Lincoln Downsizing Vehicles to Meet Demand
With no plans to offer a flagship above the MKS, Lincoln is looking to produce smaller vehicles to fully flesh out its lineup.
A crossover based on the new Ford Escape platform will likely hit our market in the next few years, along with a new compact model that may be based on the Ford Focus. The compact Lincoln looks all the more likely when you consider that Cadillac just rolled out the ATS compact, Acura brought out the ILX compact, Mercedes is readying the CLA compact, and BMW recently refreshed it’s small 1-series.
In terms of crossovers, Lincoln is already late to the party, as Mercedes offers the GLK, Audi has the Q3, and BMW makes its X1. Rumblings of a Buick Encore based Cadillac have also been floating around, meaning Lincoln will be playing catch up again.
Without the addition of a large flagship to battle Cadillac’s XTS or Mercedes’ S-Class, Lincoln is looking to compete in segment where it believes the most market share can be won in the shortest amount of time. Taking the brand global has also been on the table at Ford, but it seems to be a long term plan at the moment. Breaking into global markets is also being considered during the development of these small vehicles.
In China, Lincoln already has a good reputation, which may help it break into the largest auto market in the world.
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
More by Stephen Elmer
Comments
Join the conversation