Beautiful 1978 Lincoln Mark V Hard Top/sunroof on 2040-cars

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Ed Welburn leaves a lasting legacy at GM design

General Motors design chief Ed Welburn retired July 1, and the soft-spoken stylist is leaving a lasting legacy at the automaker and on the industry. He became the first African American to lead design at a carmaker when he took over GM's top spot in 2003. Just six people have overseen the company's design, and Welburn followed in the footsteps of icons like Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell. When Welburn was given expanded global oversight in 2005, it wasn't ceremonial. He helped unite the company's sprawling design empire, and today is in charge of 2,500 people who have a hand in designing GM cars. "He nurtured a creative, inclusive, and customer-focused culture among our designers that has strengthened our global brands," Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO, said in a statement." Welburn took the helm when GM and the industry were shaking off a general styling malaise that pervaded the 1980s and 1990s. During his 13 years in charge, he took risks, produced a wide range of styles for everything from hybrids to sports cars to big trucks, and leaves GM design in a better place. Welburn's replacement, Michael Simcoe from GM's international design unit, has big shoes to fill. News & Analysis News: Tesla attracted more than 325,000 preorders of the Model 3 in about a week. Analysis: If anything, the Model 3 is more popular than many expected. Elon Musk tweeted that surprising figure on Thursday, and he said just five percent ordered the maximum number of two. That seems to indicate actual owners rather than speculators are fueling the demand. With a starting price of $35,000 before incentives and an electric range of 215 miles, the Model 3 is the Tesla that's attainable for a lot of people. Clearly, that notion is resonating. News: Lincoln has drawn 40,000 hand-raisers for the Continental. Analysis: Okay, that's not a Tesla figure, but it's still an encouraging sign for Lincoln that one of its most famous and historic names still resonates in 2016. It also demonstrates using a real, albeit slightly dusty name, was the right call for the MKS replacement. "No other Lincoln vehicle has generated this much interest in this little time," Lincoln president Kumar Galhotra said in New York last month. The concept that debuted a year ago put Lincoln back on the map, and the production version remains true to that promise. It will stand out on the road when it arrives this fall, and ultimately, that kind of style will determine Lincoln's future.

The Zephyr could help Lincoln, seriously

The Zephyr could help Lincoln. The concept car revealed this week at the Shanghai Motor Show is gorgeous and a conversation starter. People noticed Lincoln.  The brand is quick to say the car, officially called the Zephyr Reflection Preview, is only intended for sale in China and what we’re seeing is a concept. In other words, donÂ’t get excited and donÂ’t read too much into the reveal. Why not?  Mercedes, Audi and BMW still do pretty well with sedans. So do Lexus and Cadillac. IÂ’m not saying Lincoln should line up three wide against the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class and try to go head-to-head. Just make one car, maybe complemented by a crossover variant, like the Volvo S60 and V60 Cross Country relationship. Tiptoe into the segment. Price it right, make it electric and see what happens. IÂ’ve argued Chrysler only needs a few models to become relevant again. Lincoln already has more than a few solid models. Lincoln is relevant. The Navigator is the superstar, and the brand has a respectable lineup with attractive design, solid powertrains and clever chassis setups (like the AviatorÂ’s independent rear suspension). Lincolns arenÂ’t more expensive Fords with flashier grilles anymore. Ironically, thatÂ’s exactly what the last Zephyr was — a gussied-up 2006 Ford Fusion — that lasted for one year before being renamed the MKZ. Ford Motor Co., including Lincoln, famously pivoted away from cars. That was a mistake. The Ford brand can compensate with Bronco Sports and Maverick pickups and maybe a crossover-wagon thing that sort of replaces the Fusion. Lincoln could use something beyond crossovers and SUVs. At this point, youÂ’re probably saying, “Uh, Continental, hello — Lincoln tried this." In fact, Lincoln has actually sold 768 Continentals this year as it sells off remaining inventory of the now-discontinued sedan. IÂ’d argue the ContinentalÂ’s demise wasnÂ’t due to its merits. ItÂ’s a pretty good car. It just had the misfortune of launching in 2016 as the market for sedans continued to shrink. The Continental was never going to be a volume play, but the measly sales figures it did achieve didnÂ’t justify its existence, even for a halo car. The Cadillac CT6, the ContinentalÂ’s domestic rival, met the same fate for the same reasons. Why would a new sedan fare any better? Lincoln didnÂ’t reveal the powertrain of the prototype, but an electric Zephyr sedan could bring in a whole new customer to the brand.

Dealers mobilize to protect their margins from automaker subscription services

Six individual auto brands — Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Volvo — have established or are trialing a vehicle subscription service in the U.S. Three third-party companies — Flexdrive, Clutch and Carma — run brand-agnostic subscription services. And three automakers — Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and General Motors — have also launched short-term rental services. Dealers, afraid of how these trends might affect their margins, are building political and lawmaking campaigns to protect their revenue streams. So far, three states are investigating automaker subscriptions, and Indiana has banned any such service until next year. It's certain that those three states are the first fronts in a long political and legal battle. Powerful dealer franchise laws mandate the existence of dealers and restrict how automakers are allowed to interact with customers to sell a vehicle. On top of that, Bob Reisner, CEO of Nassau Business Funding & Services, said, "Dealers and their associations are among the strongest political operators in many states. They as a group are difficult for state politicians to vote against." In California earlier this year, the state Assembly debated a bill with wide-ranging provisions to protect against what the California New Car Dealers Association called "inappropriate treatment of dealers by manufacturers." One of those provisions stipulated that subscription services need to go through dealers, but that item got stripped out when dealers and manufacturers agreed to discuss the matter further. In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a moratorium on all subscription programs by dealers or manufacturers until May 1, 2019, to give legislators more time to investigate. Dealers in New Jersey have taken their campaign to the state capitol, asking that the cars in subscription programs get a different classification for registration purposes. Automakers run the current subscription services and own the vehicles. Sign-ups and financial transactions happen online or through apps, leaving dealers to do little more than act as fulfillment centers to various degrees, with little legal recourse as to compensation amounts when they're called on to deliver or service a car. That's a bad base to build on for business owners who've sunk millions of dollars into their operations.