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Farley says Lincoln learnings in China could influence brand in US

Automotive News reports Lincoln is looking to Chinese luxury shoppers for customer service ideas. Those notions may eventually make their way back to the US in the form of new dealership training. Jim Farley, the executive vice president of global marketing for Ford, tells Automotive News, "In many ways, China will be a listening post for Lincoln in the United States. Soon China will be the largest luxury market in the world." Farley also said that in China, the Lincoln brand is currently where Lexus was when the Japanese brand first landed in the US.
Lincoln is slated to open its first Chinese dealerships in 2014. The brand is largely unknown in Asia, and Lincoln representatives have been visiting other luxury dealers in China for an idea of what buyers there expect. Lincoln has also studied non-automotive luxury shopping, paying special attention to high-end retail branding.
Of course, this whole song and dance feels awfully familiar. Lincoln has focused heavily on remaking the brand and recrafting its marketing here in the States, thus far without sufficient product to back the play. Lincoln is already late to the China game, and without the necessary products to lure buyers away from established bodies like Buick and Cadillac, Lincoln may be doomed to repeat its fate here in the US.

Ford expands door-latch recall to 156k more vehicles, nearly 550k total

Ford is being inundated with recalls as of late. Just days ago it called in over 590,000 cars for a variety of issues. Now, the Blue Oval has announced an expansion of its door latch campaign to cover an additional 156,000 vehicles in North America. Counting the original 389,585 cars, this has brought the total to 545,906. Under this expansion, the same models are affected, but Ford is broadening the coverage dates in some cases. The recall covers the 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, and 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ; there are 456,440 units in the US, 50,681 in Canada, and 38,785 in Mexico in need of repair. In these vehicles, a door might not latch because of a broken pawl spring tab. Even if a passenger can successfully close it, the faulty part could unlatch while driving. According to Ford, there are two allegations of doors bounding back and hitting a person. There's also one possible accident from a door opening and striking another vehicle. Dealers will replace all of the latches to fix the problem. Related Video: MAY 1, 2015 | DEARBORN, MICH. FORD EXPANDS DOOR LATCH SAFETY RECALL IN NORTH AMERICA DEARBORN, Mich., May 1, 2015 – Ford Motor Company is expanding a safety recall regarding door latches to include approximately 156,000 more vehicles at the request of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, bringing the total to 545,906 vehicles in North America. The door latch in certain vehicles may experience a broken pawl spring tab, which typically results in a condition where the door will not latch. If a customer is then able to latch the door, there is a potential the door may unlatch while driving, increasing the risk of injury. Ford is aware of a total two allegations of soreness resulting from an unlatched door bouncing back when the customer attempted to close it, and one accident allegation when an unlatched door swung open and struck the adjacent vehicle as the driver was pulling into a parking space. Affected vehicles include certain 2011-14 Fiesta vehicles built at Cuautitlan Assembly Plant, Nov. 3, 2009 to May 31, 2013; certain 2013-14 Fusion vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, Feb. 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013; certain 2014 Fusion vehicles built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, April 12, 2013 to April 26, 2013; and certain 2013-14 Lincoln MKZ vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, Feb. 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013. There are 456,440 vehicles in the United States and federalized territories, 50,681 in Canada and 38,785 in Mexico.

These are the slowest-selling new cars of 2024

While overall sales numbers are a solid indicator of an automaker’s success, another metric can show how well its new vehicles resonate with buyers on the ground. iSeeCars recently released a list of the fastest- and slowest-selling new car companies on the market, and a handful of brands appear to have some catching up to do. Lincoln landed the “top spot” among slow-selling brands, taking an average of 82.6 days to move inventory. Infiniti wasnÂ’t much better, at 79.8 days, and Buick came third with 79 days to sell.  Slowest-selling new cars of 2024 Lincoln: 82.6 days to sell Infiniti: 79.8 Buick: 79 Audi: 75.1 Ram: 69.7 Ford: 68.1 Dodge: 67.4 GMC: 66.6 Acura: 65.4 Lexus: 64.5 iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer noted that the fastest-selling brands, which include Toyota, Alfa Romeo, and Cadillac, likely move inventory because they resonate with buyersÂ’ desire for value and a compelling product. The study also noted that seeing GMC, Ford, and Ram so low on the list likely indicates slowing truck sales, which comprise a significant portion of those brandsÂ’ numbers. ItÂ’s also possible that buyers are turned off by higher prices from those brands. Fast-selling new car brands also appeared on the used car list, where Honda, Lexus, and Toyota dominated. Unfortunately for Lincoln, it also made the slow-selling used list, between Maserati as the slowest and Alfa Romeo in third. iSeeCarsÂ’ analysis also examined EV and hybrid sales and found that hybrids tend to sell much faster than their electric counterparts. In March 2024, new hybrids took an average of 49.5 days to sell, while EVs took 70.6 days. That again brings us to the price and value arguments, where hybrids are significantly less expensive than EVs, though charging and range concerns also likely play a role. By the Numbers Green Buick Infiniti Lincoln Car Buying