What Went Wrong: 2002 Lincoln Blackwood, 2006-2008 Lincoln Mark LT
It's been a while since we've had a new entry in the Why It Failed series, so here's a new one. This is a double product discussion, as both were vehicles Lincoln tried to sell in the same segment. The first attempt was the Blackwood, which sold so poorly it was on sale for model year 2002, only one model year. The second is the Mark LT, which came some years later and also sold dismally enough to not be continued at Lincoln when the F-150 was redesigned for the 2009 model year. All of this occurred while Cadillac also sold a luxury pickup, the Escalade EXT. Like the Blackwood, it was introduced for the 2002 model year and was redesigned for 2007, a mere year after the Mark LT. Although the Cadillac is now on it's way out as well, it was undoubtedly more successful over the years than the Lincoln trucks.
So what happened? For the Blackwood, I think its lack of 4WD/AWD prevented numerous sales, as that's a key feature of utility vehicles. The bed, while cool, should have been optional if it was kept at all, because that too prevented its usage. I think they were going for more of a "big trunk" than a truck bed, but it still should've been configurable in a traditional setup. The Mark LT improved on both faults, but it was barely different from a F-150, which may have done it no favors. Given a Navigator (or unique) nose and interior (along with Navigator content), it might have been more alluring to potential buyers, who probably liked that the Cadillac competitor looked like an Escalade or otherwise not much like a Chevy truck (as far as the nose was concerned and the interior in the 2007 model). Both Lincolns were significantly down on available power relative to the Cadillac as well, and the optional supercharger the F-150 periodically offered could maybe have been made standard on these Lincolns. Just a thought.
What say you? And in addition, do you think Lincoln could pursue this segment again, or is it best left to the past?
It's been a while since we've had a new entry in the Why It Failed series, so here's a new one. This is a double product discussion, as both were vehicles Lincoln tried to sell in the same segment. The first attempt was the Blackwood, which sold so poorly it was on sale for model year 2002, only one model year. The second is the Mark LT, which came some years later and also sold dismally enough to not be continued at Lincoln when the F-150 was redesigned for the 2009 model year. All of this occurred while Cadillac also sold a luxury pickup, the Escalade EXT. Like the Blackwood, it was introduced for the 2002 model year and was redesigned for 2007, a mere year after the Mark LT. Although the Cadillac is now on it's way out as well, it was undoubtedly more successful over the years than the Lincoln trucks.
So what happened? For the Blackwood, I think its lack of 4WD/AWD prevented numerous sales, as that's a key feature of utility vehicles. The bed, while cool, should have been optional if it was kept at all, because that too prevented its usage. I think they were going for more of a "big trunk" than a truck bed, but it still should've been configurable in a traditional setup. The Mark LT improved on both faults, but it was barely different from a F-150, which may have done it no favors. Given a Navigator (or unique) nose and interior (along with Navigator content), it might have been more alluring to potential buyers, who probably liked that the Cadillac competitor looked like an Escalade or otherwise not much like a Chevy truck (as far as the nose was concerned and the interior in the 2007 model). Both Lincolns were significantly down on available power relative to the Cadillac as well, and the optional supercharger the F-150 periodically offered could maybe have been made standard on these Lincolns. Just a thought.
What say you? And in addition, do you think Lincoln could pursue this segment again, or is it best left to the past?