Bespoke Program: The Beginning

[2b2]

Farley: Lincoln to explore Mini-style customization - Automotive News
Bradford Wernle
January 15, 2013

DETROIT -- The interior of the Lincoln MKC Concept features the Lincoln logo, known as a star lattice, embossed into the leather upholstery.

Jim Farley, global executive vice president of Lincoln marketing, sales and service, won't say whether the embossed logos will be offered on the production model. But he says Lincoln wants to give customers the chance to custom-order their Lincolns with an infinite variety of such special touches.

"Mass customization," Farley called it during an interview at the Detroit auto show...

..."It will be expensive, but we've seen customers are willing to pay a special premium for customized vehicles," Farley said. "It raises a lot of questions about distribution and ordering," issues that he said Lincoln will study carefully in the next couple of years.

"It's the modern equivalent of having your initials engraved on the driver's side door," he said. "We have a chance to explore it because our scale is smaller."


Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...#ixzz2I7eoRKD8

[Andrew L]

Wouldn't having your initials engraved in the door hurt the resale?

[Mschmal]

I think he meant to say painted on the door.

[Logans Run]

Lincoln will study carefully in the next couple of years.

That sounds pretty non-commital to me.

[nruggiero]

Would Lincoln have to have its own plant in order to have this bespoke program? It seems like it would make manufacturing difficult at Ford/Lincoln plants. Mini also has their own plant.

[Andrew L]

Would Lincoln have to have its own plant in order to have this bespoke program? It seems like it would make manufacturing difficult at Ford/Lincoln plants. Mini also has their own plant.

If only they still had Wixom

[nruggiero]

If only they still had Wixom

They could possibly build another plant. That could be where part of the "billions" of dollars will be spent. I really don't think the bespoke program would work out with this current manufacturing setup.

[2b2]

^ & ^^
can't see a Lincoln-only factory while I stand behind shared platforms
&
I've speculated about designing many options to be dealer-installable - esp electric gizmos by using a single top-capability wiring harness with snap&lock™ components - as well as easy-swap™ trim pieces. Trying to get the number of from-the-factory versions down to mainly paint & drivetrains.
also
following ^those changes, wondered about regional hubs where a small number of pre-built high-end vehicles (predicting custom orders) could be stored, ready to ship (maybe located at non-Michagan/midwest assembly plants? suggestions?)
&
if FlincMoCo found a way to not wait for a 'batch' of similar cars to be built but start immediately, wouldn't that make a custom order = less than a month, maybe only a couple weeks?

That sounds pretty non-commital to me.

imho, down right ..."tentative"

imho2 that's just the new way of speaking 'Fordish'

[nruggiero]

^ & ^^
can't see a Lincoln-only factory while I stand behind shared platforms
&
I've speculated about designing many options to be dealer-installable - esp electric gizmos by using a single top-capability wiring harness with snap&lock™ components - as well as easy-swap™ trim pieces. Trying to get the number of from-the-factory versions down to mainly paint & drivetrains.
also
following ^those changes, wondered about regional hubs where a small number of pre-built high-end vehicles (predicting custom orders) could be stored, ready to ship (maybe located at non-Michagan/midwest assembly plants? suggestions?)
&
if FlincMoCo found a way to not wait for a 'batch' of similar cars to be built but start immediately, wouldn't that make a custom order = less than a month, maybe only a couple weeks?

That's basically what Wixom was.

Maybe they can just transfer the car after built to a Lincoln preferred coachbuilder(if there are any).

[2b2]

That's basically what Wixom was.

Maybe they can just transfer the car after built to a Lincoln preferred coachbuilder(if there are any).

umm...
wasn't Wixom a factory that BUILT Lincoln cars ...& co-platformed Fords ...ie Thunderbirds? not sure if even Mercurys were built there :blush:
&
is there such a thing as a 'coachbuilder' anymore?


&

found on Lincoln's facebook