Lincoln to try to soup up its image with alphabetic vehicle names
By AMY WILSON; AutoWeek | Published 01/02/06, 7:43 am et
DETROIT -- Lincoln will join other luxury brands by switching to alphabetic names for its vehicles, using letters instead of words.
The alphabetic names begin this fall when a new Lincoln crossover goes on sale, a Lincoln official confirmed.
Ford Motor Co. executives have long referred to that 2007 model as the Lincoln Aviator. Now it will be called the Lincoln MKX.
A final decision to go with MKX came the week before Christmas, after Lincoln got legal clearances for the name.
Company officials called it the Aviator as recently as mid-December. In October, Lincoln even distributed a press photo of the vehicle badged as the Aviator. A truck-based Aviator SUV was discontinued in 2005.
The alphabetic names are meant to elevate Lincoln's brand image. Lincoln has struggled in the last several years as product plans stagnated and the lineup aged. Lincoln's sales for the first 11 months of 2005 plunged 12.5 percent vs. the comparable 2004 period.
"We think it's important to build the brand image, so changing to this alpha system really helps put Lincoln more in the spotlight as a brand," spokeswoman Sara Tatchio said. "It also indicates a certain level of luxury."
Lincoln market researchers found that current Lincoln buyers usually identify more with their vehicles' individual names than with the brand itself. They'll say they drive a Town Car or a Navigator, rather than a Lincoln, Tatchio said. Using alphabetic names puts the emphasis on Lincoln, she said.
Sticking with 'Zephyr'
As it introduces other new vehicles, Lincoln plans to use more alphabetic names, Tatchio said. But there are no plans to drop the Zephyr nameplate, which was introduced in September on a new 2006 model-year sedan.
Tatchio wouldn't talk about future name changes. But Lincoln could drop current word names when an existing vehicle is redesigned. The next opportunity is the full-sized Navigator SUV, which will be redesigned this fall. It's not yet clear whether it will get an alphabetic name.
Two new Lincoln sedans being developed on a modified Volvo platform should get alphabetic names when they go on sale beginning in 2007. A production teaser of the smaller of those two sedans is expected to debut at the Detroit auto show next week.
The MKX crossover also will be featured at the Detroit show. Based on a modified Mazda6 platform, the five-passenger crossover features a 3.5-liter V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. It is a sibling of the 2007 Ford Edge crossover, also being shown in Detroit.
Lincoln was studying the alphabetic naming strategy before Mark Fields became president of Ford's Americas operation in September. But under Fields' direction, the company made the switch.
Lincoln is late to the alphabetic or alphanumeric naming strategy among luxury brands. Cadillac started switching its models over to alphabetic names early this decade. Acura changed to alphanumeric names beginning in 1995. Other users of alphanumeric names include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus, Infiniti and Audi.
By AMY WILSON; AutoWeek | Published 01/02/06, 7:43 am et
DETROIT -- Lincoln will join other luxury brands by switching to alphabetic names for its vehicles, using letters instead of words.
The alphabetic names begin this fall when a new Lincoln crossover goes on sale, a Lincoln official confirmed.
Ford Motor Co. executives have long referred to that 2007 model as the Lincoln Aviator. Now it will be called the Lincoln MKX.
A final decision to go with MKX came the week before Christmas, after Lincoln got legal clearances for the name.
Company officials called it the Aviator as recently as mid-December. In October, Lincoln even distributed a press photo of the vehicle badged as the Aviator. A truck-based Aviator SUV was discontinued in 2005.
The alphabetic names are meant to elevate Lincoln's brand image. Lincoln has struggled in the last several years as product plans stagnated and the lineup aged. Lincoln's sales for the first 11 months of 2005 plunged 12.5 percent vs. the comparable 2004 period.
"We think it's important to build the brand image, so changing to this alpha system really helps put Lincoln more in the spotlight as a brand," spokeswoman Sara Tatchio said. "It also indicates a certain level of luxury."
Lincoln market researchers found that current Lincoln buyers usually identify more with their vehicles' individual names than with the brand itself. They'll say they drive a Town Car or a Navigator, rather than a Lincoln, Tatchio said. Using alphabetic names puts the emphasis on Lincoln, she said.
Sticking with 'Zephyr'
As it introduces other new vehicles, Lincoln plans to use more alphabetic names, Tatchio said. But there are no plans to drop the Zephyr nameplate, which was introduced in September on a new 2006 model-year sedan.
Tatchio wouldn't talk about future name changes. But Lincoln could drop current word names when an existing vehicle is redesigned. The next opportunity is the full-sized Navigator SUV, which will be redesigned this fall. It's not yet clear whether it will get an alphabetic name.
Two new Lincoln sedans being developed on a modified Volvo platform should get alphabetic names when they go on sale beginning in 2007. A production teaser of the smaller of those two sedans is expected to debut at the Detroit auto show next week.
The MKX crossover also will be featured at the Detroit show. Based on a modified Mazda6 platform, the five-passenger crossover features a 3.5-liter V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. It is a sibling of the 2007 Ford Edge crossover, also being shown in Detroit.
Lincoln was studying the alphabetic naming strategy before Mark Fields became president of Ford's Americas operation in September. But under Fields' direction, the company made the switch.
Lincoln is late to the alphabetic or alphanumeric naming strategy among luxury brands. Cadillac started switching its models over to alphabetic names early this decade. Acura changed to alphanumeric names beginning in 1995. Other users of alphanumeric names include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus, Infiniti and Audi.
