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Lincoln says MKZ supply crisis over

After an excessive number of recalls on the 2013 Escape and Fusion, we can't really fault Ford for being a little extra cautious with the launch of the 2013 Lincoln MKZ. Last month, we reported that dealer supply of the car was extremely limited due to more attention being paid to quality checks of cars rolling off the assembly line, which led to a 73-percent drop in MKZ sales from last year on top of a 32-year low in monthly sales for Lincoln in January.
The reason for the delay was that the sedans were being shipped from the Hermosillo, Mexico assembly plant to be inspected even closer at Ford's Flat Rock, Michigan plant before they were able to head to dealers. Things seem to be straightening out for Lincoln and the MKZ's production now, as Automotive News is reporting that supply should be up to a "normal level" by the end of this month.

Ford's Galhotra succeeds Farley as head of Lincoln

Ford Motor Company is announcing a major personnel shakeup that could have a dramatic effect on the future of the Lincoln division. Kumar Galhotra (pictured above), currently vice president of engineering at Ford for all of its vehicles worldwide, is taking over as the president of the luxury brand on September 1, replacing Jim Farley. The automaker is also hiring a new head of advanced engineering.
Galhotra has a huge job ahead of him as the new boss of Lincoln worldwide, overseeing product development, marketing, sales and service. His task is to turn the luxury division into a world-class brand as quickly as possible, and he reports directly to Ford President and CEO Mark Fields.
"These changes underscore our commitment to build on the success of our One Ford plan by accelerating our pace of progress. They also make clear we are serious about Lincoln as a world-class luxury brand and that product excellence and innovation are what will deliver growth and define our entire company going forward," said Fields in the company's announcement.

Lincoln hijacks Cadillac's 'Dare Greatly' tagline

Talk about comedy - not even 24 hours after Cadillac teased its CT6 while inviting us to "Dare Greatly" during the Oscars telecast, Lincoln was doing the same but on Google. An anonymous tipster informed us the day after the Oscars that typing "dare greatly" into Google returned two ads before the search results. When we checked it over the course of a few hours, the first ad was always for Cadillac and either read, "Cadillac - Dare Greatly - Only those who dare drive the world forward," or, "Cadillac - Dare Greatly - It's not the critic who counts, it's the man in the arena." (On a side note, come on, Cadillac - "the man in the arena?" Well. It's a quote. Suppose that's all right, then.) The second result was for Lincoln and read, "Dare Greatly - It's not about making a statement, it's about doing what you love," with the associated URL being www.lincoln.com/dare+greatly. The first time we clicked it, it went to the Lincoln homepage showing the 2015 MKZ Hybrid. The second time, we got a page saying that the Lincoln site wasn't available; the Lincoln site was fine, the link didn't work. There's no reference to the Google joke at the Lincoln site - this was just about getting eyeballs. The English have the perfect phrase for Lincoln's provocation: "You've got some cheek!" We think it cunning, dastardly, and funny, and there's no doubt it worked - they knew people would flock to search the term. One of our competitors, Autotrader, said that within an hour of the first of four Cadillac spots airing during the Oscars, car searches for Cadillac vehicles climbed 53 percent from pre-Academy Award coverage levels. Searches for Cadillac cars were up 120%, they said. If this is Round One of our homegrown scrappy old-timers going at it, we're all for it. News Source: Google Marketing/Advertising Cadillac Lincoln Luxury