A Lincoln limousine won’t break the current streak of Cadillac-branded vehicles used by the president of the United States, Ford CEO Mark Fields says. Nor will Ford’s luxury brand plan a Cadillac-like headquarters shift.
Fields told David Shepardson of The Detroit News this week bidding for the next president’s official ride would spread resources too thin, something that makes sense given the rebirth the long-struggling Lincoln is trying to kickstart again with the Continental Concept being shown at the New York Auto Show.
Every presidential car since Ronald Reagan’s time has been branded a Cadillac. The current model used since Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration and known as “The Beast,” is really a GMC Topkick truck dressed up like a Cadillac DTS. But Lincoln had a long-running streak of state cars, including the Continental John F. Kennedy was assassinated in.
Fields also ruled out any big marketing move for Lincoln in the form of Cadillac’s move from Detroit to New York, which is underway. Lincoln was once based in Irvine, Calif., along with Ford’s Premier Automotive Group brands Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, although the American brand was booted from that group after three years. Ford could be eager to play up the American luxury aspect now that Cadillac has made clear intentions to align itself firmly alongside the German brands.
Lincoln clearly has a long way to go before it goes rivaling the top luxury brands, so it’s set its sights on quietly impressing as it builds up its reputation again. Which leaves the public, of course, sitting quietly for their compelling products to land in showrooms.
*Note: Lincoln Continental Concept pictured below
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