Can Lincoln pull offer a recovery similar to that of Cadillac? According to Fortune magazine, it may be possible. At the end of 2000, Cadillac and Lincoln were running neck and neck in sales, with Lincoln notching 193,009 cars and trucks and Cadillac counting 189,154. But by last year, Cadillac had built a huge lead. It sold 235,002 vehicles while Lincoln, in a steep decline, managed to move only 123,207. However, initial sales numbers are showing Lincoln’s new vehicles are selling well, and several more are planned (see MKS, MKX). Meanwhile, Cadillac is faced with the dilemma of how to build on its success. Fortune asks, “How long will ordinary customers shell out $2,000 extra on top of a $57,280 sticker price for a set of 22-inch chrome wheels if Funkmaster Flex and Shaq are driving something else?” Lincoln is hoping for some hip-hop love of its own, enlisting the help of rappers Kanye West and Paul Wall.
Zero obligation price quote from a trusted local dealer.
03/14, 7:42 PM
posted by:
lars ulrich
stupid article
03/14, 7:49 PM
posted by:
Thing2
hip-hop help? Yeah they’re going to catch up to Cadillac in the race towards guadiest, tackiest, most horrific things stamped out of metal
03/14, 7:49 PM
posted by:
Thing2
hip-hop help? Yeah they’re going to catch up to Cadillac in the race towards guadiest, tackiest, most horrific-looking things stamped out of metal
03/14, 9:06 PM
posted by:
Anonymous
Stupid people with nothing intelligent or insightful to say posting comments on this site lately. I hope the administrators can come up with a creative solution to this problem.
I think Lincoln is in worse shape than Cadillac ever was. I also think Ford is in worse shape than GM is. The Zephyr is a pathetic, underpowered FWD Fusion rebadge. The LS and other cars are incredibly outdated. The new Navigator is one of the ugliest vehicles I’ve ever seen. The current lineup is so far behind the competition, it’s not even a contest. What were they thinking?
03/14, 9:45 PM
posted by:
JCwhitless
The Lincoln Mark LT is the current punch line to the joke that is the Lincoln lineup. They started the darn craze with the “Darth Vader” navigator, now with the chrome grill work it looks like the RonCo Rotisserie Oven coming at you down the road. Bring back the gloomy, evil, looking Lincoln, not the pile of crushed beer can nose we have today.
03/14, 10:53 PM
posted by:
Mookie
Kayne West? What an embarassment to himself. “George Bush hates black people….. buy a Licoln” Should make for a good ad campaign. What a total monkey spank. Someone has to lead the hords of hip hop, pull your pants up, morons. I hope to see his dumb ass in an ad campaign, so Orielly can remind the public about the retarded things that come out of his mouth. Same thing happened when Pepsi hired another hip hop retard who also promoted gang banging, raping and whatever else is ‘trendy’ in the guetto. They can keep Henniken too…that beer sucks.
03/14, 11:32 PM
posted by:
Anonymous
Anonymous, take your snobbery elsewhere, because for all the regurgiation of editorial articles from the magazines you provide as “insight” are a nice reminder, its a waste for us all. I hope the administrators can come up with a solution for that..
03/15, 12:10 AM
posted by:
Jim in LA
i may be in the minority, but i believe the luxury truck segment still has a future – particularly in the era of fuel cells / hydrogen.
reasons:
1. the aging generation likes trucks and SUVs – they’re the ones who fueled the madness for the past 10 years
2. despite advancing age, people seem to be willing to climb into a truck
3. luxury sells to oldsters
4. perception (not reality) of invincibility and enhanced survivability in large trucks
that said, it’s going to take more than a $10K-higher F-150 to get me to want one. I actually liked the Blackwood for its interesting ass-end and darth grille.
time will tell.
03/15, 12:38 AM
posted by:
Martin
The market for over-the-top bling-bling SUVs is shrinking. 382163 combined GM and Mercury/Lincoln sales in 2000 versus 358209 combined sales in 2005.
03/15, 7:38 AM
posted by:
Anonymous
Hey, Mr. Hypocrite, Anonymous #2, your post is even less insightful than Anonymous #1 and an even bigger waste for us all. Take your hypocrisy elsewhere.
03/15, 3:32 PM
posted by:
Anonymous #4
Well said, #3. LOL
03/16, 4:12 AM
posted by:
DaveO
The worst thing is that he rags on Ford for badge engineering while GM is by far the leader in this. Even the once holy Corvette now underpins the XLR.
And it shows how little you know about the industry. GM because of their sheer size is poised to take a much bigger fall than Ford ever will. Ford is small enough to turn it around. Just looking at the Chevy alone…for every success they have (the new Tahoe) there are so many unsucessful attempts (Cobalt, SSR, Monte Carlo…) that have to be paid for that there is no money to be made. And promising to chase down the muscle car fad market with a new Camaro 2 to 3 years from now. Typical…too late to the game.
Ford started on the right track a few years ago by limiting their fleet sales and focusing on quality over quantity. This helps in a few areas including public perception and resale values. (No one can deny Hondas success in doing that same thing.) That attention to their customers and design are now ready for the street in cars like the Fusion and will be seen this fall in products like the Ford Edge.
As for Lincoln, they are in a transition phase right now and it is a bad place to be. But look at where Cadillac was when the CTS came out? Look at the crap they were selling around it. Lincoln will build cars like the MKx and MKs and end up being a real import fighter. Something that Cadillac has never achieved.