Lincoln ends its 'MK' confusion
Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News Europe
  • Automotive News Mexico
  • Automotive News China
AN-LOGO-BLUE
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Account
  • login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • Dealers
    • Automakers & Suppliers
    • News by Brand
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Shift
    • Mobility Report
    • Special Reports
    • Digital Edition Archive
    • Q&A with Chris Bangle
      A penny for your thoughts
      Helping two cultures connect
      SEAT FEAT
    • Who wants VW's MEB architecture?
      GM will launch electric bike sales in Europe
      VW seeks to tap potentially lucrative ride-sharing market
      Apple stepped up AV testing to 80,000 miles in 2018
    • Dealerships owned by ex-NFL stars face collapse, litigation
      Want a luxury car? Try a Kia
      Costly lesson of tortuous legal battle: Get it in writing
      Denny Hecker: A changed man?
    • Access F&I
    • Fixed Ops Journal
    • Marketing
    • Used Cars
    • Sales
    • Best Practices
    • Dealership Buy/Sell
    • NADA
    • NADA Show
    • Automakers
    • Manufacturing
    • Suppliers
    • Regulations & Safety
    • Executives
    • Leading Woman Network
    • PACE Awards
    • CES
    • Management Briefing Seminars
    • World Congress
    • Aston Martin
    • BMW
      • Mini
      • Rolls Royce
    • Daimler
      • Mercedes Benz
      • Smart
    • Fiat Chrysler
      • Alfa Romeo
      • Chrysler
      • Dodge
      • Ferrari
      • Fiat
      • Jeep
      • Maserati
      • Ram
    • Ford
      • Lincoln
    • General Motors
      • Buick
      • Cadillac
      • Chevrolet
      • GMC
      • Holden
    • Honda
      • Acura
    • Hyundai
      • Genesis
      • Kia
    • Mazda
    • Mitsubishi
    • Nissan
      • Infiniti
    • PSA
      • Citroen
      • Opel
      • Peugeot
      • Vauxhall
    • Renault
    • Subaru
    • Suzuki
    • Tata
      • Jaguar
      • Land Rover
    • Tesla
    • Toyota
      • Lexus
    • Volkswagen
      • Audi
      • Bentley
      • Bugatti
      • Lamborghini
      • Porsche
      • Seat
      • Skoda
    • Volvo
    • (Discontinued Brands)
    • Auto Shows
      • Detroit Auto Show
      • New York Auto Show
      • Los Angeles Auto Show
      • Chicago Auto Show
      • Geneva Auto Show
      • Paris Auto Show
      • Frankfurt Auto Show
      • Toronto Auto Show
      • Tokyo Auto Show
      • Shanghai Auto Show
      • Beijing Auto Show
    • Future Product Pipeline
    • Photo Galleries
    • Car Cutaways
    • Design
  • OPINION
    • Blogs
    • Cartoons
    • Keith Crain
    • Automotive Views with Jason Stein
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send us a Letter
    • Will Jaguar replace XE, XF sedans with a single EV?
      Could auto tariff threat be a turning point?
      Ram Chassis Cab goes high-tech
      Chevy's 2019 Blazer: More Camaro, less Equinox
    • Dealers need to be ready for anything
      EVs will come with economic cost
      Spend money on sales, not stores
      Put it on your bucket list
    • Elaine Chao: A speedier path for innovation
      Industry initiatives seek to ease tech shortage, but challenges remain
      Drivers for ride-hailing services can be a prime source of fixed ops profits
      Dealers' ads for service techs need major repairs to be effective
    • NADA can help fight stair step incentives
      Let dealers invest in innovation, not renovations
      Hackett's vision for Ford is still a blur
      The last temptation of Elon Musk
    • Deeper issues in tech shortage
      Odds poor for Cadillac rebirth
      A boycott is not the answer
      Lincoln, Cadillac interiors need work
  • DATA CENTER
  • VIDEO
    • AutoNews Now
    • First Shift
    • Special Video Reports
    • Weekend Drive
  • EVENTS & AWARDS
    • Events
    • Awards
    • World Congress
    • Retail Forum: NADA
    • Canada Congress
    • Marketing 360: L.A.
    • Europe Congress
    • Fixed Ops Journal Forum
    • Retail Forum: Chicago
    • Leading Women Conference Detroit
    • 100 Leading Woman
    • 40 Under 40 Retail
    • All-Stars
    • Best Dealership To Work For
    • PACE Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Europe Rising Stars
  • JOBS
  • +MORE
    • Webinars
    • Leading Women Network
    • Custom Features
    • Classifieds
    • People on the Move
    • Newsletters
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • Ally: Do It Right
    • Guide To Economic Development
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Marketing
December 04, 2017 12:00 AM

Bon voyage to Lincoln's 'MK' confusion

How Ford marketers finally got the message

Michael Martinez
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    The MKX becomes the Nautilus, above, which is expected to reach dealerships in spring.

    LOS ANGELES — If there was any lingering doubt within Lincoln Motor Co. over plans to stop using alphabetic "MK" names for its vehicles, an awkward airport encounter witnessed by the brand's marketing chief removed all uncertainty.

    Robert Parker, Lincoln's head of marketing, sales and service, said he was joined this fall on a parking-lot shuttle at Detroit Metropolitan Airport by a husband and wife who owned a Lincoln but couldn't remember which one.

    She swore it was an MKZ. He insisted it was an MKC.

    "It just really punctuated the challenge for me," Parker said. "It was like, OK, it's not just an internal discussion. This is real. People that don't work and do this every day have a hard time with numbers and letters. We sometimes, as marketers, get a little too far over our skis."

    Eleven years after ditching a long history of well-known names for the MK scheme — Lincoln originally wanted people to say the letters as "mark" — the brand is charting a new path with the introduction of the 2019 Nautilus, which replaces the MKX. In unveiling the midsize crossover at the auto show here last week, Lincoln executives confirmed that all future nameplates will ditch the jumble of letters in favor of travel-themed names.

    The brand had been strongly hinting at the move since it revived the Continental flagship sedan to replace the lowly MKS last year.

    "When we launched the Continental, I think we underestimated how much affinity there was, not only for the name but the fact that people like to associate names with cars," Parker said. "This kind of connection consumers have, especially to American brands and names, we felt like is something Lincoln could own. It's something we've owned in the past."

    The Lincoln name game

    Lincoln is renaming its vehicles as they get significant changes

    • MKC: Will be renamed
    • MKS: Replaced by Continental in 2016
    • MKT: Expected to be replaced by large crossover called Aviator
    • MKX: Becomes Nautilus in 2018
    • MKZ: Will be renamed (previously known as Zephyr)
    • Navigator: No name change

    Lincoln is looking to its heritage in an effort to re-establish itself as a major luxury presence in the U.S. and become a bigger player in China, where it arrived later than rival brands. A mix of new products, new dealership designs and unique customer experiences have helped Lincoln generate what is just a month away from becoming four straight years of U.S. sales gains.

    "We're transforming everything," Lincoln President Kumar Galhotra told Automotive News. "When we see all of the aspects of the business that are changing, it was just a question of, does the MK nomenclature fit into where we are as a brand? If we're going to be a warm, human, personally crafted brand, alphanumeric just didn't seem to fit well."

    He insisted that the naming strategy wasn't a matter of Lincoln failing where more dominant German luxury makes have had success.

    "If you're going to take a holistic view of the brand, it can't be just one aspect," he said.

    Lincoln hasn't used the Nautilus name before. Latin for "sailor," it was chosen because it fits well with the travel theme evoked by the Navigator SUV and Continental sedan. Parker said it also reflects Lincoln's "journey" — a term executives have used frequently to describe the brand's reinvention and play down expectations for faster results.

    "There's a lot of challenge associated with the letters and putting those together," Parker said. "As we move forward, we need to be easier to work with. People associate names with cars a lot easier than they do letters."

    Photo

    The Nautilus' driver-assist tech includes evasive steering.

    The name and styling updates are aimed at helping Lincoln stand apart in the hotly contested U.S. midsize utility segment. The MKX has been the brand's top-selling U.S. nameplate in 2016 and 2017 and brings in customers from rival brands with a 40 percent conquest rate, executives say. U.S. sales of the MKX have risen 2.2 percent this year, to 28,055 vehicles through November.

    The vehicle also is vital in China, the world's largest auto market, where Lincoln expects utility vehicles to account for 70 percent of sales by 2024.

    "SUVs are having a banner year for us both here and in China," Galhotra told reporters. "It's a very vibrant market."

    Photo

    Lincoln says the Nautilus name reflects the brand's "journey."

    The Nautilus doesn't represent a full redesign for the MKX. It gets a new front end, turbocharged four-cylinder engine and eight-speed transmission. Interior improvements will give the Nautilus best-in-class legroom and headroom, which are important factors for midsize utility customers, Parker said. Its driver-assist technology includes a feature called evasive steering, which aggressively turns the wheel when the driver moves left or right to avoid a crash.

    Lincoln hasn't released pricing for the Nautilus, which is scheduled to reach dealerships in the spring.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Digital Edition
    THIS WEEK'S EDITION
    See our archive
    Fixed Ops Journal
    Thumbnail
    Read the issue
    See our archive
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    Subscribe Now

    Get access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that's vital to your business.

    Subscribe
    Connect With Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter

    Our Mission

    The Automotive News mission is to be the primary source of industry news, data and understanding for the industry's decision-makers interested in North America.

    AN-LOGO-BLUE
    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit, Michigan
    48207-2997

    (877) 812-1584

    Email us

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • Subscribe
    • Manage your account
    • Reprints
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    Copyright © 1996-2019. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
    • NEWS
      • Dealers
        • Access F&I
        • Fixed Ops Journal
        • Marketing
        • Used Cars
        • Sales
        • Best Practices
        • Dealership Buy/Sell
        • NADA
        • NADA Show
      • Automakers & Suppliers
        • Automakers
        • Manufacturing
        • Suppliers
        • Regulations & Safety
        • Executives
        • Leading Woman Network
        • PACE Awards
        • CES
        • Management Briefing Seminars
        • World Congress
      • News by Brand
        • Aston Martin
        • BMW
          • Mini
          • Rolls Royce
        • Daimler
          • Mercedes Benz
          • Smart
        • Fiat Chrysler
          • Alfa Romeo
          • Chrysler
          • Dodge
          • Ferrari
          • Fiat
          • Jeep
          • Maserati
          • Ram
        • Ford
          • Lincoln
        • General Motors
          • Buick
          • Cadillac
          • Chevrolet
          • GMC
          • Holden
        • Honda
          • Acura
        • Hyundai
          • Genesis
          • Kia
        • Mazda
        • Mitsubishi
        • Nissan
          • Infiniti
        • PSA
          • Citroen
          • Opel
          • Peugeot
          • Vauxhall
        • Renault
        • Subaru
        • Suzuki
        • Tata
          • Jaguar
          • Land Rover
        • Tesla
        • Toyota
          • Lexus
        • Volkswagen
          • Audi
          • Bentley
          • Bugatti
          • Lamborghini
          • Porsche
          • Seat
          • Skoda
        • Volvo
        • (Discontinued Brands)
      • Cars & Concepts
        • Auto Shows
          • Detroit Auto Show
          • New York Auto Show
          • Los Angeles Auto Show
          • Chicago Auto Show
          • Geneva Auto Show
          • Paris Auto Show
          • Frankfurt Auto Show
          • Toronto Auto Show
          • Tokyo Auto Show
          • Shanghai Auto Show
          • Beijing Auto Show
        • Future Product Pipeline
        • Photo Galleries
        • Car Cutaways
        • Design
      • Shift
      • Mobility Report
      • Special Reports
      • Digital Edition Archive
    • OPINION
      • Blogs
      • Cartoons
      • Keith Crain
      • Automotive Views with Jason Stein
      • Columnists
      • Editorials
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Send us a Letter
    • DATA CENTER
    • VIDEO
      • AutoNews Now
      • First Shift
      • Special Video Reports
      • Weekend Drive
    • EVENTS & AWARDS
      • Events
        • World Congress
        • Retail Forum: NADA
        • Canada Congress
        • Marketing 360: L.A.
        • Europe Congress
        • Fixed Ops Journal Forum
        • Retail Forum: Chicago
        • Leading Women Conference Detroit
      • Awards
        • 100 Leading Woman
        • 40 Under 40 Retail
        • All-Stars
        • Best Dealership To Work For
        • PACE Awards
        • Rising Stars
        • Europe Rising Stars
    • JOBS
    • +MORE
      • Webinars
      • Leading Women Network
      • Custom Features
        • Ally: Do It Right
        • Guide To Economic Development
      • Classifieds
      • People on the Move
      • Newsletters
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit