Lincoln Lags

As recently as 1998, Lincoln was the number-one luxury car in America, but now it’s number eight, reports Matthew Dolan in the Wall Street Journal (6/28/10). In 2000, Lincoln sold 193,000 cars but in 2009, its tally was just 82,847. Brand identity is at the core of its problem: "That’s the car that brings you to the airport, that’s the car that you rent for prom night," says Rebecca Lindland of IHS Automotive. "It’s a bad thing in that consumers don’t see it as an aspirational vehicle."

Maybe it doesn’t help that the 2011 Lincoln MKS is built on the same platform as the Ford Taurus – which, stickered at $26,700 is priced about $15,000 less than the Lincoln. The Taurus meanwhile has assumed certain trappings of luxury, like leather seats and 19-inch wheels, for instance. Apparently this is enough for some to consider the Taurus as something like a luxury brand, where the Lincoln just doesn’t quite cut it. "They always seemed like a big boat with loose handling," says Ronnie Lohr, who recently replaced his Infiniti with a Taurus.

Turning this situation around for Lincoln won’t be easy for its maker, the Ford Motor Co. Killing Ford’s Mercury plate might free up more resources for Lincoln, and the plan is to introduce "seven new or significantly improved Lincolns in the next four years, including a small luxury car and a new MKZ midsize sedan." In the meantime, what buyers it does have aren’t getting any younger: "The average age of a Lincoln buyer is 64." And loyalty is lacking: "Just 40 percent of Lincoln owners turn in their Lincolns for another Lincoln," according to JD Power & Associates.