DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Ford boss is thinkin' Lincoln

Ford has unveiled the Lincoln MKZ concept at the North American International Auto Show, a new model that is part of a gathering wave of product from the once overlooked and underperforming Lincoln brand, the luxury division of the Ford Motor Company since its acquisition in the 1920s.

Ahead of the NAIAS in Detroit, Ford president and CEO, Alan Mulally, told journalists that Ford had become brand-bound during the years of the Premier Automotive Group (PAG), which bundled together prestige names such as Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo under the Ford umbrella. Furthermore, with the spotlight shining on the Euro brands, it was swung away from Ford's first premier automotive brand, Lincoln.

"When Ford bought the other brands," Mulally explained, "Ford stopped investing in Lincoln."

With the subsequent divestment of those brands, Ford will concentrate on promoting Lincoln once more and raising the standard of design, build quality and engineering for the Lincoln product range. Clearly, Ford will not go about snapping up impoverished Euro prestige brands anymore - certainly not on Mulally's watch. It leaves Ford free to return to its core business, which includes Lincoln too.

"85 per cent of our entire business, worldwide, was with the Ford brand," Mulally said. "[The Premier Automotive Group] was an interesting strategy, but it was really more the Ford Motor Company had become a house of brands - and we have some competitors that are heading that way."

Divesting the company of all the prestige brands (Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo), plus euthanising the Mercury division has cleared space between the respective brand profiles of Ford and Lincoln, the in-house competitor to GM's Cadillac.

Ford's gradual move upmarket into the space vacated by Mercury will be product-led, Mulally says. To the surprise of some in the room during the conference, Mulally actually cited the old acronyms for Ford: "Found on road, dead" and "Fix or repair daily". It's the CEO's view that the company has moved beyond any inherent truth in those acronyms.

Mulally is claiming that the range is now more reliable and better built - and that makes it a fit competitor for not only its current rivals from Japan, but also some semi-prestige marques from Europe.

"You look at every Ford vehicle now, for quality and fuel efficiency and safety, smart design, JD Powers - all the consumer reports - every one of those vehicles, now, is best in class against the competition."

The One Ford program has broadened the company's product line-up, while also improving quality in anticipation of a brand image trending upwards, Mulally claims. Similarly, Lincoln's models will trickle down into segments left open by the demise of Mercury.

"That's why you see us focusing on the whole new Lincoln family... for the US market."

And it's fairly clear from what Mulally is saying that the Lincoln brand won't be exclusive to the North American market forever...

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