Lincoln Blog
Mercury dying: No updates planned past 2010Filed under: Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Rumormill  There's further proof that Ford's planetary division could soon wave goodbye, according to Automotive News. While we've already reported on the apparent lack of supplier deals for the ailing upmarket brand from Ford, some further dissection reveals just how close Mercury may be to the brink of extinction. For instance, no Mercury vehicle currently exists which isn't a mild rebadge of a Ford product. While we have had hints of new models wearing the Blue Oval badge, not a peep has been provided regarding future Mercury products. Lincoln too has gotten some love as of late with its new MKS sedan, but a Mercury flag-bearer is conspicuously absent.
While the Mariner and Milan could arguably justify their positions in Ford's lineup, the Sable, Grand Marquis and Mountaineer seem completely irrelevant. Are two models really enough to justify an entire brand? While no official announcements have been made regarding the death of the Mercury brand, the new product silence is deafening enough for many to conclude that there's just not enough money in Ford's pockets to worry about anything past its bread-and-butter Ford brand and the ailing Lincoln luxury marque.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Ford moving to three-year redesigns to keep things freshFiled under: Concept Cars, Etc., Ford, Lincoln, Mercury
Back when it was virtually guaranteed 20% US market share, Ford would redesign its vehicles every five or more years. The Ford Ranger, Focus, and Crown Victoria changed even slower, with mostly only new lights and grilles. When competitive pressures started to put the Blue Oval into an anaconda death grip, that once guaranteed share began to shrink. To battle those competitive forces, Ford is looking to do a major redesign on its vehicles every three years from now on. Ford design director Peter Horbury told Automotive News that minor styling changes just aren't effective, and that future redesigns will include changes to everything but the doors, roof, and glass. That leaves bumpers, hoods, trunks, lights, quarter panels and front and rear facias as some of the items that can be refreshed in a much more timely fashion.
Horbury claims the Dearborn, MI automaker listened to the press with regard to styling changes, which emboldens us to ask for more. We'd like a twin-turbo four-pot Mustang, a plug-in euro Focus, a 40 mpg F-150, a seat on the board, and free Mondeos for all.
[Source: Auto News (subs req'd)] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Lincoln MKSFiled under: In the Autoblog Garage, Sedans/Saloons, Lincoln 
Click the MKS for a high res gallery
The 2009 Lincoln MKS may be the marque's last chance at establishing a distinct image after two decades of struggling to find its identity. At one time Lincoln, like its counterparts at Cadillac, stood apart from lesser vehicles with unique styling, powertrains and features that clearly delineated its place in the automotive hierarchy. Not that Mark IVs, Vs and VIs were high-water marks in design, but at least when you saw one rolling down the road, you knew you were looking at a Lincoln.
But the Continentals of the '80s marked the onset of Lincoln's utterly forgettable image, and when Ford went on a buying binge in the late '80s with Jaguar, continuing through the '90s with Volvo, Aston Martin, and Land Rover, the waters began to be seriously muddied. The creation of the Premier Automotive Group, which bundled all the premium brands together, did nothing to help Lincoln's outlook, so Ford's in-house luxury brand needed a fresh start. With the dissolution of PAG, Peter Horbury and the team went back to the drawing board to define a look that would shout "Lincoln!" for years to come. Read on to find out if the MKS succeeds.
Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Lincoln MKS Permalink | Email this | Comments
Saleen unveils supercharger for Navigator/ExpeditionFiled under: Aftermarket, Tuners, SUVs, Ford, Lincoln 
Do you often wonder why putting your foot down while driving your Ford Expedition or Lincoln Navigator doesn't deliver the response for which you'd hoped? Well, that could be because you're driving an enormous beast of a vehicle saddled with an overburdened 5.4L V8 producing 300 horsepower. Well, Saleen now has the solution for more power that Ford has not been willing to offer.
The SpeeLab division of the American tuning house has announced the availability of its Series VI twin-screw supercharger for the current-model Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The forced inductor, already on duty in the Saleen S331 Sport Truck, provides an extra 100 horsepower and 100 lb-ft of torque in the SUV. The result? Substantial extra pulling power, for one, while acceleration is said to be vastly improved, dropping the 0-60 run into the sixes while improving 35 - 65 mph passing times by 30 percent, all the while making a negligible impact on fuel consumption.
[Source: Inside Line] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Get out the popcorn: new Lincoln MKS mini-movie comingFiled under: Sedans/Saloons, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Lincoln 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Lincoln MKS.
The all-new MKS is a very big deal for Lincoln, and with 10,000 pre-orders already in the books, the Blue Oval's domestic luxury arm just may have a hit on its hands. To keep a steady flow of information to potential customers, Lincoln is planning a multimedia onslaught for print, web, and TV, and it has even put together a three-minute mini movie to help generate interest. The spot, "Mad, Crazy Love," has been created to draw interest from African American customers between the ages of 30-45. Lincoln has also created 15 and 30 second teasers for the spot, and it plans to run the ads during the Black Entertainment Television Awards pre-show. Once the ads begin to air on the networks, Lincoln will also have the spot on Lincoln.com so interested parties can see more.
While we're very interested to see the spot for ourselves, the ultra-long infomersials tend to be painful to watch more than once, and the acting usually isn't all that great, either. Lets hope Ford doesn't jam this one down our collective throats, even if it actually is pretty good.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
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No surprise here: Expedition, Navigator production stopped for nine weeksFiled under: SUVs, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Lincoln 
Click on the above image to see our Ford Expedition gallery
May was apparently a tough month for Ford's big SUVs. With consumer demand understandably cold for the gargantuan utes and their hard-to-swallow 12 mpg city ratings, Lincoln Navigator sales slid 37 percent while Ford Expedition sales were down 43 percent. As a result, Ford Motor Company has announced that its Wayne, Michigan, plant that assembles these vehicles will close down for nine weeks starting on Monday. While the plant sits idle, Ford will increase production of its passenger cars to better meet market demand for smaller and much more fuel efficient vehicles. Like we didn't see this coming...
[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd] Permalink | Email this | Comments
Desperate times: Ford will retool truck plants to build carsFiled under: SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, Euro, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Lincoln 
Ford's recent announcement to reduce its white collar workforce costs by 15% shows that Mulally & Co. are dead-serious about turning around the Dearborn, MI automaker. The newest twist in the FoMoCo saga takes the situation from serious to near desperate, as plant managers and union leadership are convening in Dearborn to discuss switching factories from truck to car production. Such a move is much easier to make in one of Toyota or Honda's flexible manufacturing plants, but Ford has plenty of facilities that are hardwired to build only one or two products. Analysts say that costs could be $250 million a year or more, which would make for a huge dent in Ford's already shrinking bank account.
The good news is that Ford is looking at its European products as the vehicles it needs to build State-side. We enthusiasts have been drooling over the Euro Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo, S-Max and Kuga for quite a while, but their fuel-efficient ways will have the masses finally thinking Ford first if they come here.
Ford won't announce its plans until July, and some details will be held back for months more, but The Detroit News has it on good authority that the Michigan Truck and Louisville plants will be part of the shift away from gas guzzlers. Louisville, which currently produces the Explorer, would shift to a unibody facility that produces cars and CUVs. Michigan Truck, which produces the Navigator and Expedition, will make room for the F-100, which will be smaller and likely more efficient than the F-150 on which it's based.
It's amazing what $4 per gallon gasoline can do to U.S. manufacturing, no? Ford just may be on the verge of the largest shift in the company's 105-year history, and we're all here to witness it. Here's hoping the plan works.
[Source: The Detroit News, Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty]
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We got nothin': Supplier says no more Mercury past 2012Filed under: Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Rumormill 
Ford's mouthpiece continues to deny there's any plan to smother Mercury with its own pillow, but a Ford supplier has whispered something different in the ear of Inside Line. According to IL and its source, the last Mercury to die will likely be the handsome and likable Milan sedan, which will receive a mid-cycle refresh that shall carry the model through to 2012. The Sable will likely expire in 2010 when the new Taurus rolls out without a Mercury counterpart. Ford rhetoric, however, still holds that Mercury and Lincoln are being repositioned, with Abe's brand taking over as the volume-seller of the pair.
We'd buy the seemingly banal explanation a bit more if there were actually some product in the Mercury pipeline besides the Milan Hybrid, but there's no mention of anything else pending. With suppliers right now securing contracts for those programs that have Job One dates in 2010 and 2012, they might serve as a canary in the coal mine for us. Mercury can't build vehicles without any parts, and if they're not putting in orders now, it will likely be sometime in 2012 that we'll hear some real news about Mercury's future from Ford. Hey, what else are we supposed to think when the last spy shots of a Mercury were back in 2006, hiding the Montego to Sable transition? Thanks for the tip, DC.
[Source: Inside Line, Photo: Blogcrypt.com] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
First Drive [w/VIDEO]: 2009 Lincoln MKSFiled under: Sedans/Saloons, Lincoln, First Drive 
click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Lincoln MKS
Every year, carmakers collectively trot out dozens of new concept vehicles at auto shows around the world. Some fraction of those end up making their way to production lines and onto the streets. Most of the exciting design ideas, however, get heavily watered down in the process of going from auto show stand to showroom. One notable exception is the new Lincoln MKS. When the original MKS concept turned up in 2006, it was basically a slightly fancied up version of the then-new Ford Five Hundred, and it was not warmly received.
In a pleasant change of direction, Ford took the lukewarm reception for the concept to heart and by the time the production version of the MKS appeared at the LA Auto Show last November, it had been transformed. Unlike the "so what" appearance of the concept, the production model elicited much stronger opinions. Some hated it, others loved it. Regardless of how you feel about the new look, it is now a fact of life. The MKS began emerging from Ford's Chicago assembly plant a few weeks ago and Ford invited us down to Washington DC to sample it on the road. Read our driving impressions and check out a video of Peter Horbury's walk-around tour of the new 2009 Lincoln MKS after the jump.
Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.Continue reading First Drive [w/VIDEO]: 2009 Lincoln MKS Permalink | Email this | Comments
VIDEO: Autoblog talks design with Ford Director Peter HorburyFiled under: Videos, Ford, Lincoln
Autoblog talks design with Ford Design Director Peter Horbury.
Ford has seen its ups and downs when it comes to vehicle styling, but with immense competition around the world and in North America specifically, design disasters will hurt an automaker now more than ever before. Ford design director Peter Horbury leads Ford's North American design, so responsibility for both beauties and beasts will rest firmly on his English shoulders. We had the opportunity to spend some time with Horbury and learn more about his plans for both Ford and Lincoln, and as usual the eloquent designer didn't disappoint. Hit play on the video above to hear what Horbury had to say about future European Fords in the U.S., global design, and the future of Ford interiors.
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Lincoln books 8,600 preorders for MKSFiled under: Car Buying, Sedans/Saloons, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Lincoln 
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Lincoln MKS
The first 2009 Lincoln MKS is still a couple months away from arriving at your local Lincoln dealer, but Ford has announced that 8,600 customers have already signed up for the all-new sedan. The MKS has garnered this hefty dose of interest no doubt due to Lincoln's new design language, its well-crafted interior and large number of high-tech gizmos, but Ford's marketing team deserves some credit, too. They began their work announcing the sedan's starting price of $37,895 way back in November during the L.A. Auto Show, then followed up by giving would-be customers early access to a build and price tool on the Lincoln website. The marketing team is also reportedly training dealerships to be knowledgeable about the MKS months ahead of the usual timetable, which has helped salesmen secure preorders for the vehicle sight-unseen.
Preorders traditionally happen for high-end trim levels of a model, and the MKS is no different. Sixty-five percent of the 8,600 preorders have been for the high-end "Ultimate Package," which includes features like 19-inch rims, a THX audio system, and navigation system with Travel Link. An MKS with the Ultimate Package goes for $44,180, which means Lincoln's making some money on the MKS before it even shows up for work.
[Source: Ford]Continue reading Lincoln books 8,600 preorders for MKS Permalink | Email this | Comments
Spotted in the wild: 2009 Lincoln MKS in Ann ArborFiled under: Sedans/Saloons, Lincoln 
Ford is desperately hoping that the new Lincoln MKS will prove to be the beginning of a rebirth for its premium Lincoln brand. After flailing about for the past two decades trying to find a design direction for Lincoln, Peter Horbury and the team have created a consistent and unique look that will be applied to all the brand's models over the next couple of years. We've previously seen the MKS on auto show stages and prototypes in various stages of camo on the road for several months. Walking in to my office this morning I spotted a production model on the street for the first time and decided to snap a few pics. Regardless of how you feel about the bow-wave grille, it certainly gives Lincoln a unique, stand-out face for the first time in many years. We'll have our first opportunity to drive the MKS in a couple of weeks, at which time we'll let you know if the driving dynamics back up the visuals.
Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Permalink | Email this | Comments
Ford recalling 605,000 full-size trucksFiled under: Trucks/Pickups, Recalls/TSBs, Safety, Ford, Lincoln 
Ford Motor Company is recalling a whole herd of trucks to see the team doctors over concerns about a hose in the braking system that could adversely effect the vehicles' braking power. According to the NHTSA, about 605,000 2005 and 2006 model year Ford F150 and Lincoln Mark LT trucks equipped with the 3-valve 5.4-liter V8 will receive a hose replacement free of charge. The problem hose supplies the brake booster with engine vacuum, and could swell over time and eventually become disconnected. While the hydraulic braking system will function without the power assist, pedal effort will be significantly increased, and if drivers are taken off-guard by the problem an accident could occur. Ford will start notifying owners in June, and the recall campaign will kick off in July. According to FoMoCo, there have been 11 minor accidents related to the issue. Check out more details from the NHTSA after the jump.
[Source: Detroit Free Press]
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SYNC retrofit kit now available for 2008 Navigator, Mustang nextFiled under: Gadgets, SUVs, Tech, Ford, Lincoln 
When Ford launched its new SYNC in-car communications system in the Ford Focus, the crew in Dearborn may not have known just how popular the option would prove to be. While the SYNC system has started to infiltrate the rest of the Blue Oval line, its integration is apparently not moving fast enough for many consumers. Doug White, Vehicle Personalization Marketing & Planning manager at Ford says, "Customers and dealers were telling us that we needed SYNC on our flagship SUV and we felt we needed to respond to those concerns as quickly as we could. They essentially said, 'If you have it on Focus, why not Navigator.'" Sounds pretty reasonable to us. Considering that the Lincoln Navigator is the flagship product for Ford's up-market brand, it should be available with all the best techno-goodies available in the Ford arsenal.
The retrofit kit is now a dealer-installed option for all 2008 model year Navigator and Navigator L models built after December 4, 2007. According to the press release, pasted after the break, the vehicle must have been factory equipped with the voice-activated navigation system and DVD entertainment system, included with the Elite Package. The integration is reportedly rather straightforward and uses the steering wheel buttons and works the same as other SYNC systems. The price? Just $550, making it seem a rather no-brainer as far as we're concerned. Next in line for a SYNC accessory kit will be the Mustang.
[Source: Lincoln]Continue reading SYNC retrofit kit now available for 2008 Navigator, Mustang next Permalink | Email this | Comments
U.S. Postal Service to celebrate the tailfin starting in OctoberFiled under: Time Warp, Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Wagons/Estates, Cadillac, Chrysler, LLC., Lincoln, Pontiac 
Click on the 300C to see all five stamps in high-resolution
All the way back in 2004, we wondered out loud why the U.S. Postal Service chose only to showcase cars from the first half of the decade starting in 1950. All of you waiting on pins and needles now have an official date when this offense will be rectified: October 3, 2008. Starting on that day, each of the 37,000 Post Office locations will begin offering five new "50s Fins and Chrome" 42-cent first-class stamps as part of the "America on the Move" series. We've gallerized each of the upcoming stamps for your viewing enjoyment:
These new stamps were unveiled at the auto-mecca that is the Spring Carlisle Collector Car & Swap Meet in Carlisle, PA. The designs were illustrated by Art M. Fitzpatrick using an example of each car which is still currently road-worthy. We think Fitz did a darn good job on these particular stamps, which will make the mundane act of sending letters just a bit more palatable starting in October.
[Source: U.S. Postal Service] Permalink | Email this | Comments
HongQi announces new photochopped Lincoln MKT crossover!Filed under: China, Crossovers/CUVs, Lincoln  
How brazen can you get? At least most of the Chinese auto-cloners automakers create their own renderings of the cars they are copying. HongQi, a "premium" brand produced by First Auto Works in China simply grabbed a couple of press shots of the Lincoln MKT concept from the Ford Media site and starting 'chopping. Regardless of what you might think of Lincoln's new styling direction (generally, we like it), the Chinese version is not easy on the eyes. You would think with three months to work on it since the Lincoln pics appeared they could find someone to do a more professional-looking job. The question is, will FAW get their version on the road before the production version of the MKT lands at Lincoln dealers in 2009?
[Source: China Car Times] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
VIDEO: Ford Powertrain Director talks EcoBoostFiled under: Tech, Videos, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury
Autoblog talks EcoBoost with Ford Powertrain Direc
Turbocharging has long been associated with performance, but the 103-year-old technology is also very efficient. A small displacement gasoline engine with a turbocharger can equal or out-perform similarly sized naturally aspirated motors while also saving fuel. Europe is all over turbo engines for everything from high-performance Porsches to family wagons, but here in the States, force-fed engines are mainly sold in low volume sports cars.
Ford intends to jump into the turbocharging arena in a big way with "EcoBoost", and is planning to move up to 500,000 vehicles in the U.S. annually with twin-spool technology. Ford claims its EcoBoost suite of engine technoloies will give customers fuel savings of up to 20% versus a like-powered naturally aspirated engine, and the first samples are scheduled to go on sale in about a year. We wanted to learn more about Ford's plan, so we accepted an invitation to speak with Ford's director of Advanced Powertrain, Dan Kapp. Click play on the video above to see what Dan has to say about EcoBoost. Permalink | Email this | Comments
Lincoln revival includes production of MKT, killing Mark LT pickupFiled under: Trucks/Pickups, Crossovers/CUVs, Lincoln 
Click above for high-res gallery of the Lincoln MKT Concept
When Ford previewed the 2009 Ford F-150 ahead of the Detroit Auto Show, it was non-committal when asked how the new top shelf Platinum edition would affect the Lincoln Mark LT luxury pickup. While the Mark LT proved to be more commercially successful than the previous Blackwood, the concept of a Lincoln-branded luxury pickup appears destined for the scrap heap once again. Ford's premium brand will instead expand its crossover lineup by adding the Lincoln MKT that debuted as a concept in Detroit. The full-size MKT is based on the same platform as the Ford Flex, but features all of Lincoln's new design language from the split grille to the belt-line chamfer. While the concept had a four-seat layout, the production version will almost certainly have a third row, as well. Ford is currently finalizing the design with consumer clinics and Job 1 should happen sometime in spring 2009.
[Source: Detroit News] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Recalled Ford owners urged to get cruise control fixedFiled under: Recalls/TSBs, Safety, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury  If you drive a Ford product built before 2005, do us all a favor and give your dealership a call. Ask them if your car or truck is one of the 10 million vehicles out there recalled for repair of a cruise control switch. Trust us, this is not something you want to ignore, as there have been fires, lawsuits, and deaths attributed to this issue.
Word from Washington is that federal safety officials are concerned as less than half of the recalled vehicles have been returned to dealerships for repair (come on people, we told you about this in August, 2006!). This has triggered a rare "consumer advisory" from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who are urging motorists to take action. Ford is also re-notifying owners. The NHTSA is also quick to point out that there is no need to schedule an appointment for the repair as some dealers are even providing quick drive-through services for the fix.
The long list of recalled vehicles has been included after the jump.
[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd] Continue reading Recalled Ford owners urged to get cruise control fixed Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Ford offers SmartAlert system to compete with OnStarFiled under: Gadgets, Tech, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Lifestyle  If SYNC sells cars for Ford, the Blue Oval is now going to see how well its latest electronic add-on moves the metal. In an effort to compete with OnStar, Ford has developed SmartAlert with a company called SkyWay Systems, Inc., of Colorado. Available to be installed by dealers by Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury dealers, SmartAlert uses GPS and can operate as a stolen car tracking service, and it will be connected to a call center that can unlock your doors for you. The system can also keep track of your speed, so teens beware: parents can set the system up to alert them to your lead-footed ways via cell phone, e-mail, or text message. To have SmartAlert installed will cost from $700 to $1,200 for the first year, after which, as with OnStar, customers will pay a monthly fee. Add this to the new features coming in SYNC 2.0 like 911 Assist, and it appears we have a nice little rivalry going in the field of in-car telematics.
[Source: Auto News, sub req'd] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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