Ford aims for Lincoln revival

Today, Ford Motor Co. shows the long-awaited new look for the luxury Lincoln brand that has been long on promises and short on sheetmetal. Ford is banking on the new face of Lincoln to attract new, younger buyers, and revive the struggling marque.

The concept for the all-new 2013 Lincoln MKZ has a new face with a split grille that replaces the traditional vertical "waterfall" look with soaring, horizontal lines. The car has new lights, a new silhouette and a new interior.

Removing the gear shifter ? it is replaced with an electronic one ? allowed Lincoln to create an airy center console that appears to be floating in space. And a giant, retractable glass roof will become a signature of Lincolns going forward.

Ford decided against starting its overhaul of the Lincoln with the flagship MKS full-size sedan; although the MKS has been given a significant facelift, it will be the last of the brand to get a full makeover. Instead, Lincoln will start with the higher-volume MKZ midsize sedan, which is launching this summer for sale in the fall. A hybrid version will be available.

"The MKZ is the first of our transformational Lincoln products," said designer Max Wolff.

Ford created a team and a studio to redesign the Lincoln ? seven new or reworked vehicles by 2014. To support its reinvented lineup, Ford streamlined Lincoln's dealer network and prepared a boutique financing arm.

Combined, the product and business revamp is intended to return Lincoln to past glory.

Brand was odd man out

Lincoln was the top-selling luxury brand in the U.S. in 1998. U.S. sales peaked at 231,660 in 1990. Last year, 85,643 were sold here ? 7 percent of the luxury market.

Lincoln was an odd man out among Ford's exotic Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover nameplates, as well as its near-luxury Volvo. The marque was starved for attention and resources. Lincoln languished and lacked a distinct identity.

The situation worsened when hard times hit in 2008 and management focused on the high-volume Ford brand.

"Lincoln was neglected ? not abused," said Jim Farley, Ford's head of global sales and marketing.

Now that the Blue Oval is well into its product revival, and those other luxury brands ? as well as Mercury ? have been shed, Ford's attention is back on Lincoln.

Lincoln wants to attract "progressive luxury customers," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's head of global product development.

These open-minded and tech-savvycustomers constitute almost one-quarter of luxury buyers today, and are the fastest-growing demographic, he said. Lincoln wants to offer them vehicles with the responsiveness of a BMW and comfort of a Lexus. Ford's crosstown rival, General Motors Co., also has targeted BMW via its Cadillac line.

The task is daunting, said Farley, who came to Ford from Toyota Motor Corp., where he helped launch the luxury Lexus brand from scratch in 1988 to keep Toyota customers who wanted a premium vehicle.

"You can't be successful as a mainstream brand if people deflect to other luxury brands," Farley said of the luxury segment that accounts for 10 percent to 13 percent of the total U.S. market.

The silver bullet is the team behind the reinvention of Lincoln.

Wolff, an Australian who a year ago was designing Cadillacs, a brand that's working on its own renaissance, captains it as chief designer.Marketing is in the hands of C.J. O'Donnell, who has worked with many Ford brands, the last being Jaguar in the U.K. until May 2010.

Kevin Cour, a colleague of Farley's at Toyota, joined Ford in the spring to head Lincoln sales and service. He has overseen consolidating Lincoln dealers to 325 in the country's top 130 luxury markets.

Scott Tobin, a 23-year Ford veteran with stints at Mazda and Ford of Europe, heads engineering and product development for Lincoln.

"The tie that binds us is a passion to take an underperformer and transform it," Cour said.

'Think tank for Lincoln'

One year ago ? his first week on the job ? Wolff sat down with Ford design chief Moray Callum for a briefing on what was working and what was not.

"(Callum) flippantly said we should create a unique Lincoln studio and I immediately said 'yes,'" Wolff recalled.

Callum confirmed the story, adding: "We need to emphasize the distinctiveness. If the engineering is different, design should be, too."

The Lincoln studio, with about 200 employees, is "like a think tank for Lincoln," said Tobin, and has great support from Ford's top management.

"The chemistry of the team is great. Lincoln is no longer a family divided," O'Donnell said.

While his colleagues work on the new lineup of cars, O'Donnell must sell the image of a rejuvenated Lincoln.

Relaunching a brand can be harder than starting from scratch, because past products come with good and bad baggage, he said.

Strong luxury brand key

Convincing potential buyers ? who associate Lincoln with Town Cars and older drivers ? will be tough, said analyst Rebecca Lindland of IHS Automotive Inc. in Greenwich, Conn.

"Lincoln still has such an image issue to overcome," she said. "You do that with product."

Lindland likes what she's seen so far.

The MKZ will be the first in a line of Lincolns with fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines, eight-speed automatic transmissions and a host of other new technologies.

Having a strong luxury brand allows Ford to offer higher-cost features and some can trickle down to the Ford brand. ."No matter how good Ford products get, you need a step up, a premium brand to be a true global player," Wolff said.

"It is good to have a sense of heritage, especially in the luxury market," he said. "It's exciting to move it forward."

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120110/AUTO01/201100389/-1/rss29

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