The repositioning of Ford's luxury brand, Lincoln, will succeed or fail based on seven new models over the next three years, including the smallest vehicle ever sold under the Lincoln brand.
Lincoln will introduce a new car or crossover within the next 18 months off the C-segment platform underpinning the Focus, executives said.
Lincoln dealers have sold 57,823 vehicles in the U.S. this year through August, up 3.7% from a year earlier. But leading luxury brands BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus each sold more than twice that number in the same period.
Beginning late this year, Lincoln will unveil the first of seven all-new or refreshed models. Led by global product development chief Derrick Kuzak and new design director Max Wolff, Lincoln's product revival is ambitious.
Styling will try to lure young, affluent buyers not wedded to German or Japanese brands. New Lincolns will share no sheet metal with Fords. The brand also will target early adapters of new technology and more women than it reached traditionally.
"Reinvigorating any brand doesn't happen in one product cycle," Kuzak said. "We made a step with the MK nameplates. Now we need to take the next step."
Lincoln began switching from traditional model names to three letters beginning with MK in 2007. The MKZ hybrid has done well in California, but other models have not been compelling enough to gain market share.
Now Lincoln is shrinking the number of dealers in the country's 130 largest markets from 500 to 350 by the end of this year.
Change became essential after Ford phased out its Mercury brand in 2010. Lincoln and Mercury dealers were paired and Lincoln volume alone was not enough for many dealers to be profitable.
Kuzak, Wolff and their product development team are anxious to get the new sheet metal to market.
"As you continue to improve the products and strengthen the brand, the real measure is delivering better revenue," Kuzak said.
Contact Greg Gardner: 313-222-8762 or ggardner99@freepress.com