[Hunter090]

We all know that Lincoln has been on the comeback trail for a while, and the good news is that they are succeeding. Lincoln's 2015 June sales were the best June sales month that the brand has had since 2007, and sales for the brand are up on the whole for 2015 when compared to the same point last year.

Lincoln spokesperson Sam Locricchio says that the Lincoln MKC has been a principal reason for Lincoln's recent sales increases. Here's some of the details on the MKC's sales numbers before telling you more about how the brand is doing on the whole.

Last June, Lincoln sold 684 MKCs. This June Lincoln saw an increase of 184.6% -- that makes for a total sales volume of 1,947 units for June 2015. Looking at the year up to this point, Lincoln has sold 11,332 MKCs. That number completely dwarfs last year's MKC sales up to June, which stood at 1,361. So for the year through June, the MKC has seen a growth of 732.6% over last year. That's remarkable!

Overall Lincoln sales for the year to June have increased by 5.8%. Most models in the lineup actually had sales decline when compared to last year's sales up to June. The exceptions are the MKC, and also the Navigator which saw sales increase by 59.8% from 2014 to 2015. Sales rose from 3,653 units in 2014 to 5,839 in 2015.

So to put a bookend on this post, Lincoln sales for 2015 up until June stand at 47,112 compared to 44,522 for the same period last year.

Ford Motor (F) June U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Rose 1.5%, Bolstered by F-150 Pricing, SUV Sales

 

[ColdH2O]

We are really impressed by the improvements in the Lincoln company in general, and by our MKC in particular. But there's a lot of room for further improvement.

We wonder why that the build and price part of the Lincoln web site is still stuck on the 2015 MKC model despite being deep into the 2016 model year? Likewise, we have the same question on the 2016 MKX - where's the build and price site? If you want to bring in more buyers, you need to put the vehicles in front of potential buyers. We don't see this same lag in rollout of vehicles on the web with parent Ford.

We are members of a similar web site to this one for owners of Ford trucks (ford-trucks.com). On that site, Ford has customer service representatives that log in and handle questions of truck owners, and more importantly, provide vital assistance to owners when they have problems with their trucks. I see no presence on this site by Lincoln customer service representatives to field questions from MKC owners.

 

[mmoretti]

I am wondering why their website (Lincoln) is outdated as well. You can build a new MKX but it's buried in the future vehicles link. I have yet to find a 2016 MKC build and price.

The Lincoln website does have concierge chat and it was popping up automatically when I went to the site. I chatted live with them a couple times a few months ago trying to get info about MKX and black label and sync 3 for MKX (which it unbelievably does not have) They didn't know too much but said the website would be updated soon. That was over a month ago. They asked me if I wanted them to send me brochures of the 2016 MKX and MKC. I said sure (would like to see colors) and they never sent it! I went to site the other day to see if 2016 MKC was out and no of course.

 

[IslanderWest]

I am wondering why their website (Lincoln) is outdated as well. You can build a new MKX but it's buried in the future vehicles link. I have yet to find a 2016 MKC build and price.

Interesting. I checked Lincoln Canada's website and the default MKC build&price page (today) is for the 2016 MKC (w/ sync 3).

Edit: it is the same with the MKX in Canada ... 2016 model is now default when selecting build & price.

Looking at MKC sales #'s on godcarbadcar vrs the competition... its seems to me that the MKC must be taking some sales away from the BMW X3 (sales down 39% in US). Especially when you consider that sales for the entire market segment are up over last year.

 

[Hunter090]

It seems like Lincoln is doing most things right. Maybe it can improve in a few areas, but I don't think its totally dropping the ball or anything. I do think that people are seeing the MKC as a viable alternative to the bigger brands, which isn't an easy feat.

 

[FRITZ]

Why did my wife and I switch back to Lincoln?

For ten years I have owned and loved an Infiniti FX45 and later several FX35s. The FX is a high-end SUV made by Nissan and one of the most trouble-free cars I have ever owned. In ten years of ownership (2003-2013) I never had to take the car back for anything. Luckily so, as the dealer was about 80 miles from home.

Here are some of the reasons that we are now driving new Lincolns.

My favorite salesman at Infiniti moved on, and in 2014 we bought a new MKZ for my wife and in 2014 I bought a 2015 MKC to replace the Infiniti FX. Now that I have had the MKC for close to a year, I can honestly say that the MKC rides better, gets much better gas mileage (24 mpg on regular vs. 19 mpg on high test), and has almost the power of the Infiniti V6. When driving in Sport, it seems to have the same amount of power.

Little things that I like about the MKC: It rides a lot better on any setting, uses regular gas, and it is not necessary to unscrew the gas cap. It looks good with a sporty look, but so did the FX. The seats in the MKC are a little softer and the interior is a little more luxurious. One thing that I do not like in the MKC is the small gas tank (adding 3-4 more gallons would be a big help). I am finally getting used to the "My Touch" screen, which I understand is being replaced in 2016 with Sync-3, but I really like the turn arrow in center of driver side dash, as it is not really necessary to even look at the map once en route.

When it comes to the price, the MKC is about $10,000 lower MSDS price. And then there is the "Made in USA" feature, as well as the fact that over the past years I have owned other Lincolns and Continentals (drivers and antique cars), including my current beautiful 1958 Continental 2dr. HT with 50K original miles. So I guess it seems logical that I go back to Lincoln, and I am glad that I did so. Overall I agree that the MKC is definitely a "viable alternative to the bigger brands" as mentioned by Hunter 090.

I was considering moving up to the new MKX, except that so far, the 4 cylinder Eco Boost engine is not an option in the MKX. I am a long-time V8 guy and it took me years to finally accept a V-6, but with the power mated to the good gas mileage of the 2.3L MKC engine, I am no longer concerned about the number of cylinders. One thing that I really do not understand is the almost identical appearance of the new MKC and the MKX. If you compare pictures of each car, it is difficult to tell the difference.

Next thing of interest is the upcoming 2016 Continental. This might be a great upgrade for my wife's 2014 MKZ, but am hoping for more conservative wheels, as the ones in the picture are a little over the top.

Attached are some pictures of my "other" Lincoln (1958 Continental and it runs and rides better than anything presently offered by Lincoln). I know it is too big, too heavy and gets bad gas mileage, but sure is a nice ride, and if my wife and I ever take up smoking, it has 5 cigarette lighters - one in each door, each rear side panel and dash - none were ever used!

Fred

 

[midnite cruiser]

So while I don't see us being able to convince Lincoln that individual lighters and ashtrays need to be a future spec, how about the waycool roll-down (I think they used to call it 'Breezeway') rear window like your '58?