Lincoln has quite the predicament on its hands: it’s the only luxury marque that has seen a year-over-year drop in sales every month in 2011. And while there are a few reasons for this that we won’t delve into in this piece, one thing is for sure: Ford’s luxury brand needs some new product. Fast.
One segment in which Lincoln currently does not compete is the compact space that’s defined by such vehicles as the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C Class, and Audi A4, Lexus IS, and Acura TSX — among others. So it would only make sense for Linc to enter the segment with a model of its own — a move that will most definitely result in an uptick in sales.
In 2009, Lincoln unveiled Concept C — a concept vehicle that was powered by a 1.6 liter EcoBoost inline four-banger mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. Since then, the idea of a C-segment Lincoln has been an on- and off-affair, but the going rumor is that Lincoln will unveil a concept of its upcoming compact vehicle at the LA Auto Show in November.
The car will most likely ride on Ford’s global C platform shared with the all-new Focus while wearing totally different sheet metal than its Ford counterpart and be powered by a range of four- or six-cylinder engines. It will probably be chock-full of sound-deadening materials and premium elements such as fine-grained leather and soft-touch textures.
It’s also important to note that while the compact luxury space is very competitive, it is also very lucrative — being the highest-volume segment among luxury automakers. The introduction of a compact (C-segment car) will most likely result in the moving of the MKZ — Lincoln’s smallest car as of this writing — upmarket and the MKS becoming a true flagship to the tune of the Audi A8 or Lexus LS.
We’ll see what happens at LA. In the meantime, would you like to see a C-segment Lincoln? Talk to us in the comments!
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