The Car Shopping Thread
Agent Jay
Grandaddy Alumni
Would have been awesome, but of course unpractical in todays models....for Lincoln anyway.
Practicality isn't needed at that price point in my opinion. Just seems like it would have been a worthwhile addition to get the nostalgia as well as they uniqueness.
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Agent Jay
Grandaddy Alumni
Lincoln is really harping on making a NEW face for themselves for the new Millennial buyers, and as much as nostalgia plays into for US, they want NO part of it. They are REALLY trying to get away from the mindset that "Lincoln is the car my Grandparents drive". Playing on "old school" is no longer in there mindset for models they are wanting to bring to the buyers.
You mean the same millennials that are turning away from MP3's and digital downloads for Vinyl?
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You mean the same millennials that are turning away from MP3's and digital downloads for Vinyl?
Those millennials ride bikes or take an Uber everywhere.
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And I love that new mindset, but that age group is not buying the Continental. MKC and MKZ maybe, and their marketing plays a role here, but the cost alone keeps that group away.
I agree with the Agent on this.I think Lincoln has been choking on tradition. Cadillac only made noise after it decided to let it's tradition dye with its then aging consumer base and chase the younger buyers. This is fresh but it is clear where its DNA is from.And it screams prestige.
Agent Jay
Grandaddy Alumni
I agree. You should see the material that Lincoln has our sales staff learn and test over though. I'm not even kidding. They even have a "Lincoln scent" now, 100% serious! They have these "Lincoln Standards" that each dealership is required to meet or exceed in order to keep getting higher allocations and if you get really bad, they'll take the brand from your store! They WANT to be in the same breath as BMW, Lexus and Audi and they want us to offer and be like a One off boutique dealership in sales, but still sell Fords on the side. The dealership I work at has spent thousands of dollars getting up to standards, too.
Interesting Jay. I read just this morning a good article on selling to Millennials and it noted that you can't just speak to them about tradition and the like you must engage them and above all listen to them.
Absolutely!! I will not buy a car that does not hold two sets of golf clubs and two people. I am a bit annoyed that I have to lay them at an angle in our mid-sized SUV (hard to believe that in a mid-sized SUV) but if I had to use the back seat or fold the seat down it would be a non-starter for me. It got particularly challenging when I was shopping for a 2-door convertible sports car and had to be able to put both sets in the trunk (even better with the top down and was willing to take out the woods). Carrying even one set of golf clubs not in the passenger seat ruled out pretty much every sports car that I was interested in but managed to find one that fit both in the trunk with the top down. And, I made sure before buying by trying it out in the showroom.
I find it amazing how much smaller trunks have become in many cars that otherwise don't seem all that small (even the Audi R7 that a friend has for example was shockingly small and inconvenient for two sets of clubs) and how many smaller cars (particularly sports cars) have nowhere for golf clubs but the passenger seat..... Since 80% of the miles I do in my car (as opposed our using my wife's car) is to and from something golf related, I couldn't imagine choosing a car that couldn't work for me, a passenger and two sets of clubs.
Wake
Active member
I'm with everyone else, Lincoln is headed in the right direction. They seem to have gotten the quality and features down with the current line, after lagging way behind for a long time. They are moving towards exciting vehicles now which is awesome, going away from the awful front end is huge.
They were talking about Millennials and cars on CNBC this morning for a couple of minutes and noting that car ownership is way, way down among Millennials as a group compared to similarly aged people in prior generations (probably dramatically down in cities I suspect).
Agent Jay
Grandaddy Alumni
Getting rid of the MKS and replacing it with the Continental, I think is going to be HUGE for them. The next 5 years of Lincoln vehicles are going to be a make or break change for them. The new front end design is in the right step. They are wanting to appeal to those of us in our middle to upper 30's and up until the new MXZ design came out, I wouldn't have looked at them. This coming from a guy who works for a Ford Lincoln dealership. Now, with the new MKC, the update coming to the 2017 MKZ (see above) and even the Continental. Ya, I'm changing my mind!
That front end you refer to was what took me out of the Nav we had.(Plus the bad mileage) I always thought it looked weird.
Agent Jay
Grandaddy Alumni
That, I think is the next model they should/NEED to tackle...the Navigator. They tweaked it some last year, but it really needs a NEW look, new engine options for some better fuel economy and some new tech.
Wake
Active member
I wonder if that difference mirrors the lower child numbers as well.
I think they are as well - but to change the image of Lincoln from "your parents" or worse "your grandparents" car will take a long time. On that topic, I wonder how well Buick's long running ad campaign is working and if their penetration among younger buyers is up materially....
I am WAY past that upper 30's age group and I love the new front end.Now just get Matthew off of those commercials and use someone I can relate to. I think they have a shot at the affluent women with the update to the smaller suv and maybe the MKZ.
Wake
Active member
I disagree, Cadillac did it quickly after the CTS came out, and it wasn't long ago the Navigator was "cool"
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It is. Uber has a part in that (just ask them) but the other part is the lack of funds to pay for a vehicle. Lack of necessity for the job they dont have to go to, etc.
That's why GM is launching Maven.
Agent Jay
Grandaddy Alumni
You're the demographic that's been the Lincoln buyer of the past (not offense) and the one that will keep them going until they can reach my demographic better. They have to have a solid offerings to step into a market they've never really had before. For what it's worth, the MKC has been a vehicle that (from what I've seen personally) has been purchased by the ladies more so than the guys.
Question, if Lincoln made a two door sports coupe on the Mustang chassis, would you seriously consider buying something like that? Similar to the BMW M2, Lexus RC and Audi RS model lines?