Ford Motor (F, Financial) recently took the wraps off the Lincoln Continental sedan in a move to resurrect the brand. The American automaker has high hopes for its luxury brand and expects it to do well in the American and Chinese economy. At the New York auto show, the company made no bones about how focused it’s on the growing luxury market of China. Let’s take a look into the prospects of Lincoln, and see why Ford is so keen to explore the Asian country.
The Lincoln Continental concept
The Continental is a concept currently, which means Ford has not started production. The company will start production of a luxury sedan, very close to this model, next year and then begin selling. The car will sport a 3.0 liter "EcoBoost" V6 engine that is said to be exclusive for the Lincoln brand. Though it’s not certain, the car is expected to have all-wheel drive. With the new Continental, Ford is aiming to restore the prestige the Lincoln car once had decades ago. In the recent past, the Detroit carmaker has majorly concentrated on upgrading cars under the Lincoln brand.
The Lincoln Continental was discontinued in 2002 owing to increasing competition from German and Asian nameplates. Luxury brands including BMW, Lexus, Audi, Mercedes Benz started becoming popular among American from the 1990s and gradually displaced Continental from its prime position.
The new Continental would be similar in length with a longer wheel base similar to the Mercedes-Benz S-class or BMW 7-series. However, Ford doesn’t want it to look sporty and bold like the BMW or as gaudy like the Cadillac. Owners should look at the Lincoln Continental like a serene luxury sedan observing a classy environment.
In fact, the Lincoln Continental’s stance leans more toward Bentley. And this has been highly criticized by Bentley Motors’ designer on social media by highlighting the similarity the Continental shares with the company’s models. Bentley’s chief Luc Donckerwolke said “this behavior is not respectable. Building a copy like this is giving a bad name to the car design world.” A Lincoln spokesperson Stephane Cesareo overruled such criticism from Bentley designer. He was quoted saying "The Lincoln Continental is clearly a Lincoln, we're very proud of it."
Ford is very excited to revive this age old brand that somewhere got blurred in the luxury market. This time, the automaker is giving special attention to China, though Ford never sold Lincoln in the mainland until last year.
China is the key market
Ford executives say that the Lincoln Continental is acknowledged by Chinese car buyers, though Ford has never sold the model in the economy. The model is expected to play a crucial role in pushing Ford’s sales as the automaker looks to deepen its penetration in the country. This would help the company establish its name in China, which is the market to be in. Ford’s CEO Mark Fields said that the Continental has been designed considering Chinese tastes.
Ford’s executive president of Lincoln Kumar Galhotra said that while developing the Lincoln Continental, Ford involved the participation of Chinese customers and incorporated their feedback and inputs. The sedan would have comfortable reclining rear seats, an adjustable table at the back, and a champagne cooler. Buyers of luxury cars in China have their cars chauffeur driven. Ford has thus given special emphasis on the comfort level of the rear seats. Fields, however, points out that Chinese and American tastes aren’t far too different. Galhotra said "American customers will enjoy the big back seats just as much."
Lincoln has been the name of luxury for years among Americans. It went out of production several times in the past, but Ford is all out to build this name back again, flashing the latest upscale sedan in the New York auto show. Chinese customers look up to the Lincoln and appreciate its legacy massively. It would be interesting to see whether the Continental is able to fight its contemporaries and help Ford cement its name in the premium segment.
