China is a learning lab for Lincoln 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013  Lincoln is studying the habits of luxury shoppers at Shanghai's luxury malls for new ideas in customer service that eventually could find their way back to U.S. dealerships.... Read More »
NICK BUNKLEY Lincoln shoots for a happier ending after troubled MKZ launch 4:30 pm U.S. ET | May 1, 2013  How far off track did the launch of the redesigned Lincoln MKZ get? The car, whose chassis bears the burden of a once-thriving luxury brand now trying to prove it's still relevant -- originally was supposed to start arriving at dealerships last fall, around the same time Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln was hitting theaters around the country.... Read More »
Lincoln to hike MKZ Hybrid mix; Ford volume up 18% 2:42 pm U.S. ET | May 1, 2013  Ford Motor Co. will increase the production mix of Lincoln MKZ Hybrids to 30 percent for the 2014 model year, from 20 percent now, to meet increased demand, a Ford executive said today.... Read More »
Farley: Lincoln MKZ sales rebound, set record in April 4:21 pm U.S. ET | April 30, 2013  Ford said it sold more Lincoln MKZ sedans in April than in the first three months of the year combined, as the luxury brand began to recover from lengthy production and distribution delays on the car.... Read More »
Ford video library lets buyers control training 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013 Ford has amassed a library of about 150 videos, 30 to 60 seconds long, explaining Ford and Lincoln features such as MyKey, Blind Spot Monitoring and Active Park Assist.... Read More »
Ex-Cadillac boss LaNeve takes helm of Lincoln's ad agency 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013  Mark LaNeve, former top North American marketer at General Motors and ex-head of Cadillac, now is devoting his talents to Cadillac's traditional American-luxury rival: Lincoln.... Read More »
Ex-GM marketing boss LaNeve takes over Lincoln's ad agency 5:15 pm U.S. ET | April 8, 2013  Mark LaNeve, former top North American marketer at General Motors and ex-head of Cadillac, has taken over as president of the Lincoln brand's ad agency. LaNeve replaces Cameron McNaughton, who had been president of the agency, Hudson Rouge, since it was founded in 2011.... Read More »
Ford volume climbs 6% on pickups, crossovers 4:24 pm U.S. ET | April 2, 2013 Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales in March were its highest since May 2007, the company said today, led by sales of pickups and crossovers.... Read More »
EDITORIAL Dealers deserve exemplary service from Lincoln 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013 The example Lincoln set for its dealers during the difficult launch of the MKZ fell short of the service the automaker hopes those dealers will lavish on consumers.... Read More »
DIFFICULT BIRTH The MKZ's difficult birth 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013  Lincoln executives admit they have only one shot at reinventing their faded brand for a new generation of luxury customers. But the MKZ, the first major vehicle of a new and better Lincoln lineup, has stumbled badly out of the blocks, angering dealers, wasting a costly advertising launch and driving away customers who have waited months for undelivered cars.... Read More »
Lincoln MKZ inspection backlog nearly eliminated, Ford says 11:35 am U.S. ET | March 21, 2013  Ford Motor Co. has stopped routing redesigned Lincoln MKZ sedans from their Mexico assembly plant to a Michigan factory for quality inspections and repairs.... Read More »
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Big delay, little help for Lincoln dealers 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 11, 2013 Lincoln should have given the Super Bowl commercial money to its stand-alone dealers so they could survive until Jim Farley gets his act together.... Read More »
Lincoln may extend Mich. MKZ inspections 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 4, 2013  Ford Motor Co. may extend quality inspections of the 2013 Lincoln MKZ at its Flat Rock, Mich., plant even after reaching normal dealer stocking levels on the new luxury sedan by the end of this month.... Read More »
Lincoln sales plunge, but Ford Motor advances 9% 1:19 pm U.S. ET | March 1, 2013  Continued delays in getting the 2013 Lincoln MKZ to dealers hobbled Lincoln sales in February, but sales rose 11 percent for the Ford brand and 9 percent for Ford Motor Co. overall.... Read More »
Lincoln sputters even with Super Bowl ad blitz 2:33 pm U.S. ET | March 1, 2013  Ford's Lincoln brand, which aired two ads during the Super Bowl in February, posted a 29 percent U.S. sales slide for the month as dealers continued to run short of the MKZ sedan featured in the commercials.... Read More »
MAKE MEETINGS -- LINCOLN The upside of MKZ delay: Quality counts 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013  Lincoln dealers say they're impressed by the brand's efforts to get the 2013 MKZ's quality right, even though many still have not received the redesigned sedan.... Read More »
Ford promotes Elena Ford to senior role to improve dealer standards 3:33 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 14, 2013  Ford is promoting Elena Ford, great-great-granddaughter of company founder Henry Ford, to a newly created senior executive position charged with improving global dealer standards.... Read More »
MKZ is MIA so Lincoln offers spiffs on MKS, MKT 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2013 Lincoln dealers will get up to $1,000 per MKT and MKS sold in February and March, $500 for certain lease or finance contracts on those models, plus a one-time cash payment. The cash aims to compensate dealers who have been hurt financially by the delayed launch of the 2013 MKZ sedan... Read More »
DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS How Lincoln's China plan aids U.S. dealers 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2013  Lincoln's decision to enter China might seem tangential to the success of the brand's U.S. dealers. But Bill Knight, chairman of the Lincoln National Dealer Council for 2013, sees a clear connection.... Read More »
Lincoln's 'touch points' 6:16 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Dealer Dan Pfeiffer, left, of Pfeiffer Lincoln in Grand Rapids, Mich., examines what Lincoln calls its "customer touch points" color palette with Michael Harmon, dealership facility services program manager, at the Ford Motor Co. exhibit. "Customer touch points" within the dealership are those points of interaction with customers that help to create the overall branded experience.... Read More »
Lincoln has presence at Grammys 7:01 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 9, 2013 Lincoln will kick off a multimedia campaign called "Hello Again" tonight with two commercials during the Grammy Awards telecast. The campaign "is really a celebration of the re-emergence of the Lincoln brand," Matt VanDyke, Lincoln's director of global marketing, sales and service, said in an interview.... Read More »
NADA brass pays a visit 7:30 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 9, 2013  NADA leaders dropped by the Ford display. From left: NADA President Peter Welch, outgoing NADA Chairman Bill Underriner, incoming Vice Chairman Forrest McConnell III and Ford COO Mark Fields with the 20113 Lincoln MKS.... Read More »
Q&A: Lincoln will fund a 'date night' for buyers waiting for delayed MKZ 5:42 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 9, 2013  Matt VanDyke is global director of marketing, sales and service for Lincoln, which recently said it would do additional quality inspections of the 2013 MKZ sedan at Ford's Flat Rock, Mich., plant to help out the Hermosillo, Mexico, plant where the car is built. Lincoln is more than two months behind in delivering the MKZ.... Read More »
Lincoln kicks off media campaign at Grammys 4:51 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 9, 2013  Lincoln will kick off a multimedia campaign called “Hello Again” with two commercials Sunday night during the Grammy Awards telecast. The campaign “is really a celebration of the re-emergence of the Lincoln brand,” Matt VanDyke, Lincoln’s director of global marketing, sales and service, said in an interview at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention.... Read More »
Q&A: BILL KNIGHT -- LINCOLN NATIONAL DEALER COUNCIL Lincoln dealers cheered by brand's makeover attempt 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 8, 2013  Bill Knight's term coincides with a transformation attempt at Lincoln. The redesigned 2013 MKZ sedan, the first of a new generation of Lincolns, is just now arriving in dealerships. A second new vehicle, the MKC compact luxury crossover, was introduced at the Detroit auto show last month in concept form.... Read More »
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