Dealers to push Lincoln MKT

Lincoln dealers are to throw a nationwide promotion today to launch the newest member of Ford Motor Co.’s refurbished luxury brand — the Lincoln MKT large crossover.

The event is based on similar events Lincoln hosted last summer when it introduced the MKS flagship sedan and it’s being billed as a fund-raiser, with $20 for every test-drive being donated to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, a nonprofit organization that works to battle breast cancer.

“It is the single largest event that we have every pulled off at Lincoln,” said Catherine Pearce, marketing manager for the Lincoln MKT.

The Lincoln MKT is the fullest expression of the new Lincoln design, according to Lincoln design director Pat Schiavone and helps the brand fulfill what it sees as a niche between buyers who want something larger than a two-row crossover vehicle and smaller than a full-size SUV.

The Lincoln MKT, which starts at $44,200, went on sale in September and joins other members of the new Lincoln family that started with the Lincoln MKZ midsize sedan (formerly called the Zephyr) and Lincoln MKX midsize crossover in 2006. The Lincoln MKS flagship sedan, which launched last summer, also has been well received.

But the MKT might be the most aggressive — and risky — new Lincoln.

“It’s a polarizing product,” said Aaron Bragman, automotive analyst for IHS Global Insight. “I personally think it’s a fantastic product, but people really do seem to either love or hate the styling.”

Free Press auto critic Mark Phelan, who gave the MKT four out of four stars, said, “The MKT’s fuel economy, style, performance and advanced features make it much more than an alternative to behemoth yester-vehicles like the Navigator.”

With the aggressive styling of the new MKT and a complete lineup across the Lincoln brand, Ford executives say they see an opportunity to draw to the brand younger buyers who are members of Generation X, born in the 1960s and 1970s.Through September, Lincoln’s sales have declined 28.5%, which is better than the decline of 30.2% for all luxury vehicles, according to Autodata Corp.

Despite that better-than-market performance, Lincoln still substantially lags longtime American luxury rival Cadillac. Through September, consumers purchased 59,236 Lincoln models, while they purchased 73,024 Cadillacs.

To reach new consumers, Lincoln is using simple advertisements with songs from the 1980s that are redone by up-and-coming modern music groups, said Thomais Zaremba, communications manager for Lincoln-Mercury.

“These are really consumers who don’t have the experience with Lincoln in their prior history,” Zaremba said.

The commercials feature remakes of ’80s hits like “Twilight Zone,” by Golden Earring and “Under the Milky Way” by the Church. – Freep

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