mmarshall

Though Lincoln is still not considered a major player in the American luxury-vehicle market by any means (it is still in 8th place overall), the MKC seems to be doing its job. Thanks mostly to it, Lincoln sales rose at a faster rate, in 2014, than any other luxury-class nameplate selling in the U.S.

Not, IMO, that any of that is really surprising at all. Last year, not only at the D.C. Auto Show and from what I saw of prototypes, but also from my actual review and test-drive in July, I was more impressed with the then-new MKC than any Lincoln product I had seen in years. I had found the previous MKT, MKX, and 2Gen MKZ all especially disappointing, for a number of reasons. The MKC, while not perfect by any means (personally, I'd like to see some better column-switchgear inside and a small V6 option instead of only turbo-4s) was truly a step forward, and I was convinced that here, at last, was the vehicle to actually do something about Lincoln's poor sales and low standing in the U.S. At least judging from the first 8-9 months on the market, looks like my initial hunch was right. Not only that, but the MKC and Fusion are the only two current Ford products I would actually consider buying and taking home myself....though 40K, to me, for several reasons, is generally the upper limit (though not cast in stone) that I'd care to spend on a vehicle.

The MKC is also sold in China, but those totals, of course, are not included in U.S. sales figures. In China, to show you how much they like the vehicle there (as with the Buick Verano/Excelle, that country's top seller), the MKC makes up some 70 percent of Lincoln sales.



http://www.carscoops.com/2015/02/lin...t-growing.html

It may sound surprising, but Lincoln was the fastest-growing luxury brand in the United States last year. Sales of Ford’s subsidiary rose 16 percent in 2014 due to strong demand for the MKC crossover, more than double the average increase for luxury makers.

However, in absolute terms, Lincoln ranked as the eighth largest luxury brand in the United States for the fifth consecutive year. The company’s growth engine is the MKC, for which sales rose 102 percent of Lincoln’s total sales increase for the year - 13,077 MKCs were sold while the Lincoln brand’s overall sales rose 12,780 vehicles.

The automaker expects growth to continue as it prepares to launch the larger redesigned MKX crossover this fall. However, Lincoln has a long way to go before returning to its former glory. For instance, the brand’s total 2014 sales were smaller than Lincoln Town Car sales in 1998.

Lincoln’s growth continued in January this year, when it sold 648 more vehicles than in January 2014 (+11 percent). The company sold 1,602 MKCs last month compared with none in January 2014.

Ford is determined to make Lincoln relevant again in the luxury car market, with the automaker recently announcing investments of more than $2.5 billion into Lincoln as it introduces the brand in China and targets triple global sales by 2020.

A lot of the brand’s growth depends on its SUVs, including the refreshed Navigator SUV. The MKC, MKX and Navigator accounted for 59 percent of U.S. Lincoln sales in the second half of 2014. In China, where only the MKC and MKZ are currently on sale, the MKC made up 70 percent of sales.

mmarshall

It will be interesting to see how the new MKX does later this year when it is released (at the D.C. show, it was up on a turntable but not public-accsessable). The old MDX, IMO, was quite disappointing, essentially just a Ford Edge with some better trim. The new MDX, on the turntable, seemed noticeably better both inside and out (at least what I could see of the interior), but, unlike the all-new MKC last year, doesn't break as much new ground for Lincoln.

spwolf

thats hilarious article.... 16% for the year, all of it from single new vehicle with low previous sales for the brand.

Audi had 15.2% increase, and Lexus had 10.3% increase on much higher level of vehicles. Lincoln's 94k sales for the year is really low with Audi doubling that number.

mmarshall

I don't see any humor in it. What's remarkable, in my view, is not necessarily the absolute numbers per se, but the fact that so much of the increase comes from one single vehicle. Both you and I have remarked, in the past, that most of Lincoln's newer models were pretty disappointing.

Pamperme

I love the interior's contrasting colors. Solid one-color interiors are so bland.
Audi use to have interior options that were called "atmospheres" for their 1998 Audi a6. I thought they looked nice.

SLegacy99

"(personally, I'd like to see some better column-switchgear inside and a small V6 option instead of only turbo-4s)"

Umm, hello. There is a reason why there is no V6 option....

Toys4RJill

Good points, its not that big a deal that Lincoln increased their sales by that much, they have very low sales to begin with so any increase is going to look good from a percentage POV. Also, Lincoln introduced a new model so of course its going to increase their sales. Funny enough, Toyota Tundra outsells the entire Lincoln brand.

mmarshall

Yes, I'm well-aware of that. CAFE rules, plus a possible concern of it overlapping with the appeal of the V6 MKX. Still, my opinion is that even entry-level luxury-grade vehicles should at least have a V6, and that the government should not be imposing ever-harsher MPG requirements. Let the market decide what sells and what doesn't.

J.P.

Def not impressive, when your at the bottom its not that hard to get a little rebound spike. Lincoln has a long ways to go....

mmarshall

...but it was harder for Lincoln than most other luxury-grade manufacturers, until the MKC came along.

Gojirra99

when you go from selling one car to 10, that's a 1000 % increase

Toys4RJill

I didn't know Lincoln was at the bottom, I thought they were mid pack among the non "true" luxury car brands such as Volvo, Acura, and Cadillac.

Toys4RJill

OMG. Way too funny!

mmarshall

Well, correct, Andrew...and that's one of the points that the original author of the article made. But, at the same time, even with Lincoln's low (eighth-place) rating among American-market manufacturers, it's a good start.

One thing I have learned, over the years, is that, with few exceptions (such as Yugo, for example) one is often on uncertain ground when they discount ANY automaker. Today's sow's ear is sometimes tomorrow's silk purse.

J.P.

It is easier actually, when you're doing so bad it only takes a small uptick to look great. That applies to stocks, weight loss, and car sales along with many others, when your at the bottom, any improvement looks more impressive than it really is.