LexFather

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/autos/2...une/index.html



Actually a pretty good read with some real thought put into it. Sadly its like its 1999 for these brands all over again.

Ignore the part about the "charter" club members

Infra

iTrader: (1)

Lincoln will fail because the middle ground is shrinking. You can get automatic cruise control and lane assist in a Mazda (Actually 2 Mazdas), TODAY, and other mass-market brands will soon follow. What distinguishes Lincoln? It's going to be squeezed out of business, or at least into the ICU bed on life support at Ford General Hospital. I'm not sure who really wants luxury and thinks, "Man, a really nice Ford Fusion is about as nice as things get". Lincoln's existence hurts Ford because they scalp sales from what could be top-trim models for Ford at a lesser total cost to manufacture.

Infinity has a chance, but they must commit. The decision to play it safe and sell the G37 alongside the Q50 just reeks of a lack of confidence about their new product. They need to jump in, not keep a hand on the side of the pool.

speedflex

The luxury club is a difficult nut to crack. Lexus did it right almost from day one. Acura and Infiniti are still trying to figure it out but I do believe Infiniti has a great chance of getting in within the next 10 years.

Nice article.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I really thought Lincoln did it when they had the Town Car and the navigator (maybe?).
Now, nothing oozes luxury when I hear of Lincoln

*Batman*

Lincoln has no hope in hell. They are basically selling well-equipped Fords and since Ford also sells well-equipped Fords, its hard to make the case for a Lincoln.

Infiniti is making purpose built RWD platform luxury cars. Cars like the M56S are solid luxury car products which even Lexus cannot beat (as of today, GSF will change that).

speedflex

BTW, Acura should have been included in this analysis. That is, unless they are not even trying anymore to be true luxury.

mmarshall

GS3Tek is correct. The dropping of the Town Car is going to turn out to be a huge mistake for Lincoln.

Blackraven

One criteria I'd also like to add is with regards to international presence.

Between the two, Infiniti is doing better on that part. They have presence in all continents right and are growing their global dealership base (especially new openings in Australia, parts of Asia and Latin America)

They'll also be launching in Brazil next year (dealerships in Rio as well as in Sao Paulo)

In short, Infiniti is officially present in MORE THAN 40 COUNTRIES and more to come

As for Lincoln:
Less than half (mostly in Middle East and one in South Korea)

Long way to go.

Heck, I think Cadillac is even ahead of Lincoln on that.

jwong77

I sort of see Cadillac and Infiniti as more direct competitors than Lincoln. At least they both have dedicated RWD platforms for their luxury vehicles, and both are a flagship away from having full lineups (entry, mid, flagship). Lincoln seems to be more of an Acura/Buick competitor at this point.

S2000toIS350

I would be interested to hear other folks observations about customer age for Lincoln.

Of the few newer ones I see on the road, the drivers seem to be in their upper 60s and up.

Infiniti has a much younger customer base from what I have seen.

mmarshall

Age doesn't necessarily matter. In fact, in many cases, the older the person, the more money he or she actually HAS to spend on a new car. They've been working (and saving) for decades.

Ties in with what I just said. It doesn't seem to be helping Infiniti sales much, which still trail far behind Lexus.....a brand with (overall) a substantially older customer-base than Infiniti.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

It's simple, match toe to toe with what German luxury makes and Lexus offer.

The next 3 years will tell us if either company can survive. I actually believe Lincoln can do it, but only with more distinction from Ford, a new design langauge and there's a RWD coupe coming.

LexFather

Purpose built as in sharing the FM platform The JX is FWD/AWD with a CVT and the new Q30 will also be FWD.

The GS F-sport pretty much considered best class handling and has beaten the M soundly in every comparison. The 450h also has beating the M35h in every comparison. Sadly the current M was never well received, sold poorly for numerous reasons. Sadly the V-8 wont' be here longer and while a great engine, doesn't sell at all.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/05/i...from-v8-power/

mmarshall

It is probably too expensive for its size, and too small to be a true flagship like the Lexus LS460.

I8ABMR

It was too expensive and way too thirsty. I was concerned with the LS 4.6 liter. I can only imagine how a Nissan 5.6 liter would drink gas. There V6s get Toyota V8 mpgs. The V8 must be pretty bad in real driving.