{"id":55857,"date":"2012-12-03T10:25:26","date_gmt":"2012-12-03T15:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=55857"},"modified":"2012-12-03T09:11:08","modified_gmt":"2012-12-03T14:11:08","slug":"lincoln-working-up-rear-drive-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2012\/12\/lincoln-working-up-rear-drive-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Lincoln Working Up Rear-Drive Options"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Lincoln video on Youtube hints at the future with a quick snippet of a Mustang hinting at a RWD offering to come.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Ford Motor Co. officials want to shine the spotlight on their near-term plans for a Lincoln renaissance, they are already working up some aggressive product programs that would include the addition of one or more rear-wheel-drive models to the luxury brand\u2019s line-up.<\/p>\n

The strategy would continue to see Lincoln share most of its underlying platforms with the mainstream Ford brand, however, including the next-generation Mustang.<\/p>\n

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Your Trusted Source for News and Reviews!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cRear-wheel-drive is definitely in the works,\u201d one of Ford\u2019s top executives confirmed in a background conversation with TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n

That executive downplayed rumors that Ford might look to partner with another luxury brand on one or more future products, however.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s becoming an increasingly common strategy as makers race to fill the \u201cwhite space\u201d between traditional luxury products. Nissan\u2019s high-line Infiniti, for example, will share the MFA platform Mercedes-Benz has developed for it\u2019s a- and B-Class offerings.<\/p>\n

Lincoln, however, will go it alone or, more precisely, simply continue sharing products with the Ford brand. But it appears that beyond borrowing the Mustang platform, the up-market marque may also take lead in the development of another rear-wheel-drive model.<\/p>\n

Lincoln has been criticized for limiting itself to front-wheel-drive products, counter to the traditional approach in the luxury market.\u00a0 Company officials, including new brand boss Jim Farley, have defended that position \u2013 and they point to Audi whose products are mostly front-drive or are offered with all-wheel-drive options.\u00a0 Even BMW is preparing to offer a new front-drive model.<\/p>\n

Like Audi, Lincoln officials have confirmed that, going forward, most or all of their products will be available with all-wheel-drive options.<\/p>\n

Lincoln is in the midst of a major transformation as parent Ford attempts to see whether the brand can be revitalized.\u00a0 Sales are down sharply from the marque\u2019s 1990 peak and have continued sliding this year even as the rest of the luxury market has posted sharp gains.<\/p>\n

The first test will come with the imminent launch of the new MKZ sedan. Three other models will follow by 2014, including a remake of the bigger MKS sedan and the Navigator full-size SUV. A compact crossover is also in the works based on the latest Ford Escape platform.<\/p>\n

(Lincoln gets new name, aggressive launch ad campaign. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a>for that story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But at a background session earlier this month, Lincoln officials offered a few hints that more is in the works, Rich Kreder, the MKZ\u2019s vehicle integration manager, referring to the sedan as just \u201cthe first really important step in reinventing Lincoln.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly, four products don\u2019t a luxury brand make. Mercedes-Benz is in the midst of a multi-year offensive that will see it update or add more than a dozen different models.\u00a0 BMW and Audi are not far behind.<\/p>\n

But Ford isn\u2019t willing to fully commit to anywhere near that level of investment \u2013 not unless and until it gets a clear sense that the first wave of new models, starting with the MKZ, will click with consumers.<\/p>\n

The problem is that product development is a lengthy process, requiring anywhere from three to more than five years for a ground-up program. So, several ranking Ford executives acknowledged, they\u2019ve got to at least begin work on Lincoln\u2019s future models now. They could still scuttle those efforts if the MKZ and the three models to follow fail to deliver on expectations.<\/p>\n

In fact, Ford CEO Alan Mulally has made it clear for a number of years that he\u2019s in favor of abandoning Lincoln \u2013 as he did Mercury \u2013 if the luxury marque doesn\u2019t turn itself around.<\/p>\n

Insiders declined to discuss Lincoln\u2019s future products in much depth, though TheDetroitBureau.com has learned that the focus will be more on entry and mid-level offerings that could include additional crossovers.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlagship sedans and sports cars have become less of a factor,\u201d said new global Lincoln director Matt VanDyke during this month\u2019s background session.<\/p>\n

His new position underscores another big change at the Ford luxury brand. After years of insisting it is an American brand with no aspirations beyond North American borders, company officials recently announced plans for a global roll-out that will begin with a push into China.<\/p>\n

As part of its transformation, Lincoln is getting a new name \u2013 or more precisely, it will go back to its original name, Lincoln Motor Co., adopted when Henry Ford purchased the brand from automotive pioneer Henry Leland in 1922.<\/p>\n

Lincoln also has gotten a new design studio headed by Max Wolff. The stylist has confirmed that going forward, Lincoln products will now adopt the horizontal grille, which he likens to an eagle\u2019s open wings, debuting on the MKZ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While Lincoln is focusing its attention on the first of four new models to come, starting with the MKZ, TheDetroitBureau.com has confirmed that the Ford luxury brand is developing additional models that will include one or more rear-wheel-drive products, in line with traditional luxury brand strategy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55857"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55857"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=55857"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=55857"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=55857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}