Associated Press | Ford Motor Co. will become a player in the small market for luxury hybrids this fall when it launches its first Lincoln hybrid, a gas-electric version of the 2011 Lincoln MKZ.
Ford says the hybrid MKZ – introduced Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show — will be the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan on the market, getting an estimated 41 miles per gallon in city driving. By comparison, the Lexus HS250h gets 35 miles per gallon.
Lexus, Cadillac and Mercedes Benz offer luxury hybrids, but sales have
been modest. Lexus’ top-selling hybrid, the RX450h wagon, had total
sales of 14,464 last year, down 5 percent from the year before. By
comparison, sales of the non-hybrid RX350 shot up 11 percent to more
than 93,000, according to AutoData Corp.
Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst for IHS Global Insight, said hybrid
sales still make up less than 3 percent of the market, while luxury
sales make up just 12 percent.
“They’re playing in a very, very small sandbox,” she said.
Hybrids aren’t seen as performance vehicles, which turns off many
luxury buyers, Lindland said. They also send a different message some
luxury buyers want to convey.
“The image of a hybrid is much more about how you’re saving the world,”
she said. “The image of a premium vehicle is that you’ve been
dominating the world.”
But Ford sees opportunity for growth in the luxury hybrid market. John
Felice, general marketing manager for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, said
Ford’s research shows half of large luxury sedan buyers are interested
in hybrids, a number that has been growing.
The MKZ hybrid will have the same 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and
electric motor as the Ford Fusion hybrid. It will be able to go up to
47 miles per hour in pure electric mode.
Felice said Ford hopes the Lincoln hybrid will pull in new, younger and
more affluent buyers, as the Fusion hybrid has done. Sixty-three
percent of Fusion hybrid buyers have come over from a different brand,
compared to 44 percent of regular Fusion buyers, Felice said.
Ford didn’t reveal pricing, but Felice said it will be competitive. The
non-hybrid 2010 MKZ starts at $34,225, about $400 less than the Lexus
HS250h. The Fusion hybrid is $27,950, or $8,255 more than the base
Fusion.
1) As usual, this doesn’t say that the MkZ is hecho en Mexico.
2) Also, while it does say that it uses the Fusion powertrain, it doesn’t say it is essentially a Fusion. Hence, I question whether it is a luxury car.
3) The conundrum about whether a hybrid is a luxury or economy car was complicated by Toyota selling its Lexuses (grammar) as 6 with the power of 8s, while the normal engine in their range is a 6. Here, according to the website, the regular MkZ has a 6, so in this case it would be an economy move.
Many cars across even different manufacturers share platforms. It’s been going on for the past 30 years in the industry.
For example the Ford Fusion is based off the Volvo S80 platform. But other than platforms and some drivetrain/ suspension architecture nothing else is shared and it is fairly easy to set apart the Volvo from the Ford.
Not so with the Lincoln MKZ (formerly Zephyr) and the Ford Fusion. The former is simply a re-badge and cosmetic makeover of the top of the line latter. With a $7000 price premium. So what that the Lincoln has a THK sound system? I submit the average Lincoln buyer couldn’t care less about THX, and hence MKZ sales are quite abysmal.
Lincoln should have been bold enough to install a gas-electric powerplant in its better selling flagship MKS (Taurus based) sedan. When Mercedes and BMW introduced their hybrid drivetrains they chose to do so on their flagship models (S class and 7 series) rather than their entry level products.
Athens, a slight correction.
The MkZ and Fusion are based on the Mazda 6.
The MkS and Taurus are based on some Volvo. I assume that Ford took enough technology out of the Volvo that now they can sell it and let Geely Xinuye have it.
OMG, I can’t tell you how much I hate the new grill on the Lincolns. I think they’re hideous and make them look like cheap Dodges.