Just a few years ago, Lincoln announced that it would be launching a number of new all-electric models in the near future, right around the same time it debuted the Star EV concept. However, a sharp downturn in EV demand, in general, prompted The Blue Oval to switch gears, after which then-Lincoln President Dianne Craig revealed that the luxury brand was no longer focused on those types of powertrains. As it turns out, it was Ford CEO Jim Farley that rejected the idea of adding EVs to the Lincoln lineup, however.
“I think we’re starting to discover our brand location for Lincoln that makes sense. The team really pushed me to have an all-electric lineup, and I refused to do it. And I’m sure glad we didn’t. I’m sure glad we didn’t,” Farley said in a recent interview with Hagerty. “EREV would be a perfect drivetrain for us. All-hybrid and EREV lineup, and maybe a few electric cars, but more on the affordable side. I don’t think we want to make an affordable hybrid as a Lincoln, but an affordable EV Lincoln, with over-the-top color choice and over-the-top interior customization would make sense.”
Amid the downturn in demand for EVs, FoMoCo previously announced that it would be adding a hybrid option of some sort to every model in its ICE-centered Ford Blue lineup by 2030. As Farley alluded to here, that could include a variety of extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), which combine larger battery packs with gas generators to provide what is essentially the best of both worlds.
Those EREV powertrains will likely be reserved for larger SUVs and trucks, as Farley recently stated, which makes sense given the fact that such models aren’t great for towing or covering long distances in pure EV form. That list could include the Ford Super Duty, as well as the Ford Explorer, based on some recent comments from the executive himself.
Comments
Great call, well done Mr. Farley!
Finally somebody realized that not everyone wants an electric car!
Finally, Jim gets something right.
that’s what I was thinking
Kudos to Jim Farley for having the foresight and courage to resist the EV craze. Not everyone wants…or needs an EV, and it’s refreshing to see a leader acknowledge that. Another good reason to stick with Ford.
He needs to do that with the ford brand. Why do they have 4 sizes of pickup trucks and no cars , and no mid size suv. He is giving that market to foreign makers.
Ever heard of a Ford Explorer? I agree on the cars. They should still be making the Focus, Fusion and Taurus. Hybrids across every model would be smart.
As a long time Lincoln owner, I am worried about some of the people that they have working for the brand. How could they even think for a minute that Lincoln customers would be okay with only having an electric option? Their customers, including me would go to other brands. Then have you seen some of the models they came out with recently. they have some really questionable design features. On the newer, and uglier Navigator, they have this hideous metal mesh in the wood trim in the cars dash. At first I thought that has to be a manufacturing defect. Its ugly like hell!!! then they incorporated that into one of the wheel designs! Again its atrocious! then the overall styling changes to that car just stink. the back looks worse and the front looks less distinctly Lincoln. The new Aviator front end also is such that its not distinctly Lincoln. It could be the front of just about any car brand, from mazda to several other cheaper asian imports. then the recent focus on the gimmicky razzle dazzle dash boards with squarish steering wheels is annoying!! I read that if you need to change the direction of the a/c vents on the dash, you have to do it via the touchscreen and cannot simply reach to the vent and quickly face it in the direction you want. you have to do it via the touch screen. Again, what on earth were they thinking ?!!! that has to be the worst design idea of all time. People will hate that! And while the auto industry has been acknowledging that customers are preferring to stick with physical dials, buttons for certain things such as heating and a/c operation and radio controls, Ford/Lincoln seem to be ignoring customer preference and doing the exact opposite. I think the dash design on the nautilus and Navigator will ultimately prove unpopular and people will regret buying those cars once the novelty wears off. I wish Lincoln would just stick to making a good luxury car and eschew all the above poor design ideas and fire all the nitwits in their company who advocated for these things. they will run Lincoln into extinction for sure.
Now only if Lincoln HAD a lineup.
What is Lincoln going to have to sell? 3 SUVs after Corsair is gone. And if decide to stop importing the Nautilus, that leaves 2. And still no sedan/coupe mentioned. I’ve had 5 Lincolns and love them but the future for them looks shaky at best.
I get a sense that Farley really doesn’t think about Lincoln at all and is pretending this is strategy when in reality he just defunded the brand and its ambitious product roadmap to cut cost and focus on Ford. Right now Lincoln has no product in development and their new leadership no longer directly reports to Farley. Lincoln’s new leadership now has the task of figuring out what to do with very little. The immediate future is very bleak for the brand.
Lincoln needs 2 sedans. They can have two options for engine configuration.
One could be the size of the MKZ with V6 AWD and one with Hybrid option.
The other: A Town Car version. V8 twin turbo and V6 Hybrid option.
Current Lincoln owners are going to Jaguar, Mercedes and Audi for sedans. That is unacceptable. Lincoln needs sedans back.
Now you’re behind Cadillac and the European and Chinese brands, the most exciting Lincoln they’ve brought to market recently was made in China? I’m a car, race in club racing, all that but longing for the past and living in the past is a recipe to lose in the future. Electric luxury car is the future, it’s quiet and fast for one. Lincoln sells Navigators for like 115k, Cadillac selling new Escalade electric for about 135k and gets almost 500 miles to a charge. This model t electric truck is silly. This is 2025 people expect tech and gadgets in their cars as that’s the world they live in. A stripped down electric pickup truck with limited range, for a demographic that hates electric cars is silly, Just like making new mustang and barely change and wonder why it struggles to sell? Lincoln needs a sedan, not everyone wants a big truck.
Ford Motor Company is making a huge mistake. GM’s Cadillac is enjoying heathy EV sales with 75% of their EV sales are new to the GM brands. Luxury car buyers are expecting Lincoln to offer EVs.
The guy loses $4 billion plus a year on EV’s and he keeps talking about them.
NO EV’S JIM. NONE, NADA, FORGET ABOUT IT. NOT EVEN THE $30k Chinese clone. No no no.
Lincoln needs to find a customer base that isn’t (sorry) dying off. Then, it needs to find a brand identity. There was a push a few years ago to aim for a younger buyer, a more young business professional market. They almost got there, and then doused everything in heavy batches of chrome mixed in with every other type of trim possible. Velour A-pillars, chrome, brushed aluminum strips, chrome, real wood, chrome, you get the idea. Then there was the dealer requirement – a mixed brand store was being pushed to have a stand-alone Lincoln facility, with a massive personnel requirement that was impractical for… well, how many Ford-Lincoln dealers gave up their Lincoln franchise a few years ago? 75%, 80%, more? What was made on the vehicles and the service wasn’t worth the additional investment. That got Lincoln their exclusivity of dealer locations, and Cadillac went through the same thing, I suspect.
And as much as it pains me to say, if Ford/Lincoln can’t do sedans better than, and at a better value point than the imports from Europe and Asia, there’s absolutely no point doing them. And it would have to be a serious value jump to make a difference at this point.