Ford’s luxury brand Lincoln has finally had some life lately, thanks to the company putting more effort into reviving this brand that once had a history. Selling Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Land Rover has helped Lincoln’s cause, as that move has freed Ford designers to work on cars for their Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln brands.
All new models in the pipeline
Ford executives have been forthcoming about some products in development, most notably the Ford Fiesta, while hinting that both Mercury and Lincoln would get some new models. The last two brands are sold at Lincoln-Mercury dealerships and those dealers are eager to sell a new product.
Recently, Automotive News shared that the Lincoln may, in fact, get a completely new model, this being a compact car to compete against the BMW 1 Series and make up for a compact model from Cadillac that is also in the works. This is the first time that kind of news has been published, leaving analysts speculating on what Ford has in mind. Based on current market conditions, we can say that a compact Lincoln would rank below the MKS and retail for around $ 30,000, the price of cars in this segment.
What a compact Lincoln would look like
Let’s examine a possible Lincoln compact and what that car could mean for the American luxury brand:
Design a sedan – I can’t imagine Ford giving Lincoln more than a sedan, but a luxury roadster would be nice. However, since the Lexus SC isn’t selling that well and with GM planning to cut the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice, the automaker would be better off on one thing for sure – there’s no car safer than a four-wheel drive sedan! doors!
Trusting EcoBoost – No buyer will be satisfied with a four-cylinder Lincoln unless they have the power to deliver. With Ford EcoBoost engines on the way, this new technology allows smaller engines to work as hard as a larger one while saving fuel. A 1.8L four-cylinder would be small, but with EcoBoost it could have the power of a small V6.
Volvo loan – As the owner of Volvo, Ford has yet to turn to its Swedish brand for Lincoln. Although I have a feeling that we will see nothing more than a reworked Ford that will be sold like Lincoln, building a new car from scratch that can support both a Volvo model and a Lincoln model makes the most sense to me. On the other hand, here we are talking about Ford, the king of brand redundancy.
Do it fast! – The next Lincoln needs to do something that no other Lincoln does today and that is to increase the appeal of the brand. The MKS is starting to turn things around for the brand, but it’s not enough: Can Ford build a luxury compact car that is truly luxurious, attractive, and fun to drive? That remains to be seen!
I’m not sure Ford will go ahead and give Lincoln a compact model nor do I think this car is a must-have for the brand. Mercury is in worse shape and could be the best brand to sell this type of car. Regardless, we are not likely to see this new model before 2011, therefore our speculation will have to do so for now.
