Ford outlines standards for Lincoln dealers, says it will take some time to fix brand
FoMoCo is outlining standards for its 1,100 remaining U.S. Lincoln dealers that they must meet by year-end if they want to continue selling the brand’s lineup.
The requirements include:
- Offering Lincoln owners ‘owner privileges’ such as free car was and loaner vehicles when they come in for service.
- Having a dedicated service manager and dedicated sales staff for Lincoln.
- Having only ‘Lincoln’ appear on all franchise signage – no Mercury.
- Having at least 30 percent of used inventory be certified pre-owned.
“We believe everything we’re laying out is more than reasonable compared to our competitors,” said Christian Bokich, a Lincoln spokesman.
Either way, Ford believes that reinventing Lincoln will take some time after a 21 percent drop in January sales. Ford has plans to introduces 7 new or redesigned Lincoln vehicles and crossovers over the next three years.
“We are making progress with Lincoln, but I want to stress that this will be a journey,” said Ken Czubay, Ford’s vice president of U.S. marketing and sales.
– By: Omar Rana
Source: Automotive News, Free Press
