April 26th, 2013 by Armaan Almeida
After recent production difficulties and the lowest sales figures in 30 years, The Lincoln Motor Company is on the rebound, brand chief Jim Farley says.
Ford’s 2012/2013 reinvention of its struggling luxury marque, bringing a new name, millions spent on Super Bowl advertising and an all-new sedan, the 2013 Lincoln MKZ, has not gone as well as expected. For the last several months, the MKZ has seen delays in making its way from the factory in Hermosillo, Mexico to dealerships, as Ford has sent each Ford Fusion-based luxury midsize to home base in Flat Rock, Michigan for extra quality inspection. This left potential buyers in the cold, unable to find the car they wanted, as well as confirmed buyers waiting months for delivery.
Now MKZ production has stabilized with normal inventories on hand, Ford says. Interest in the MKZ has been promising, especially for the 45-combined-mpg MKZ Hybrid variant. New versions of the larger MKS sedan, the MKT crossover and Navigator luxury SUV are all coming by 2015, with Lincoln promising increased quality and more differentiation from the Ford products on which these vehicles are based.
Will Lincoln ever again reach its 1990 sales record of 231,660 vehicles? First they’ll need to steal buyers away from Cadillac and Lexus, a tall order, to be sure. Riding high on strong profits from its bread-and-butter namesake brand, FoMoCo is committed to returning Lincoln to its glory days. Whether they’ll be able to pull it off depends on the cars themselves.
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