Ford discloses more details on Lincoln's transformation

Filed under: Lincoln

This is going to be a serious effort, and the early signs are encouraging.

The Ford Motor Company is finally marshaling the resources and money to transform Lincoln into a true luxury brand again. While the company is guarded in discussing the full details of its plan, it's divulging enough for now to let the world know that this is going to be a serious effort. And the early signs are encouraging.

The linchpin to this turnaround will be daring new products and significantly upgraded dealerships. And the key to accomplishing that is a new organizational structure for Lincoln. Up through the 1950s, Lincoln was a stand-alone "house" with its own headquarters, designers, engineers and assembly. The new organization will not recreate that original "house" concept, but it's a big step in the right direction.

Lincoln says it will not abandon its traditional customers, but it must attract a new generation of buyers, people with a different psychographic mindset than those who have been buying Town Cars for the last quarter century. Yet, while it may not abandon those buyers, saying they'll suffer from benign neglect may not be too far off the mark.

Of course, other luxury brands are not sitting still, and new entrants like the Hyundai Equus are getting into the game. Everyday that goes by only makes Lincoln's comeback all the more difficult. Even so, the Ford Motor Company has formidable resources and here's how it plans to put them to work.

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John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every month he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.

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Ford discloses more details on Lincoln's transformation originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/08/11/ford-discloses-more-details-on-lincolns-transformation/

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