What Would You Do To Fix Lincoln?

Today we took a look at the festival of fail that is Lincoln. Let's delve deeper into its newest misguided efforts to save the brand.

Our first prognosis of woe comes from Ash78, who took a statistical perspective.

I saw a feature on Lincoln on Sunday morning. They said the average buyer is 65 years old, which really scares me. Not because it's inherently high, but because for every 25-year-old wanna-be gangsta in a Navigator, there has to be a couple of 90-year-olds in Town Cars to balance it out.

Lincoln: Standard Deviation

Our own Micki Maynard took an industry-focused look.

Ford's marketing approach over the past few years reminds me of a dad who has no idea what the kids like, so he asks his 15 year old son. That's why Ford sponsored American Idol in such a big way. It's why they hired Ryan Seacrest and Joel McHale for the Fusion. And now, Jimmy Fallon.

Let me make it clear: I am a big fan of Jimmy Fallon. I have a season pass for the show, and even though I fast forward through every monologue, I think some of his bits are hilarious. BUT he's not going to save Lincoln. A cute Jimmy Fallon commercial isn't going to save Lincoln. Only product can do that — and not just product, but consistent support from the top.

This is a 20-year project. Cadillac's revival has taken that long and they are just now getting around to building an actual BMW fighter. 20 years. We'll check back in around 2032 and see how this has gone.

Still, CobraJoe thinks the brand could build itself out of trouble.

There is a tried and true 3 step process to revive a dying luxury brand:

1. Build a halo car.
2. Brag about it.
3. Change the styling of the current lineup to mirror the halo car when the design refreshes need to be done.

It has worked for Cadillac, Lexus, and even Acura even though they still haven't gotten around to building their halo car.

My suggestion for the Halo car: Base it on the Mustang, make the base engine the Ecoboost V6 and an optional V8 with much more power, give it an IRS and more attention to ride quality, put in some toys, then start bragging. They could make it compare to the Mercedes SL for a much lower price, and that would certainly bring some attention back to Lincoln. Just be sure to style it slightly different than the current styling language, that helps give the buying public the idea that the company is going in a new direction.

So, what would you do if you were in charge of Lincoln?

Photo Credit: Old Car Brochures/Lincoln