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In an effort of reviving its premium brand, which includes a 1.2 billion investment in new models for the next 3 years, Ford will start a dedicated design studio, which be led by Max Wolff, appointed Design Director for Lincoln in December 2010.
Sometimes criticized for not being enough differentiated from the Ford models, the brand could gain a new, more distinctive identity similarly to Cadillac, GM’s premium brand, that found its own design direction in the form of the “Art and Science” language, introduced in 1999.
The first new Lincoln concept is expected to be the new MKZ, planned for debut at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show.
(Source: Autoline)
awesome!!
Big
What good is a Design Center going to do when potential customers know that Lincoln is trying to sell them a warmed-over Ford for $10 – $20k more? Even Kia/Hyundai has engineered a rear-wheel-drive platform for their up-market models.
The $1.2 billion would be better spent engineering product-differentiation into the Lincoln lineup. Cadillac is doing it and GM went bankrupt. Chrysler is doing it and they went bankrupt. What is wrong with Ford management? Where is their vision?
Luxury and performance go hand-in-hand. GM is even road-racing their Cadillac CTS Coupes, not Chevys. Lincoln cannot prosper if it continues to pander to what they thinks is their established customer base. They need to expand their base by bringing back the LS (they already have the architecture) and then developing genuinely new models.
If Ford does not think outside of the cube, Lincoln and the $1.2 billion investment will go down the drain with the Mercury.
Umm, lets HOPE at least that there will be opportunities for new design positions- the past couple of years have been a nightmare for design graduates.