[staff]

Lincoln, Cadillac woo buyers with extras
Auto dealers vie to distinguish their brands in a soft market

Lincoln MKS Forum - General Motors and Ford have dropped their fur-lined gloves and are engaging in one-upmanship to distinguish their luxury brands in a competitive segment of the market.

Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln and General Motors Co.'s Cadillac are dangling free maintenance deals, a perk long offered by rival import BMW, but dropped by luxury automakers Lexus, Audi and Mercedes-Benz in recent years amid high costs.

The goal is not to boost sales during the short term in a soft luxury market, but to distinguish the premium domestic brands from their foreign rivals, raise brand awareness for Lincoln and Cadillac, and cultivate long-term repeat customers.

Their efforts come as the luxury car market has posted single-digit percentage gains and luxury sport utility sales have increased 30.7 percent in the first half of the year, despite a weak economy. Other vehicle segments, such as pickups and sport utility/crossovers, have notched double-digit increases this year, while the overall market has climbed 16.7 percent.

The domestic brand incentives sparked mixed reactions from dealers and industry analysts, who said free maintenance perks could help them compete with foreign rivals, but likely won't boost sales in the short term.

READ MORE HERE

[uvls16]

staff, on 14 July 2010 - 11:42 AM, said:

Lincoln, Cadillac woo buyers with extras
Auto dealers vie to distinguish their brands in a soft market

Lincoln MKS Forum - General Motors and Ford have dropped their fur-lined gloves and are engaging in one-upmanship to distinguish their luxury brands in a competitive segment of the market.

Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln and General Motors Co.'s Cadillac are dangling free maintenance deals, a perk long offered by rival import BMW, but dropped by luxury automakers Lexus, Audi and Mercedes-Benz in recent years amid high costs.

The goal is not to boost sales during the short term in a soft luxury market, but to distinguish the premium domestic brands from their foreign rivals, raise brand awareness for Lincoln and Cadillac, and cultivate long-term repeat customers.

Their efforts come as the luxury car market has posted single-digit percentage gains and luxury sport utility sales have increased 30.7 percent in the first half of the year, despite a weak economy. Other vehicle segments, such as pickups and sport utility/crossovers, have notched double-digit increases this year, while the overall market has climbed 16.7 percent.

The domestic brand incentives sparked mixed reactions from dealers and industry analysts, who said free maintenance perks could help them compete with foreign rivals, but likely won't boost sales in the short term.

READ MORE HERE

[uvls16]

Why bother with the Lincoln MKS. It's such a loser, the Cadillac CTS is outselling it 3 to 1. Tested twice by Consumer Reports magazine, the MKS came in last place among its competition as with the Volvo S 80. Ford should import one of its Australian rear drivers.

[joehio]

Sorry you feel that way about the MKS dude ( or is it dudette???). To each his own, you know, like some like boxers, some like jockey's, and some like none at all !
Personally I DO NOT like the CTS styling, and the nav screen that has to pop up out of the dash. Can't
GM style their dashboards so it can be built in, like in the MKS?
I posted earlier date how great the was on a recent trip to Canada, and 28.4 MPG on the highway wasn't too shabby.
By the way, I don't recall that Ford Motor Company had to be bailed out by the govt ! Maybe they should have let GM and Chrysler sink or swim.

This post has been edited by joehio: 20 July 2010 - 05:58 PM

[ranger3]

I drove the Cadillac CTS and my stepson has one. They are not even in the same class of car as the MKS. I also don't think the CTS is in the same class as the Mercedes, Infiniti. Seats are hard, harsh ride goofy GPS/NAV system, radio has to be on for NAV TO work. No backup camera available. Crowed front seats. Many more issues than just this. I also wrote to consumers reports and told them I thought they had missed the boat on the CTS in their glowing report as well as they I thought they were a bit too tough on the MKS. I still am of the opinion that Consumer Reports takes money under the table on some of these things. If you want to compare, use the Cadillac STS and then BMW, Infiniti and Mercedes.

[brucelinc]

To make the point that the CTS outsells the MKS is similar to saying the Camry outsells the Lexus. Apples and Oranges. Now if the point was made that the MKS outsells the STS, GS, Acura RL and Infiniti M series, we would have a valid point. Frankly, none of these cars, including the MKS sell in large numbers. However, comparing sales results of a small entry level near-luxury car to a much larger, better equipped and more expensive vehicle is silly.

Regarding magazine comparison tests: I love reading them. I subscribe to several magazines and read all the online reports that I have time for. I like the hard data and I am interested in the opinions of the writer. However, one should always keep in mind that the writer or magazine editors have opinions based on their priorities. Those priorities may be much different than yours or mine. Anyone who reads a comparison test and concludes, "Well, Motor Head magazine says they like the Snazmobile best so I will buy one" must be really insecure in their ability to make judgements or take any personal responsibility - you might call them a loser.

I do agree that Lincoln needs a RWD flagship vehicle. They also need to work on the MKZ a lot more to make it more desirable in the entry level near-luxury class. It is getting spanked by most of its competitors, including the CTS. Most of all, Lincoln needs to work on their image. More compelling and dramatically styled product will help but it will also take some creative marketing and outside the box thinking, as well as some work on the dealership /customer experience end.