Lincoln Aims at 18 Percent Sales Increase in 2013

Stephen Elmer
by Stephen Elmer
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 03: Ford Unveils New Brand Direction For Lincoln At New York Press Event on December 3, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/WireImage)

The recently renamed Lincoln Motor Company has pegged its sales goals for 2013, with the brand saying that a sales increase of 18 percent would constitute calling 2013 a good year.

Since Lincoln sales peaked two decades ago, the brand has seen sales declines of around 60 percent. With that loss, industry analysts predict that even an 18 percent increase may not be enough to revive the struggling brand. “An 18 percent increase from this point will probably be a modest increase,” said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry analysis at TrueCar.com. “For them to show any kind of momentum, they need to have a 25 percent-plus year.”

Though sales are important, Ford’s VP Jim Farley says that Lincoln is not aiming to be the luxury volume sales leader, rather the brand wants to lead the industry with new interesting designs.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln Reverts to Old Name With Retro Ad Campaign

The new Lincoln MKZ has just hit the market, and dealers are saying that pre-orders of the car are the highest they have seen since the Navigator launched in the late 1990s. Lincoln also has plans to market its own version of the Ford Escape, called the MKC, which the brand hopes will enjoy good sales.

Discuss this story at fordinsidenews.com

[Source: Detroit News]

Stephen Elmer
Stephen Elmer

Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>

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