I do not disagree, but my argument still stands. Are shoppers going into the showrooms to look at the cheaper Lexus/Acura? If they are, why are they not buying the better/cheaper Lexus/Acura?

Attract the shoppers to look at the product. Prove to those shoppers that the product is better. Something here is failing.

 

I feel like you regarding the MKX. I really liked the SUV both inside and out, and still do. A while back I gave it a very close look but just couldn't pull the trigger on one due to the uncertainty of the Lincoln brand at the time, and the experience at the two dealerships that I visited wasn't too good. There is a Lincoln only dealership not too far from me which I haven't been in, so don't know if it's better.

 

 

 

What's failing is that many people form their opinions on what their experience was 20 or 30 years ago, not what the manufacturers are actually offering today....I see this time and time again, especially with Kia and Hyundai, but with other brands was well. Manufacturers can do a lot of things (and today's manufacturers are doing them)...but, like I said in my reply to Jill, John Q. Public has to take some time out from the daily grind and actually go to the dealership...or somewhere else where they can see and drive the vehicle. IMO, you can't decide on a new car sitting in front of a computer or TV set, looking at images. (or even reading MM reviews LOL)

 

 

They actually can but it isn't easy. Audi has shed it's reputation as the car with unintended acceleration by consistently producing good cars. Hyundai to a degree has begun to shed it's reputation for building what Mike call "junk" by building nice reliable cars. For Cadillac to return to "The Standard for the World" it will have to build outstanding cars for several generations. What we have seen so far is the CT6 with a great chassis let down by substandard power trains and cheap interior. With the new turbo V-8, they have addressed one of the failings. Now for an interior that rivals the best in the world. Picture a CT6 with a 550hp V-8, 10 speed auto, and the LS500 interior. Finally, they would have a car worthy of $100K pricing. But in today's world, it would be outsold by the Escalade truck.

I think Lincoln has taken a short cut back to some status as a luxury product and its name is Navigator.

 

 

I think it is a combination of the luxobarge sedan decline (heck, even the regular sedan demand as the Accord isn't immune) along with the brand perception that Lincoln has. I've seen (never driven) a handful of Continental's at the Hertz/Avis rental car lots, to mmarshall's point the interior quality is far from true luxury.

Even a fully-specced-out Continental ranked dead last when compared to a 7-series, LS500 and the G90 as per Motortrend 3 months ago:
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/genes...ontinental-30/

 

So what is it going to take? I think think the perception thing is a hard problem to overcome, however I do not think the product is that bad. Is Sulu right in that they need to make better cars for the less money or something along those lines.

 

You have answered the question -- shoppers are not going to the dealerships. Merely having a model on the showroom floor may not be enough to lure people in.

Shoppers may not know where the showroom is; it may be hidden by something.

The model may not look special enough. It -- especially a luxury vehicle -- has to stand out from other products.

Shoppers may not even know that there are vehicles worth looking at. Is the marketing appropriate to attract shoppers to the showrooms?

 

"not that bad" isn't good enough, that's the problem.

the perception thing can be overcome by product excellence. this is not excellent. this is a tarted up fusion/taurus.

 

These days, consumers are more informed about platform sharing. While great for the automaker, consumers are smartening up, and realizing they can get a fully loaded Fusion with more features than the base Lincoln model.

Maybe its the automaker's fault for down marketing luxury features to economy cars (5-10 years ago, you wouldn't think a Hyundai Elantra would have heated rear seats and be available with semi autonomous safety tech). The gap between the mainstream and luxury brands are blending.

 

it's true that almost all features are coming down to even traditionally considered 'economy cars', however there's still a big difference in other areas such as materials used, audio system quality, ride refinement, power delivery refinement, seat adjustment sophistication, etc. there's still some features typically not found on lower end cars like adaptive (turning) headlights, remote starting, adaptive suspensions, heads up displays, power tilt/telescope wheel, etc.

 

I read that article. The difference between the four cars, in MT's view, was not that great.