David Kiley (2026) recently argued in The Car Collective’s Substack newsletter that Lincoln should be killed. His opinion piece shows a lot more spunk than what one might find in the vapid pages of Automotive News, but I would question his conclusion.
After running through all of the money that Ford has spent trying to revive Lincoln, Kiley concludes that the problem hasn’t so much been the quality of the vehicles, but rather the obsolescence of the brand.
“The Lincoln name carries enormous history, but history is not necessarily the same thing as brand equity,” Kiley (2026) writes. “To older Americans, Lincoln can evoke Continentals, presidential limousines and the elegant automobiles of the 1960s. To younger luxury buyers, it evokes very little. The old idea that one’s parents’ brands don’t appeal, but one’s grandparents’ brand do does not apply here.”
Kiley (2026) proposes that the Lincoln be discontinued and that Ford “create an entirely new American premium brand.” This does not sound like a modest endeavor because he calls for a retail experience “designed from scratch,” a unique “digital interface,” and a product line with “completely different bodies, interiors and ownership experiences.”
If such a plan sounds audacious, Kiley (2026) points to the success of upstart Asian brands such as Lexus as evidence that not possessing decades of American luxury heritage “was arguably an advantage” — particularly with younger buyers.
Kiley’s big idea is to copy the Asian automakers
I would imagine that Kiley sees himself as an outside-the-box thinker. Yet all he really proposes is that the Ford Motor Company throw away everything that it has invested in the Lincoln brand in favor of essentially copying the playbook used by Asian automakers.
In other words, this isn’t bold new thinking, but fairly generic example of “follow the leader.” Kiley doesn’t acknowledge this. Nor does he address why Ford could expect to find success in a crowded market when its new brand is the last one in.
Also see ‘Was Patrick Foster right that the revived Jeep Wagoneer could be a game changer?’
What’s particularly perplexing is that Kiley argues that creating a new brand is cheaper than saving Lincoln. How could that be, at least when one includes both the cost of building a new brand from scratch and winding down Lincoln? Kiley doesn’t even attempt to vaguely answer that question.
Nor does Kiley entertain basic logistical issues, such as what to do with Lincoln’s dealer network, which is larger than Cadillac’s (Foote, 2025). And while he complains that Lincoln’s sales have been too low, he doesn’t explain why Ford would benefit from walking away from a solid market niche for livery vehicles.
What would thinking outside the box look like?
When I started to read this essay my initial guess was that Kiley might suggest killing Lincoln and creating a new sub-brand sold through Ford dealers. That would save the automaker the cost of a broad enough lineup of vehicles that could profitably sustain a separate dealer network.
Here Ford’s past could be instructive. The early four-seat Thunderbird was highly successful in competing in the upper-reaches of the premium-priced class even though it was sold through Ford dealers. Given how expensive top-end Ford trucks have become, why couldn’t Ford dealers do an adequate job of selling and servicing a new premium sub-brand?
That said, I suspect that a better alternative would be to shrink Lincoln down to a boutique brand sold entirely through Ford dealers and introduce a new premium model or two under a separate nameplate. That way traditional Lincoln customers could be maintained at a lower breakeven point while Ford simultaneously tries to reach younger buyers with new, non-Lincoln models.
This strikes me as getting closer to the “One Ford” strategy that former CEO Alan Mulally championed — but without throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Foote, Brett; 2025. “Lincoln Dealer Network Much Larger Than Cadillac.” Ford Authority. Posted July 28.
- Kiley, David; 2026. “The Case Against Saving Lincoln.” The Car Collective’s Substack. Posted Aug. 26.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Ford Thunderbird (1961)
My local Lincoln dealer has two cars in its dedicated showroom: a Bill Blass Mark VI and a first gen Zephyr Continental coupe.
Considering that a number Ford/Lincoln dealers (at least in the mid-Atlantic region) have recently invested in separate stand alone Lincoln and Ford sites, I’m thinking this idea would not fly with the dealers. This move allowed more showroom and lot space for Ford’s large products and placed Lincoln’s in more refined settings, often closer to other luxury brand dealers to facilitate comparison shopping.
Mercury’s purpose ended when the Grand Marquis went out of production, and Lincoln should have ended when the Town Car went out of production. Higher trim F series, Expeditions, and Broncos are Ford’s upscale vehicles.
Starting a new brand from scratch would end up creating a big money pit for Ford. Toyota’s experience with Lexus isn’t really applicable. Lexus was created while the Japanese were riding high and had money to burn. Plus, the German luxury cars were very expensive, due to a lack of competition. One of the reasons Lexus initially succeeded was that it undercut Mercedes-Benz on price while offering a car that matched it in every way, and was more reliable.
If Lexus didn’t exist today, I doubt one could sell Toyota management on the idea of creating it in 2026.
For that matter, note that the debut of Acura preceded that of Lexus, and Infiniti was launched at the same time as Lexus. Neither one is doing much better than Lincoln is these days.
Even if Ford did launch a new brand, cost constraints mean the new vehicles would simply be based on existing Ford platforms and use Ford engines…just like today’s Lincolns. That seems like a good way for Ford to spend a ton of money and ultimately end up where it is today.
Ford is faced with the cost of keeping its existing products competitive, and is preparing to launch several vehicles based on a new, low-cost platform in the coming years. Ford thus isn’t going to spend money launching a new brand – let alone developing ANOTHER platform that will be reserved for that brand.
I have a hard time believing that Ford isn’t making money on Lincolns. They use existing Ford platforms and engines, and generate extra sales from people who want something different from garden-variety Fords.
Agreed. Kiley talks out of both sides of his mouth by wagging a finger at Lincoln for using Ford components but later noting that Lexus successfully draws from the Toyota parts bin.
One might also note that having a unique body has never been a panacea in the luxury field. For example, the 1958-60 Lincoln had a unique platform but still didn’t sell very well against the then-dominant Cadillac — which shared body parts with other GM brands (go here for further discussion).
I personally think of Acura as a cut below Lexus, a fancy Honda. IIRC Lexus and Infiniti hit the US market at about the same time, with Infiniti doing weird high concept TV commercials where the car wasn’t even shown. It never really recovered from that. Now, Hyundai changed the name of its luxury brand to Genesis. Of course when you start with Equus (sic) anything is a change for the better.
I read the column, and my first thought was that this column have been written in the late 1990s, with “Cadillac” substituted for “Lincoln”…
I’d argue the launch of the CTS, Cadillac’s new design language, the Sigma platform, and the development of the V Series (ironically, from a brand with almost no real motorsports or performance heritage) helped keep the brand alive. Yes, there have been missteps (“V Series is our performance flagship! No, no–it’s Blackwing!”), but even with building up an EV portfolio last year’s sales were up almost 30% compared to 2022.
I do agree Lincoln has been rather mismanaged…
🔹 The “new” Navigator (a heavily facelifted version of the previous generation)
🔹 Waffling on electrification and performance variants
🔹 The relatively low level of differentiation of Lincolns vs their Ford counterparts
🔹 The perplexing relaunch of the considerably more expensive Corsair
🔹 The disappearance of the Lincoln sedans
…but I’d like to think it’s salvageable.
Lincoln today is just an excuse to sell higher priced cars for the dealers . The name is incidental.
It could be Thunderbird Continental Marquis MArk – insert roman numeral.
Lincoln name alone – is a bit dusty and reminds today’s young buyers of the ill fated president in a Victorian paradise.
Remember even Mc Namara considered dropping Lincoln and he was not known for kidding around.
Should the Lincoln go or stay? I say it depends on the product. Gimmicky fancy Fords ridiculize the name. Finely styled quality vehicles like the great 1960’s Thunderbirds will be a success.
Look what Buick has been able to accomplish since they set their minds and hearts on the car – not the waffling half hearted approach Ford has adopted. REmember Lincoln’s heroic efforts in the 1950’s ? . Mullaley with his Model T like ”One Ford” was just a cover for his total lack of ability in the Luxury arena.
Buick is now considered an equal or superior car to the Lincoln. When Buick and Lincoln seemingly had equally hopeless futures some 25 years ago.
I just went to Buick’s website and saw a 5 door and 3 CUVs. Slap a Mazda label on them and nobody could tell the difference. I read the quotes in the above article and and it just sounds like some MBA consultant hustling management so they can say they are thinking outside the box. Geeber hit the nail on the head, saying what I would say only more eloquently. I can see the Lincoln executives trying to think up a new name.”Electric cars are the new thing. Yet, we also have to bring in the luxury the old Lincoln was knowm for. How aboujt…Electrolux!” A new name will solve nothing and fool nobody.
Not to mention that Buick sells many Encore GXs, which are down in Honda HR-V territory. Lincoln doesn’t sell anything in that price class. And Buick has nothing that competes directly with the Aviator and Navigator.
>> Look what Buick has been able to accomplish since they set their minds and hearts on the car
Buick hasn’t sold a car in the USA since the Regal in 2020. It’s all trucks, same as Lincoln.
Buick in the US is practically a sub brand of GMC. It’s a ghost of the BOP/GMC dealers who sold 3 million vehicles per year 50 years ago. The current remnant of that dealer chain now sells less than a million vehicles per year. As GM shed brands, “Buick” survived because it happened to be remembered and popular in China when that market had explosive growth. It’s sort of a backwards Subaru, which is pretty popular in the US because of effective advertising going back to Paul Hogan and the Outback wagon and otherwise is a dud around the world.
Cadillac now sells more worldwide than it ever sold when it was basically a US only product, although I’m sure it’s less profitable today than it was in the glory days of the Coupe de Ville.
Cadillac sems to remain relevant and they’re selling cars using the same marketing plan as Lincoln…add a little special trim to a lower line car and push it out the door. Cadillac is also building its brand in auto racing while Ford is using the Ford name on it’s highest performance racers. Is this working for Cadillac and could it work for Lincoln?
“Hot Rod Lincoln” = Design a car around a song? Plymouth did it with a cartoon character. Wasn’t Lincoln big in road racing back in the 50s?
That Thunderbird ad included in this article reminds me of how homogeneous and ugly our consumer-class and even luxury-class vehicles have become. I have to tip my hat to Cadillac for entering a Formula 1 team, and Ford apparently is testing the waters by teaming with Red Bull in engine development. So there’s hope for these legacy brands.
Perhaps some new thinking and advanced body design will follow, and maybe even affordable (but stylish) cars for the consumer who aspires to drive something that doesn’t resemble a stinkbug on wheels, like so many of the current vehicles being marketed.
Don’tcha miss all that unique styling of the 50’s and 60’s? I do. Are current car companies afraid of stepping out a bit, daring to be different?
I say: dump the big Lincolns, bring back a sporty 4-seat T-bird, but this time something cool-looking like that 61 model was. Lose the lumbering, hulky handling. Keep the big engine. Heck, Let the lincoln dealers be the radicals and sell it as their new sub-brand. Ford keeps selling its trucks, while Lincoln sells the new cool…
Lincoln (Ford) just needs to design and market a vehicle so high quality and compelling that it will conquest sales from someone like Lexus… yes a big mountain to climb. And bringing back a truly world class luxury car that smart buyers will aspire to own would be a must for success as well, not everyone wants a truck/SUV. Porsche, Aston, Maserati, even Rolls seems to think they can skim the cream off that market, but in the long run it just depreciates their image.
Randerson is absolutely correct. A top-of-the-line SEDAN is the key, to compete with a Bentley or Mercedes S-class, on a 121-inch wheelbase, with a hybrid version, too. Lincoln can also include a big, overstuffed interior Navigator / Nautilus. Everything else should be called a Mercury. Oh, and Ford should compete in I.M.S.A. and W.E.C. with Mercury Eights !!!!!
I am nostalgic for flat head V8s, cool old racing history, the burbling of glass packs, wind in my hair,… and that longing for the past sells precious few cars.
I’m nostalgic for wind in my hair also. However I just have to settle for wind on my scalp.
I find the concept of killing Lincoln so a new brand can be created from scratch to be fatally flawed. The only possible excuse for doing would be to cancel all existing dealership franchise agreements so new dealerships could be hand selected with new agreement terms.
Anyone that might try using Lexus as their supporting argument needs to dig deeper. Lots of stories about Lexus lost money on the cars to build their initial market presence. Nissan’s Infinity brand was introduced at the same time and it has never fared as well. Honda did Acura and it too has not achieved what Lexus has. There was also Mazda doing a premium line that vanished fairly quickly. Could/would Ford create a new nameplate that becomes Lexus?
Lincoln has a history of self-inflicted problems. Too many leadership changes that kept changing what the company should be. This has extended to the Design leadership too where the then current design head touted the new design language that was completely changed by their successor. Then there was the bad practice of bring out a new car that was credible to only let it “die on the vine” with meaningful updates.
Lincoln can be saved if Ford actually wants to. They have the Navigator cash machine which isn’t going away. The problem is in what is below it in the product line and committing to those products. Commitment = commitment at the topmost Ford inner circle for continual product development funding for improvements & product replacement cadence, product differentiation so a Lincoln is more than a trim package to a Ford on the inside and unique sheetmetal on the outside.
Cadillac had to go through this painful process, although they were never in such bad shape.
Remember the Japanese premium cars came here as a clean sheet. Granted, they built on the quality reputation of their parent cars. However they gave their customers something to move up to, without going to Ford/GM tanks or rebadged compacts. To my way of thinking there was money just waiting to be harvested. Yet, it was not easy for these brands. To start by explaining “no, it’s not a Lincoln” to customers when you and they know damn well it’s a Lincoln, you already dug yourself a hole. I checked Ford/Germany’s offerings and they have Mustangs, small and smaller CUVs and a midsize electric SUV built on a VW supplied skateboard. Unless they are willing to drop what, 10 billion on a new platform that shares little with the Ford line there’s no point.