Ford Motor Company is going to make a full throttle attempt to enter the luxury car market in Europe, but it may surprise you that it won’t be with Lincoln. Instead, it aims to compete with big names, such as Mercedes, BMW, and Audi, with the new Vignalle sub-brand (think of it much like GMC’s famed Denali sub-brand) that slots above the offered Titanium trim packages.
Forbes reports that Ford will focus on the interior experience, rather than tuning, which is the theme for Ford’s ST brand, but is said to mirror the performance line in pricing. For example, the Ford Focus ST starts at just over 20,000 pounds in the UK, which is about the same as an Audi A3.
German luxury cars are normally equipped with a very firm suspension to prevent any body movement during turns. Unfortunately, driving through the cobblestone roads in a small town in Belgium would give one scoliosis in a sport-tuned BMW or a Mercedes, but that is not the case with the American counterpart. The car might not handle as well as its German counterparts, but it might not need to. After all, massive power and sharp turning is not very comfortable, and that’s how we arrive at the point of it all.
Some businessmen finish a long boring day in the office and look for a thrill in their BMW M3. Others just want to relax and forget about the entire workday on their commute home. It’s rather difficult to do so in the BMW, but the Vignalle line will be designed to do exactly that. A smooth ride and lavish comfort won’t be all that the car offers. The interior might be lined with chrome, but the exterior will always be shiny too, as Ford will pay for the car washes of the owners of Vignalle line cars for life. Many have tried to make a large impression in the European luxury car market before and failed, but Ford has growing sales in Europe and a recipe for luxury that just might work.
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