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Geoff Robins / AFP - Getty Images
Lincoln's news MKZ concept car is being positioned as an important step to revival for the luxury nameplate.
By Paul A. Eisenstein
It isn’t always easy to break with your past, especially for an automaker like Lincoln.
So when the automaker decided to redesign its small MKZ sedan, executives spent months trying to figure out what it needed to pull the new look together.
They finally decided to let go of the classic, vertical “waterfall” grille that has been a trademark of the Lincoln brand since it was first launched more than three-quarters of a century ago.
That detail -- which involved shifting to a horizontal grille that chief designer Max Woolf says was influenced by the spread wings of an eagle – drew plenty of attention when Lincoln unveiled the MKZ Concept during a news conference at the Detroit auto show Tuesday.
Of course, that was only one of the changes to the new MKZ, which is getting positive reviews for its overall sleek and elegant shape and an industry-first retractable glass roof. Lincoln is expected to unveil a production version of the vehicle in the spring and it should reach showrooms by early autumn.
Landing a solid hit with the MKZ is critical for Lincoln, once one of the market’s biggest luxury auto brands, but now little more than an also-ran behind German giants BMW and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Japan’s Lexus and General Motors' Cadillac brand.
The MKZ is “the next step in our reinvention,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s global marketing chief.
In a conversation after the unveiling he stressed that, while critical, product alone won’t be enough to turn things around for Ford’s struggling luxury marque. It will also take creative brand marketing, something the maker has tried to achieve with the use of John Slattery, of TV’s “Mad Men,” as its spokesman.
The next step is to bring dealers on board -- and convince them to open their checkbooks.
“We’re asking dealers to catch up,” explained Farley, who noted that shopping at many luxury dealerships these days “feels like you’re at a big box retailer … leaving [demanding luxury] customers feeling like a number, not a name.”
Lincoln isn’t the only automaker to recognize this phenomenon, which has coincided with the huge expansion in sales by Lexus, BMW and other high-end carmakers. South Korean upstart Hyundai recently introduced its first high-luxury sedan, the Equus, allowing customers to skip the showroom process entirely and even have a new car delivered to their home or office.
Lincoln will do something similar, Farley promises, along with offering loaners when a vehicle is in for service or repair. One goal is to place cameras in all dealer service bays so owners can track the progress of repair work.
The process, as Lincoln envisions it, will begin the moment a customer walks into the showroom, with two employees designated to greet anyone who enters.
Showrooms are to be upgraded to give them the look and feel one might expect from a high-line Beverly Hills boutique. That’s a significant upgrade from today’s Lincoln dealerships that will require buy-in from retailers who have heard plenty of promises over the years about a Lincoln renaissance.
“I’d like to believe them, but I need to have them prove it,” said one of about 300 dealers who attended a series of background briefings Ford staged this week to give retailers an inside look at what the brand is doing.
“At least, I have to say, I’m impressed by the product I see,” which apparently included not only the concept and production MKZ but other, future designs. The dealer asked not to be quoted talking about future Lincoln plans.
Farley declined to say how much each dealer might have to invest. Some estimates have suggested it could top $1 million per store, but he emphasized the amount will vary by location and said some dealers are already doing much of what Lincoln wants.
But he stressed “it won’t work” unless everything comes together.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s chief of product development, called the new concept car a good start. He came into the studio shortly after designer Woolf had his “aha” moment and came up with the car’s new grille. The rest, added Kuzak, came together quickly.
It’s been far too long since the Lincoln brand commanded the sort of attention it grabbed with the slab-sided behemoths of the 1950s and ‘60s, such as the ’65 Continental that had a supporting role in HBO’s "Entourage" series. With the launch of the new MKZ, Lincoln hopes to look forward rather than appear to be nothing more than a relic of the past.
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Upscale sedans, electric vehicles and old-school muscle cars are on display at the Detroit auto show. Click to see a gallery of images.
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The Lincoln brand has been killed, and it will be very difficult to bring back from the dead. Big mistake was killing the Town Car (along with the Ford Crown Victoria and its Mercury twin). That was built in limo - police- taxi volume for Ford, as well as rolling advertisement (at least the ubiquitous Lincoln Town Car limos). Better to have continued the Lincoln Town Car and the Mercury version, just kill the Ford Crown Victoria version, and the rest of the Mercurys that were Ford clones. That would have at least left Lincoln-Mercury with one volume model to build from. There are no Lincolns with panache, and none that sell in ANY volume. Changing the shape of the grill is not going to do anything for the brand. Lincoln needs to come up with a product that people will want to buy, and Marketing needs to come up with a way to get people to buy it. Right now they have no exciting cars, and no brand identity. This "new" MKZ is just another jelly bean.
The new MKZ is butt ugly.
Lincolns have become nothing more than a Toyota/Honda with some bells and whistles with a $50K + sticker price. It's lost it's uniqueness and it's status. My previous car was a Lincoln LS and it was a fun car but once the warranty ran out, things went down hill and to make matters worse, the dealerships screwed you every chance they could. I now drive a Cadillac and it doesn't feel like a Cadillac. I remember my friend buying a Buick Park Avenue back in the late 70's and the seats were like a living room sofa, you couldn't feel bumps in the road, it was a true luxury car. Now "luxury" cars ride rough, there is nothing distintive about any of them and certainly not worth paying the price of a condo for a car.
Sounds more like Lexus or Acura.
Now another "living room sofa"-seated Cadillac (Something unseen since around 1996) would be AWESOME to see at an auto show and possibly a dealership in the future!!!
I don't think the market wants a "sofa on wheels" anymore.
Nowadays it's more about "sport sedan" which brings a youthful and powerful type of image to whoever buys it at whichever age. Excitement is the priority not comfort.
OTOH things always revolve and perhaps things will change back in another 5-10 years.
Continuation of my comment above: The only angle that might work for Lincoln, especially with younger buyers (if they have the financial means to buy a Lincoln, BMW, Mercedes, etc.) is to go BIG on performance. Rear wheel drive V-8, V-6 with supercharger, etc. Put in the strongest engine they currently have (like the 650 HP monster slated for the top line Mustang, rumored to have 200mph capability), and THAT will generate attention. Make Lincoln the HIGHEST performance luxury car. At least it will be a start that can be built on. Changing the grill is like moving the deck chairs around on the Titanic.
You mean like the Cadillac CTS V with 556 hp?
Unfortunately, the upper end of the luxo market is already taken by BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, and Jaguar. Sorry, Lincoln, you're too late.
Jaguar? Not even in the ballpark!
I think the concept car looks impressive, but I wonder what will show up on the showroom floor. RWD and HP is what we really want.
What a WASTE OF ENERGY !!! LINCOLN is synonymous TO GREED AND WASTE FULLNESS !!!
Go back to your OWS rally, psycho.
Beautiful car, it's curves and sweep make Cadillac look like a rolling brick. The new grille is actually more in keeping with the original Lincoln Zephyr of the '30s. The first 2 years of production ('37 & '38), the grille vanes or strakes were horizontal. In 1939, they became vertical.
You know, if I saw just a picture of this vehicle without the article, I would have called it a Buick.
They could put a string of those little colorful balls on the inside at top of the windshield to revitalize it.
Those cars are made in Mexico!
It would help if Lincolns were not so butt ugly! But then again, So are Cadillacs.
Bring back the Town Car!!
Bland.
They do need to up the ante with some better showrooms, but as is typical of Ford they are planning on overdoing it very quickly with the service bay cameras and being bombarded by two people when walking in the door. I prefer being able to trust the service folks to call me as soon as my car is finished, and not being able to see the work being done or having my butt kissed so obnoxiously. Both my private mechanic and the Audi dealer both seem to be able to read my mind without annoying or overcharging me. My friend, the mechanic, provides delightful conversation and shares his many projects with me, and the Audi dealer provides a giant Keurig machine and a remote control for the television in the tastefully decorated (IKEA, not "Beverly Hills boutique") waiting area. In my opinion, certain Lincolns like the MKZ, MKS, MKX, and even the Navigator, have good style, but they need to tidy up the design details and lose a little chrome. The MKT (UGLY) needs to go!
!!! The MKT is a rebadged Ford Edge, itself an ungainly car that'll never win any beauty contests. On a lower vehicle the much-touted waterfall grille is fine but when it's been stretched to the height of an MKT it bears an unfortunate resemblance to a steam locomotive's cowcatcher.
Now, if I was buying a high end car, it would be a coupe, V-8, RWD. There are a few out there, but they are so ugly I wouldn't want to get in it. I remember my dad's old Lincoln Mark V. Never felt anything in that. It would also have to be extremely comfortable.
Last time I got in a Lincoln, everything felt cheap, it was just a rebadged Ford. I have not been in a Cadillac for a long time, but those are also ugly.
If I had the money, I would just find an old car, get it totally fixed up.
Because Ford allowed Lincoln and Mercury to be an slightly upgraded version of basic Ford sedans, consumers caught on that strapping a few badges and adding leather, chrome accents and sound deadening was not worth the 50K price tag. This is the reason why it has become a forgotten brand. I am around many car people and the Lincoln topic rarely ignites. It's often Cadillac CTS and Buick Regal turbo that gain the interest of brand change. I have to admit I thought Lincoln would have taken off after the MKS, but people that own it tell me it's overpriced and nothing special. I drive a Merc and its not a bad car and rarely gives me any trouble. Would I buy it new? Heck no!
What's the bull about a "waterfall grill" being a Lincoln "trademark"? From 1949 thru 1976 Lincoln grills have been horizontal. For the next twenty years they had fauz Rolls Royce grills. In 1998 it became a flush mount affair reminiscent of both the Rolls and "waterfall" effect, with their current smaller models now more resembling a Pontiac grill.
With the increased roof strength standards how are the automakers able to use such large pieces of glass on the roof? I would think that any roll over would shatter the glass and not keep your arms or head from being hit as the vehicle rolls.
I'll take a solid roof myself. But I do want to have lots of glass for visibility in the normal locations that I look out of while driving. I use my mirrors but I back that up by turning my head and looking out the back window glass and rear glass. Too many vehicles today have glass that is too narrow. Roof slopes down in the rear and the body line goes up in the rear which results in reduced visibility.
I agree about visibility problems. We've been car-shopping for the last couple of months and it seems like designers are trying to outdo each other creating low-rider wannabes. It's as if there's some law requiring an upward-sloping beltline and a downward-sloping roof that meet like the folds of a tablecloth. A body-and-fender man told me he's seen a definite uptick in the number of rear corner fender-benders in cars with limited visibility.
Still an ugly grille. :(
What's with all the disturbing line shifts at the bottom of the grille?
Looks like the designers sneezed while "drawing" it. Oh well.
Lincoln's have been piles of junk coming off the assembly line for many-many years...
Time to toss the junk-boxes where they belong - in the trash... poorly designed vehicles, period!
Ugly grills and enormous tail lights. Nothing but a bunch of front wheel drive snoozers. It's as dead a brand as Cadillac.
Ford needs to let Lincoln sleep in the graveyard joined by Buick and 90 % of the Chevrolet brand. Chevrolets new Corvette commercial says the competition ask us to lower our horsepower by 100 so they could compete. Thats kind of funny because thats what Chrysler and Toyota had to do so Chevrolet could compete when they joined NASCAR.
They finally decided to let go of the classic, vertical "waterfall" grille
Classic? Don't recall Lincoln's having any consistency of grill design over the years. They really ought to take a look at BMW if they're interested in classic continuity. The current models are just plain ugly.
The new design, ain't much better. Where do they find these designers?
Maybe they should try focus groups.
Lincoln is trying to "revitalize" its brand image, AGAIN? Seems like I see this same headline every 3-4 years. What the market is yearning for is a DRIVER's car. Lincoln flirted w/ that idea w/ the LS sedan (which I had owned), but unfortunately they let too much of the "Ford Quality" shine through. As long as Lincoln continues to build FWD jelly beans that have no performance virtues and fall apart like their Ford clones, it doesn't matter how cool the grill on the front of the car looks, they can forget about the Lexus, MB, BMW and Cadillac buyers.
It's like they're trying to kill Lincoln. Which would be sad but might make sense if Ford had held onto Jaguar. But now Ford is in danger of being completely out of the luxury market--unless you count the stake in Aston-Martin, which is out of reach even for most rich people. Weird.
If it were truly a luxury car, I would look at it again. But it's not much more than a high-priced Pontiac --- a one-piece hard plastic interior and a "me too" exterior.
I'll stay with my S550.
(If they re-tag the F150 as a Lincoln LT again, they should keep the vertical grill. That was classy.)
From that angle, it looks like a ford "tortoise" with a new grille
Love this concept...its a beauty!..... now if they can only revitalize that fossil otherwise know as the Towncar.