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Old 01-27-2012, 09:35 AM   #16
XDCX
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Regarding "traditonal" luxury, I think Lincoln tried that before and it didn't really work. With the headlight design of the 300 and 200, I don't think Auburn Hills is looking to the traditional luxury buyers either.
I still think there's a large market of people who are in their 60s - 80s who would rather have a "traditional" luxury car. (Vehicles like the Lincoln Town Car, Cadillac Fleetwood, Chrysler Fifth Avenue, etc.)

In many ways the Mercury division would have been perfect for this type of car but that's water under the bridge.

Concerning the Chrysler 300, now that the Town Car is dead I think the styling of the 300 is the closest vehicle in the market for a customer looking for "traditional" luxury.

I'd also add that the customers in the 60s - 80s demographic are nothing to scoff at. In my experience they can be some of the nicest customers to work with, they tend to be loyal to the dealership for service and parts and they are less likely to use the Internet and cross-shop your offer looking for a lower price.

Concerning Chrysler's urban advertising, I'd love to see the current demographics and see if there has been any change in the buyer profile for the Chrysler 300.
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Old 05-02-2012, 11:13 AM   #17
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Default Lincoln was only 3.5% of Ford's sales last month

I thought of this thread when I read that Lincoln only comprised 3.5% of Ford's total sales in the U.S. for April, 2012.

Can Ford really justify the expense of supporting a brand with product and advertising if it only represents 3.5% of their total sales? How many additional vehicles could Ford sell it they used Lincoln's resources to support their Ford brand?

To be clear, I don't want to see Ford kill-off the Lincoln brand but that's mostly an emotional reaction.
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Old 05-02-2012, 12:20 PM   #18
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Hopefully when/if that happens the dealers will be compensated for their investment.
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Old 05-03-2012, 08:24 AM   #19
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Hopefully when/if that happens the dealers will be compensated for their investment.
The tough part is a lot of the Lincoln Dealers just had to complete facility upgrades to meet Ford's requirements.

While I think Ford definitely needs a luxury brand I wouldn't be surprised to see them adopt their own version of "Project Alpha" and work to bring the Ford and Lincoln brands under one roof.

To your point, I also hope Ford compensates the single point Lincoln dealers if they eventually decide to combine the Lincoln brand with Ford.
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Old 05-04-2012, 06:34 AM   #20
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Hopefully when/if that happens the dealers will be compensated for their investment.
I have been told that Ford has been buying back dealers who did not want to
do the Lincoln showroom upgrade deal.

Three different dealers locally have taken the offer.

The rumor is each one was paid $500k plus parts, signs and tools.
.

Last edited by XDCX; 05-04-2012 at 10:03 AM. Reason: Fix quote tag.
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Old 05-04-2012, 07:01 AM   #21
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I have been told that Ford has been buying back dealers who did not want to
do the Lincoln showroom upgrade deal.

Three different dealers locally have taken the offer.

The rumor is each one was paid $500k plus parts, signs and tools.
.
Wow a manufacturer trying to do the right thing....what a novel idea! The 789 can only dream.
.

Last edited by XDCX; 05-04-2012 at 10:06 AM. Reason: Fix quote tag.
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Old 05-04-2012, 10:26 AM   #22
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How many millions were spent fighting to do the wrong thing?
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Old 05-04-2012, 12:35 PM   #23
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Wow a manufacturer trying to do the right thing....what a novel idea! The 789 can only dream.
.
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How many millions were spent fighting to do the wrong thing?
Great comments.

It's hard to imagine why GM and Chrysler thought it was necessary to beat the last cent out of their OLDCO dealers when the total cost of the bailout to the taxpayers will exceed $19 Billion. How much more would it have cost to treat the OLDCO dealers with a little dignity and respect?

On that note, you sure as hell don't see the UAW suing the U.S. Treasury because they felt laws were broken during the bailout.
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Old 02-05-2013, 09:42 AM   #24
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Unhappy January, 2013 Sales Results: 4,191 units = Down 18%

I thought of this thread in light of Lincoln's most recent sales report. Lincoln's January sales only amounted to 4,191 units - that's a 14% decrease in sales in a month where the industry was up 12%.

Personally, I didn't like Lincoln's Super Bowl commercial and I still think the front end styling on their cars/SUVs is hideous.

Is Ford on the right track with Lincoln or will the brand continue to flounder?
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