While Mercury has typically been the brand with high-volume aspirations in the Lincoln -Mercury universe, Ford has plans to shift that focus to Lincoln, according to a new report. Meanwhile, Ford is also considering making Lincoln a global brand, rather than a U.S.-only marque.
Ford will place an increased emphasis on Lincoln instead of Mercury, even when it comes to sales volume, Ford’s Mark Fields said, according to Car and Driver. He made it clear Lincoln will become the “volume piece of that franchise.”
Recently, Ford’s Derrick Kuzak said Lincoln will will not move upscale to fill void left by sale of Jaguar , Land Rover , implying volume will be the priority.
He said Ford won’t walk away from Mercury entirely, but it has “higher aspirations” for its Lincoln brand. At best, it sounds like Mercury will be relegated to a maker of special-edition Fords. (Some sources suggest Mercury could be gone by 2012.)
Meanwhile, Ford is considering bringing Lincoln to the global market, according to Automotive News. Ford marketing chief Jim Farley said taking Lincoln to Europe, Russia, and the Middle East is “a really rich opportunity for us.”
Cadillac has had some success in Europe, and Lexus is doing well in Russia and Saudi Arabia. Farley’s comments mark the first time a Ford executive has talked about selling Lincolns outside of North America.
