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Lincoln hopes month-by-month leasing will woo luxury clients

Lincoln is launching a new subscription-based service that will allow customers to lease any of its vehicles on a month-by-month basis as part of a new suite of services aimed at offering flexibility and converting buyers. The luxury brand has also been operating a pilot program in which dealers bring Lincoln vehicles to consumers' homes for them to test drive on their own time — and sometimes even complete the entire sales process at their homes. Lincoln also announced on the heels of the L.A. Auto Show a new collaboration with Clear, a company that provides expedited screening at security gates at airports and sports arenas, plus an expansion of its Lincoln Personal Driver service, formerly known as Lincoln Chauffeur, to Dallas. Kumar Galhotra, Lincoln's president, said the company is trying to create a brand experience for consumers that is warm, human and effortless, and that the new services are based on consumer research that equates time with luxury. "We take this philosophy of warm, human and effortless, and we really embed it" in the vehicles and ownership experience, he said. Lincoln plans to launch its vehicle subscription service early next year, likely in "a couple California cities," Galhotra said, that allows consumers to lease any Lincoln vehicle on a monthly basis. While Lincoln did not announce pricing, the program is based on Ford Credit's Canvas program, which offers monthly subscriptions to pre-owned Ford vehicles and come with insurance, maintenance and warranty coverage. The service is so far offered only in the Bay Area and parts of Los Angeles. The service appears to be similar to the $1,500-a-month Book by Cadillac service and Care by Volvo. Robert Parker, Lincoln's global director of marketing, sales and service, said the service will allow consumers the option of upgrading to larger-size vehicles without being locked into a traditional two-year lease. "We acknowledge the fact that we are a challenger brand. We're not at the scale of the Germans," Parker said. "We certainly aspire to continue to grow, that's not our No. 1 focus.

Why the 2015 Lincoln MKC is 'holding some powder'

Earlier this month in our first drive of the 2015 MKC, we told you that Lincoln finally had a new vehicle in its arsenal worth crowing about. So with the compact premium crossover now finding its way into dealers, why aren't you seeing its likeness plastered on billboards and barraging you on television? It's because Lincoln is "holding some powder."
Those are the words of Lincoln's global director, Matt VanDyke, who tells Autoblog that the company is holstering some of its marketing guns because it's keen to avoid repeating the ill-timed efforts that blighted its last rollout, the MKZ. That vehicle's launch early last year was beset by various delays related to manufacturing and quality. The cadence issue was so dire that by the time the model reached showrooms in volume, Lincoln had already blown most of its budget on things like Super Bowl ads that ran weeks or even months before customers could check one out in person. It was a particularly trying series of events for parent Ford because the MKZ and its oversized marketing spend were charged with relaunching the Lincoln brand to the public.
Keen to avoid repeating the same timing issue and mindful of consumers' habits at this time of year, Lincoln is taking a different strategy with the MKC. According to VanDyke, "What we don't want to do is try and fight the summertime - people using television being down, and other mass media when school's out. New television shows aren't on." Of course, that doesn't mean Lincoln is sitting idle. VanDyke says, "By no means are we quiet during the next 90 days. This year, we're going to really spend the next 60 to 90 days using digital and social media, in-theater advertising and the like, and once we have full availability at dealerships, we'll really ramp up the advertising later on in the summer." Part of that early media effort includes immersive digital marketing like Lincoln's clever Dream Rides web experience.

This 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car is very green

Autoblog Green editor John Beltz Snyder asked me to come up with something for his side of the room, so I happily obliged. Team player and all. This may not be what he had in mind, but Mr. Snyder cannot deny that the car you see here is in fact extremely green. In fact, the exterior of this 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car for sale by Worldwide Vintage Autos is rocking two verdant shades. According to this original brochure, it sure looks like a combination of Dark Jade Metallic with Light Jade Valino Grain Vinyl Roof. There was actually a "Light Jade and Dark Jade Luxury Group" for '77 that describes this very car's exterior combo, but that apparently has a "tu-tone" leather and vinyl upholstery inside, whereas this car would seem to have the optional "Majestic Velour Luxury Group" in Jade.  If you wonder why I'm oddly fascinated by Malaise era luxury yachts, descriptors like "Light Jade Valino Grain Vinyl" and "Majestic Velour" should provide key clues. Well, those and the specs. The '77 Continental Town Car was 233 inches long, which is 11.1 inches longer than a 2021 Lincoln Navigator L ... as in the extended-length version. The Town Car was also 79.7 inches wide, which is only 0.2 inches narrower than today's biggest Lincoln. Its wheelbase, however, was 127.2 inches, which is 4.4 shorter than the Navigator. You don't really need to see the specs to notice that length-to-wheelbase discrepancy, though, just check out that rear overhang! Then there's the engine: a 7.5-liter V8. Cool, that must be awesome! False. This upgrade engine for '77 produced 208 horsepower and an admittedly robust 356 pound-feet of torque. It had a three-speed automatic. It also weighed in at 4,880 pounds. Fuel economy? Ah, don't really have EPA figures for '77, so let's just say it was about as green as the Rose's Town Car on "Schitt's Creek."  So there, a very green car. Happy John?