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How and why Ford is rolling out Vignale in Europe

We know that Ford is positioning the new, upscale Vignale brand in Europe to fill a niche market of customers who want a bit more luxury, a lot more service and the same reliability and dependability that a non-Vignale Ford offers. But so far, we've been in the dark regarding how the Blue Oval will sell Vignale vehicles, how many of them will be created, and what the new sub-brand has in store for the future.
Gaetano Thorel, Ford's European marketing head, recently was interviewed by Automotive News and shared details about Ford Vignale. Thorel says, "The Vignale trim line will be priced like an ST model but attract a completely different type of customer." Specifically, he says it will attract customers in the upper 15 percent of the price band who don't want a performance-oriented ST model. He adds that Vignale cars will be about 10 percent more expensive than Titanium-trim cars. About 500 of Ford's European dealers will sell Vignale Fords, Thorel says, "in areas that make sense." The automaker expects 10 percent of its European sales to be Vignale cars, which equates to about 5 percent of its global sales. When asked if there are any other Vignale models planned beyond the Mondeo, Thorel said, "There is nothing written in stone yet."

Focus RS shreds in prep for Goodwood hillclimb

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is rapidly becoming a second home for Ford's hottest versions of the Focus. Last year, the updated Focus ST and high-performance diesel debuted there, and this year the motoring event has been selected to show off the new 2016 Focus RS. To get a little exercise before speeding up the hill climb, the Blue Oval unleashed its upcoming hyper hatch on a Belgian test track. Based on this clip, Ford's test driver has absolutely no problem whatsoever in making the Focus RS slide, at least with the stability and traction control off. Interestingly, while the RS shares its 2.3-liter EcoBoost with the latest Mustang, the Blue Oval's engineers give it a much different exhaust note here. Rather than a growling muscle car, this example has much more of the staccato bark of a rally-bred machine, which is a great fit. The all-wheel drive, 315-horsepower Focus RS should be arriving at dealers soon, and we're definitely looking forward to seeing and hearing it take on the Goodwood hill during the upcoming event. Related Video:

Ford recalls 2017 Lincoln Continental for headlight problem

Ford Motor Co. is already recalling the 2017 Lincoln Continental for a headlight problem, the automaker announced Tuesday. The HID headlights may have been assembled with LED lens that don't have the correct lens optics to meet federal visibility requirements for turn signals. Ford says it is unaware of any accidents related to the issue. The company will replace the headlamp assemblies, if needed. The safety compliance recall covers 1,876 Continentals built from June 14 to Sept. 23 at Ford's Flat Rock factory south of Detroit. Most of the cars are in the United States; 49 are in Canada, and one is in a federalized territory. Only about 300 cars are in consumers' hands, a spokesperson said. Customers can use a Lincoln service program where dealers will pick up their Continental, fix it for free, and return it, the spokesperson said. Lincoln has high hopes for the Continental. The flagship sedan uses one of Lincoln's most iconic names and features a luxurious interior, available 400-horsepower V6 engine, and safety features like adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera. Lincoln recently announced an elaborate marketing campaign shot by renown photographer Annie Leibovitz to generate interest in the Continental. In a separate recall, Ford also said Tuesday that 60 Edges from the 2015-16 model year are being recalled to update their antilock braking system module. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Lincoln Continental Campaign View 12 Photos Recalls Ford Lincoln