alternate REALities: shoulda/woulda/coulda

[2b2]

I've been building an alternate reality lineup going back to the turn of the millenium...
...& needed a new thread for the chops (& to get ready for THE RETURN, aka Mercury: Mission 2020)
tho hope anyone who has a favorite Brand that didn't get a vehicle or ten that it 'shoulda' will join in.

The 'first' two are the 1st & 2nd gen Milans. THIS time built on the Mazda6 in AAI-FlatRock.
(This also assumes that SOMEbody slapped some sense into Mazda and prevented the plus-sizing that imho, has directly led to Mazda having to pull out of manufacturing the Mz6 in the U.S. - - so these would both be just a bit smaller than the Fusion/MKZ)

2006 Milan

front drawn on, rear pasted on

2009 Milan

changes all drawn

both chops actually started with the respective global 5-door hatch Mz6 models
AND, given my druthers, the Milans would have been "dual-back" hatches something like the Skoda Superb, but with a simpler mechanism: a full hatch that has a separate trunklid built INTO the hatch. The '09 would also have had a slight touch of "tunnel-back" style to its hatch.

[2b2]

alternate reality Lincoln-Mercury history
(ref: http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f...-lineup-11126/)








all ^that was written months ago
sorry I had to post it as pix - too hard to get columns to line up otherwise (ex: the 2013 'new Z' missed a tab)

[TurboS40]

Not sure if this is off the subject but would Mercury be around today if Mercury merged with Merkur (using Merkur name) and picked up where the Merkur left off with a full line centered around the Euro theme to distance itself from being a fancy Ford?

[Andrew L]

Probably not, the problem with Merkur was the price and an unknown name. They were too expensive.

[2b2]

Not sure if this is off the subject but would Mercury be around today if Mercury merged with Merkur (using Merkur name) and picked up where the Merkur left off with a full line centered around the Euro theme to distance itself from being a fancy Ford?

nothing of a What-If nature is offTopic in THIS thread, TurboS40
&
I wasn't paying much attention during Merkur's time but
much of my vision for Mercury is that it be 'international' in design theme
note: the "is", present tense, not past

[Logans Run]

If Mercury was alive....

Comet = Wagon and coupe versions of the Focus. Unique grill/hood + unique lights front and back
Meteor = 5-door and wagon versions of Modeo. Unique grill/hood + unique lights front and back
Current MKS(which would no longer be a Lincoln) Mercury badges, grill, lights.
Miner = Kuga with Mercury badges, grill, lights.(Ford would have unique tophat, similar to Explorer)
Mountanier =Mercury styled Explorer.

Lincoln
Zephyr (MKZ sedan as planned)
Continental = RWD (opt AWD) large sedan. (Long wheelbased option with bespokedness)
Mark V = RWD (opt AWD) large coupe.
Aviator = CUV based on Escape, but on longer wheelbase.
Apex = RWD based 4x4 Mid-sized SUV based of new Ford Bronco
Navigator= Stretched and widened RWD based 4x4 SUV based of new Ford Bronco

[2b2]

Welcome to nEverland, Logan
question: what platform would your Conti & Mark V be on?
&
interesting Suv/Cuv assortment for Lincoln - what platform is the Bronco that 2 are based on?
&
rather like the "Apex" name
& Oh!
is "Miner" a typo for Mariner or intentional?

[2b2]

I was going over my above timeline today & getting totally confused on how the general idea could be applied currently (not really the point of this thread but hey...) or to a much briefer shoulda/woulda,
when N.R.'s post in Mission:Lincoln came to my rescue

Well, I personally would've kept Mercury and killed Lincoln in favor of the Continental brand.
Mercury should replace the current Lincoln...

so
sometime after Mr. Mulally came onboard (Fall 2006) wanting to eliminate everything but the Ford Brand;
Lincoln would have been reduced to the Navigator & TownCar (later/asap replaced by a stretched MKS...it's planned-at-one-time big brother, codename: E386 (imho = "TouringCar" (INSTEAD of building the MKT AT ALL)...tho using it's side-styling)...until RWD was ready (est. 2014-5)
and
everything else would've been Mercs:
MKX = Monterey
MKS = Marquis** (no 'Grand')
the Z & Milan would have just been combined
& the MKuGa would ALREADY be the Mariner
and
I would've gotten my Focus-based CORTINA (née 'Milanetto', for FiN oldtimers)

O.M.G., ^that^ was so simple!

** still think copcars deserve to be Mercs so include the Mercury Interceptor
which
raises the question of the Explorer...&...I don't mind if Merc skipped that (keeping a soupçon of Small Merc Theorem)...MUCH rather have the S-Max as the 'MetaSpace'

[nruggiero]

Shuttering Lincoln in favor of Continental would've been very logical.

1.)They wouldn't be developing a brand with a tarnished and inconsistent luxury brand name.
2.)They could work with a clean sheet.(start off with a flagship and then work down= brand image!)
3.)They wouldn't have to worry about deadbeat dealerships(hell, they could be corporate owned=an amazing experience).

If they had shuttered Lincoln in favor of Continental, it would take a while to launch the Continental brand because they would have to develop a large RWD platform for the flagship. IMO, I would name the flagship sedan the Mark I and the coupe the Mark II. Maybe. This flagship would compete with the world's finest(Bentley and Rolls).

When building a luxury brand, it's very important to start off with a flagship or a halo to build a brand image. Therefore, start off at the top and work down.

This would've have been the most logical thing to do, imo. It's not easy to rebuild a brand with decades of crappy product.

IMO, Lincoln wasn't nice from the get-go. If you look at Lincoln's history, they had same identity issues back when Ford bought them. The Continental made the brand famous.

We'll see if Lincoln's revitalization is successful or not. If not, this should be plan B.

[nruggiero]

Here's a scenario for you guys about luxury.

What if Prada started lowering themselves and started selling their items in Penney's for a cheaper price and cheaper quality in trade for more sales? They do that for ten years and then decide to go back to selling high end items again. Do you guys think that they will gain high end clientele back after they destroyed themselves for ten years?

This is exactly what Lincoln and Cadillac has done to themselves. It's hard to gain back that high end clientele when for ten years that brand has been selling crap. Luxury buyers look to buy from companies that have a consistent luxury heritage. That's what Cadillac and Lincoln are missing. They're going to have a hell of a time regaining that luxury image. Generation Y is the future of all luxury car buying. They remember that their grandparents drove those cars. They remember that they were airport taxis. They remember how crappy those brands were!

This is exactly why I think killing Lincoln in favor of the Continental brand would've been the most logical thing to do.

CONSISTENCY MATTERS!!!!