Photo: Lincoln
Lincoln's global director stated that Ford's upmarket arm will take the path less traveled by automakers these days in order to to revitalize its lineup. Unlike traditional premium marques from Europe, the brand doesn't intend to come up with a sub-$30k Mercedes-Benz CLA look-alike, but launch a full-on luxury flagship model.
Speaking to motoring publication Edmunds, Mr. Matt VanDyke told "We have to go up. We have a Ford brand that has phenomenal products in the $20,000 - $30,000 range. Our goal shouldn't be to go down below $30,000 and compete with them. Our goal and transformation needs to be to really entrench ourselves as a true luxury competitor in the higher price points."
You might think that the way to go is to come up with a luxury sedan following the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class bulletproof recipe, but oh no… Lincoln has a very different idea about what luxury means in this particular vehicle segment. "I don't think it is as easy today to say that a flagship is a [spacious] sedan, costing $100,000 that sets the tone for the rest of the product line. It is not as simple as it maybe was a decade or two ago."
The American manufacturer's global director hints that "what Land Rover has achieved with the Evoque" crossover is the foundation behind the upcoming Lincoln luxury sedan. Specifically, VanDyke pointed out that an image-boosting product following the Range Rover Evoque recipe is what the struggling carmaker needs in order to get out of the anonymity pit it currently finds itself in.
It seems like Lincoln's future flagship won't follow the Mercedes-Benz S-Class recipe, but come as a full-size crossover or something like that. Aside from the 2015 model year Navigator SUV, Lincoln has also launched a small premium utility vehicle called the MKC, while a 2015 Ford Mustang-based sporty model is also in the pipeline.
You might think that the way to go is to come up with a luxury sedan following the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class bulletproof recipe, but oh no… Lincoln has a very different idea about what luxury means in this particular vehicle segment. "I don't think it is as easy today to say that a flagship is a [spacious] sedan, costing $100,000 that sets the tone for the rest of the product line. It is not as simple as it maybe was a decade or two ago."
The American manufacturer's global director hints that "what Land Rover has achieved with the Evoque" crossover is the foundation behind the upcoming Lincoln luxury sedan. Specifically, VanDyke pointed out that an image-boosting product following the Range Rover Evoque recipe is what the struggling carmaker needs in order to get out of the anonymity pit it currently finds itself in.
It seems like Lincoln's future flagship won't follow the Mercedes-Benz S-Class recipe, but come as a full-size crossover or something like that. Aside from the 2015 model year Navigator SUV, Lincoln has also launched a small premium utility vehicle called the MKC, while a 2015 Ford Mustang-based sporty model is also in the pipeline.
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