Jaguar just this week debuted the new XE, Jag’s baby in its lineup. It’s a handsome car: aggressive where it needs to be -- demure in other places ... but it honestly has the wrong badge. It should say "Lincoln".

Now, before everyone gets the pitch forks and torches, hear me out for a second. Jaguar has a bunch of awesome, fast, rear-wheel-drive cars already. They are making beaucoup bucks, and they usually have a slightly better product than, say, BMW. While I applaud them with the restructuring and the resurrection of the brand, this isn't the car for them. It’s the car for another manufacturer that is struggling to survive. That manufacturer is Lincoln.

Read the rest on the Mustang Source homepage. >>

 

So let me get this straight. Ford ditches Jaguar but what Ford really needs to fix Lincoln is Jaguar?

There's nothing wrong with Lincoln that a new corporate front end design can't fix. Lincoln decided that they would use a modern interpretation of the '36 Zephyr grill as the corporate image of all Lincoln cars, something about being reminiscent of the bow of a ship parting the water to each side. The problem is that it doesn't translate well onto the shape of modern vehicles. It's another failure of forcing pre-determined design elements that don't fit onto otherwise attractive modern designs. It's the baby-daddy of the Fustang. Lincoln buyers are supposed to be elegant and sophisticated but the Lincoln corporate front end is brutal and incongruous. Buyers seem to recognize that even if Lincoln doesn't.

I can't believe this ugliness has gone on for so many years and so many new models. If Lincoln finally does die it's well deserved death, I believe this will be the chief cause of the poor sales that directly led to it's death. Sure, Lincoln might soldier on for years to come, relying on technology and luxuries not offered on other Ford products but Lincoln will never fully rebound unless it starts building some seriously elegant and attractively styled vehicles to match it's target buyers. Somebody very powerful at Ford must believe very strongly in the corporate front end philosophy because it's killed some otherwise stellar designs, most notably the S550.

Edit: I just visited the Lincoln home page to view their current models. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.

 

http://www.fool.com/investing/genera...ors-cadil.aspx

Not the best article (linked above), but also showing Lincoln isn't quite on death's door. If the brand can continue to build of the (apparent) success of the MKZ & MKC with some newer models, they may continue to surprise some people. (Lots of "ifs" though . . . )

 

A coupe will not save Lincoln. Doing Lincoln better than they have will save Lincoln.

And that is the *UGLIEST* grille emblem I've ever seen. Lincoln should do better than that next time. And paint the car a nice silver, 'cause that's classy. Or a champagne beige metallic maybe. Pearl Black. Or Pearl White.

Don't get me wrong, red's nice and all, but it isn't classy for sales purposes for the likes of Lincoln.

 

My solution:

Take S550 platform.
Stretch 2" for lux/performance coupe
Stretch 4" for lux/performance sedan
Wrap in modern, clean, classy bodies
Insert Egoboost 4, 6 motors, and 5.0 - 5.2 at top tier.
Profit

Lincoln, please send payment in small denomination bills. You're welcome.

 

I said it two years ago...

The new Lincolns are missing the mark by a mile. They need more caddy. New prototype caddy that is.. New caddy looks like classic Lincoln.


Lincoln has yet to learn that dressed up ford is a extinct brand named mercury.

 

I basically said the exact same things, but very long winded, in my follow up owner's survey that Ford sent me. I'm not sure if anyone reads those, but I went OFF on a very long Lincoln rant, telling them to bring back actual names like Zephyr and Continental, Town Car, etc, and bring back a lineup of RWD cars. Change the MKC back to Aviator while you're at it. Go crazy on the Americanized styling, a la Cadillac but with the Lincoln twist, and watch the brand turn itself around.