At a recent Ford event, we asked some of the execs what was going on with the Lincoln Mark LT. They'd told us sales were steady, and hinted about a new Mark LT based on the coming new F-150 (expected to go on sale in late 2008 for the 2009 model year). Well, apparently that's not what some dealers, suppliers, and "industry sources" are saying.
According to Automotive News the Mark LT's last year will be the 2008 model year. This strikes us as a strange decision, considering Lincoln sold nearly 10 times as many of the Mark LT than that of the poorly received Blackwood (people bought less than 3500 of those trucks over a 15 month period). If you remember, the Lincoln Blackwood was Ford's attempt to compete with the Cadillac EXT, but failed miserably. Not surprising, when you consider the Blackwood turned its high-capable F-150 SuperCrew platform into a pickup with a large covered trunk, only four seats, almost no payload, and it couldn't tow. Not to forget the silly imitation wood stickers on the bed and swing out tailgate doors. Sales of the Blackwood were abysmal. To their credit, on Ford's second attempt at a Lincoln pickup truck, they swung nicely in the opposite direction (in fact, too far some say), making the Mark LT a structural clone (with all the SuperCrew 5.4-liter V-8's capability) but concentrated on the interior and exterior (shall we say, fashion) details. Clearly, this vehicle was better received, selling about 10,000 units a year. And that's what looks to have sealed its fate. That number is about half what Ford and Lincoln were hoping for.
Our guess is that one of two things are going to happen. If Lincoln can find some way to separate and give a new Mark LT more of its own exclusive-minded Lincoln personality, there may be hope for a new F-150 based Lincoln pickup. If the only way Ford can make the business case for a new Mark LT is to get those sales numbers to 15,000 or 20,000 units a year, our best guess is there's going to need to be something quite unique and special about the product. Maybe Ford has a new V-8 engine they might want to try out in the premium marque first before trickling it down to the common trucks? Seems to have worked pretty well for GM.
Our second guess is that Ford learns both of their Lincoln pickup truck mistakes and decide not to try to compete with Cadillac head to head. Sure, there's a huge history between Lincoln and Cadillac, but with the exception of the Lincoln's long standout, the MKX, there's nothing going on right now. It's all Cadillac. That does make you wonder whether Ford can afford to try a tough sell for the third time, but before we answer that, it should be noted that in the truck market, Ford has been brilliant at creating and promoting high-visibility F-Series option packages, i.e., the Tow Boss, the Ford Harley-Davidson F-150, the King Ranch package, and now the F-150 Lariat Limited. If there's another company that seems to know how deep the well is of passionate truck buyers we haven't heard of them. Ford rules the roost here.
Over the years, Ford has done an excellent job of catering to truck buyers that want top line features rather than the run-of-the-mill, and the interiors are getting progressively more gorgeous. It wouldn't surprise us at all if that trend continued with Ford in 2009. Does make you wonder though where Lincoln has left to go if regular Ford trucks are climbing to $45,000 and 50,000. Where does a Lincoln Mark LT have to go?