Renamed Zephyr will be pricier

Lincoln's renamed Zephyr sedan -- the 2007 Lincoln MKZ -- will get a new three-letter name and a four-digit price increase to match, according to a report by Automotive News. The MKZ (pronounced Mark Z) is the latest in a series of Lincoln vehicles to be renamed with an alphabetic name. Lincoln's marketing manager Michael Peyton was quoted as saying the prices would go up around $2,000. Currently, the car has a base price of $29,660. The slight premium for the MKZ can be attributed to Ford's new 3.5-liter V-6 engine, all-wheel-drive, and some minor visual tweaks. Oddly, Ford currently discounts each Zephyr it sells by an average of $4,342, according to the J.D. Power and Associates. The Leftlane Perspective: Instead of raise the price, why not reduce the incentives? For consumers who research pricing online or in magazines, this price hike could hurt sales.