American Luxury

Q: What should I think of when I think of Lincoln?A Quintessential American luxury. Best of American luxury. Genuine American luxury. Lincoln is an American luxury brand. Think of Mercedes-Benz, and you think of German engineering. Think of BMW, and you think of performance, the ultimate driving machine. Think of Lincoln, and you think of the comfort and performance of American luxury vehicles, because we aren't limited to cars.

Q: You recently introduced at auto shows a luxury pickup called the Blackwood with the cab of a sport/utility and a pickup bed with wood on its sides like an old Woody. What does the Blackwood say about where Lincoln is headed? A It's not a truck; it's a specialized sport/utility. It's all about relevance. Traditional Lincoln buyers would look at the Blackwood and then move to the Town Car. The Blackwood is a long way from the Town Car. But we'd hope new buyers would look at the Blackwood and the LS, and not at the Town Car. We're not making the consideration list for a wide segment of industry, and we need to get on their radar screen.

Q: What are production plans for the Blackwood?A It is feasible to build but no decision has been made on if or when we would do the Blackwood.

Q: Who is the target for the all-important LS sedans?A The LS is a great driving vehicle we think will be very competitive. But we know people aren't going to jump out of their BMWs, leave them on the side of the road, and run into a Lincoln dealership. We've got to earn our way. Initially, we think they'll attract people who want to buy American luxury with driving dynamics and comfort. We think we'll intercept people moving up from Honda Accords, Toyota Camrys, as well as some domestics, including Sables and Cadillacs, who might have considered Asian luxury cars. As we earn our way, we'll see Mercedes and BMW drivers move over. If we gauge our success on how many BMWs, Mercedes, and Lexus are on our lots as trade-ins, we're setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Q: What should I think of when I think of Mercury?A Expressive, individualistic, attitude, highly styled.

Q: You recently introduced some interesting concept cars for Mercury at auto shows in Los Angeles and Detroit.A The (my) is a multi-activity vehicle that uses the New Edge design vocabulary we've used before in the MC2 and MC4 concept vehicles. It sends a signal that Mercury is changing and going after a young buyer group. Mercury is to be seen as innovative and progressive.

Q: What do they say about where Mercury is headed? How close are they to production? Isn't it difficult to retain your loyal owner base while you are striving to attract new customers to Lincoln? A It is, but I think we can move in a new direction. A Town Car and a Navigator have a high degree of comfort, performance, and beautiful interiors. We use the same words to describe them, but they go to different people. We've seen in this era of brand management a heavy emphasis by some auto companies on the individual model brands. Which is more important, the marque (Lincoln and Mercury) versus the individual product brand (Town Car, Cougar)? By 2003, I want people to drive Lincolns and Mercurys. They may say a Lincoln Town Car or a Lincoln Navigator, but they say Lincoln. We won't be successful selling a bunch of Cougars, a bunch of Mystiques, and a bunch of Sables. We have to sell Mercurys.

Q: What is the best model for brand management?A Mercedes has done the best job. I remember walking the auto show in Detroit some years ago. Their cars were overpriced, overweight, over-engineered. Then they changed. Janis Joplin advertising for Mercedes? Who'd have thought?