Audi offers some lessons for Lincoln

In seeking to reclaim its lost glory as a luxury brand, Lincoln has made no secret that it is lifting a few pages from the Audi playbook.

So at the Automotive News World Congress this month, Audi of America President Scott Keogh was asked what Lincoln might learn from Audi's ascent.

"The first thing is you must have a global brand" competing in the United States, China and Europe, Keogh said. The next: major investment in new product. Audi spent about $3.4 billion a year developing new vehicles and platforms, he said. "You have to do that every year."

And then: "Once you have that as a foundation, you need to have a dealer network" with sufficient throughput so dealers will invest in their stores, he said.

So Lincoln's journey could be a long one indeed.