from. You have all these luxury marques launching multiple new vehicles and ones like Audi revamping 16 vehicles in 1 year. Lincoln is falling behind everymonth. It's hard for me to believe that Ford doesn't have the ability to fast track Lincoln's product offensive.
 
#25 ·
2b2, I understand where Jose is coming from. You have all these luxury marques launching multiple new vehicles and ones like Audi revamping 16 vehicles in 1 year. Lincoln is falling behind everymonth. It's hard for me to believe that Ford doesn't have the ability to fast track Lincoln's product offensive.
that is what I wanted to say, thanks iculookn :thumb:
 
#26 ·
2b2, I understand where Jose is coming from. You have all these luxury marques launching multiple new vehicles and ones like Audi revamping 16 vehicles in 1 year. Lincoln is falling behind everymonth. It's hard for me to believe that Ford doesn't have the ability to fast track Lincoln's product offensive.
They could begin launching the Lincoln alongside, or around the same time as the Ford, not a year later. But beyond that they run the Lincoln and Ford down the same assembly lines so they have far less flexibility.
 
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