In a somewhat surprising but not totally unexpected move, Lincoln announced its intention to abandon the MK nomenclature throughout its lineup. The paradigm shift officially ends Lincoln’s effort to emulate its competitors, with the brand opting for a strategy aimed at separating itself from its rivals, although this had already been happening for a while now. A luxury brand with a lineup devoid of alphanumeric names is practically unheard of in 2017. Is it time for others to follow suit?
Lincoln flirted with the idea of adding new, fully named models to its lineup with the Navigator and Zephyr, but this was short lived, as the sedan was renamed MKZ for the 2007 model year. Ford wanted the Lincolns to be pronounced “Mark Z,” but people immediately began to just pronounce the names by the way they were spelled.
Despite the confusion of the MK names, what really imperiled Lincoln was the recession and Mulally’s reluctance to sink more of Ford’s limited resources into a struggling brand. But rumors of Lincoln’s demise were greatly exaggerated.
The current crop of Lincoln vehicles are what set the brand on a path to relevancy. And the 2019 Nautilus aims to continue the upward climb that began with the introduction of the 2013 MKZ five years ago. The “new” crossover is essentially just a refreshed MKX, updated with the new corporate grille, some safety tech, and an 8 speed automatic transmission.
Curiously, Lincoln didn’t rename the MKC, despite the compact crossover receiving similar updates for its own 2019 refresh.
Looking at the current lineup, its easy to see why they might not be in such a rush to switch things up. With the MKX gone, the MKC essentially becomes the last Lincoln crossover to use the old naming system, so there is less room for confusion. The MKT likely appeals to hardcore Lincoln fans that never had a problem with the MK system anyway, and the other people interested in it probably don’t care about vehicle names at all. We’ll probably hear about its replacement next year. Rumors suggest the Aviator name will be revived explicitly for that purpose.
Ironically, the first Lincoln to wear the MK designation will likely be the last. With only two sedans in its lineup, Lincoln can take its time with the change. Will the MKZ once again become the Zephyr? Its possible, but the company may want a more complete break with the past. Lincoln also recently trademarked the Corsair name, but that is probably destined for a Focus-based compact that will slot below the next generation mid size and sit at the $30,000 price point.
Lincoln’s move is noteworthy, but also somewhat necessary, as illustrated by this screenshot from Good Car Bad Car. The MKX currently moves about fifty percent fewer units per month than the Cadillac XT5. And the Lexus RX nearly doubles the Americans. There is definitely an incentive for them to make the switch.
The Lincoln MKC occupies a spot in the luxury compact crossover segment that mirrors its larger sibling.
The MKZ and Continental are more competitive in their respective segments, but the Lexus juggernaut still looms large when it comes to mid tier luxury sedans. What is notable in all three screenshots is the dearth of actual names. In fact, the only other models to feature them don’t really compete with Lincoln, so the company will definitely have some exclusivity going for it in the near future.
It will be interesting to see if the transition resonates with customers. The new strategy has met with near universal praise from the various blogs and automotive websites who have covered the Los Angeles Auto Show. Should Lincoln’s competitors also embrace change? I can think of at least one luxury brand that should definitely do it: Acura.
And the one caveat here is that actual names only work if they’re good. Basically, try not to name a vehicle Kicks.
always hated the mk moniker and it’s variants. i never knew which car was what when someone said they had one. nautilus – would make a great name for a boat. better than the MK stuff, but still looks like lincoln is having a hard time coming up with names.
All Lincoln needs to do is mine its own past for names. Cosmopolitan, Premiere and Zephyr. Plus, I think enough time has elapsed to reuse Capri. You see, Lincoln, that was easy! Just mail the check to me at…
Rumor has it that the largish MKT crossover will be replaced by a vehicle based on the Explorer which will revive the “Aviator” model name.
I would love to see a revised “Mark” series in the form of a Mark IX rear wheel-drive 4-Door Coupe. (It could be built on the Mustang platform to leverage some of the development costs.)
Lastly, there is also the name “Versailles” that could be revived.
Depends on the brand. Brands like Mercedes Benz, where the alphanumeric naming is a long established tradition, keep the alphabet soup. Brands historically tied to good names, such as Acura, switch back to the names.
A big yes for Acura, if it’s not already too late to save the brand. “Legend” meant something but “RL” and “RLX” – not so much.
Some folks nicknamed the “RL” for “Ruined Legend”.
In the case of Cadillac, I like the CTS name but I like to see Eldorado, Seville, DeVille and Fleetwood returning.
The CTS is basically what the STS (Seville Turing Sedan) was trying to be at the end. So what sedan would you call the de Ville? The CT6 is a higher end model than the CTS. The XTS, which is probably not going to be replaced, is close.
Hey Lincoln-the ‘Waffle House’ called .One of their waffle griddles is missing….
“Ford wanted the Lincolns to be pronounced “em-kay-zee…”
They actually were hoping people would say “Mark Z”
Yes, that’s what I meant to write. Thanks for pointing that out.
When the scheme was first announced, Ford was saying “Mark Zee” but when the MKZ was being introduced, I believe they had switched tacks to “M-K-Z”
Cadillac has brilliantly named two of its models XTS and XT5. MKT, MKC, MKZ, all rhyme so no chance that anyone would ever mix those up. Alphabet soup belongs in a bowl. Pass the crackers please.
And don’t let’s forget* the Cadillac ETC. No…no, see, it’s short for “Eldorado Touring Coupe”, it doesn’t mean “et cetera”. You believe us, right? Guys? Right?
*I take it back. Let’s.
Ha! I remember the Caddy Et Cetera!!
Always had a problem with Toyota’s TRD, the DTS, SLT…. just add a certain vowel to any of those and….
And the guy who came up with DIC for a lighting system really should have called off from work that day.
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Alright, I’ll bite: What word do you get out of DTS? And what’s a DIC lighting system?
Not to mention CTS and CT6. The CTS’s replacement will be called CT5, but the name changes have not filtered through the lineup yet, and the XTS is a product that was supposed to be continued, but Cadillac has found that it is popular enough to keep making.
The other bonehead move that Cadillac did was release the current Escalade with the old logo, and then do a 2015.5 update with the new logo (along with a revised lower fascia, different mirrors and the 8-speed automatic).
And then there was the Cadillac XLR. Since it was powered by the Northstar, I always thought it should’ve been named the XLR8 (say it fast).
Thank ****ing god. I’d like it to spread well past the automotive sector if it catches on(which I’m less optimistic about), I’m tired of acronyms period.
Stick to the knitting, and follow the history of the brand.
Lincoln is not is global brand – but ignoring a fairly rich history is folly. I’ve always felt that opting for alpha/numerical identity is a cop-out. It’s not easy creating a great name for a car, but history shows us it can be done. Evocative names litter motoring history and live longer in our perception longer and with much greater resonance than any number or letters ever can.
Is this too little too late?? For the first time that I can remember, there isn’t a Lincoln dealer in the city on New Orleans or its immediately surrounding area. The nearest is 35 miles away in a small town. My neighbor has a Lincoln and he takes it to the local Ford dealer for service. This is not the best way to nurture a luxury brand.
I’m of two minds here. On the one hand, YES, yes, a million times yes, the alphanumeric bulk wrap needs to go away. It’s as much an overplayed fad as Iacocca’s zombie padded vinyl landau half-roofs, opera windows, phake wire wheel covers, and suchlike were for far too many years. Mercedes and BMW can be grandfathered in, I suppose, because that’s how they’ve always
nameddesignated their passenger cars, and maybe Audi if they prevail at a hearing of the tribunal. But other than that, something must be done about the endless stream of silly “XQ-238RT” and “ZX-3000” and “ZDX” (which is even more awkward outside the US, on account of ‘zed’ pronunciation of the last letter of the alphabet) types of model designations. And don’t let’s even start (oops) on the schizoid Fiat-Chrysler model range of a few years ago: the 500 (small), the 200 (medium), and the 300 (large).On the other hand, Ford have played this card before: “Goddammit, Fred, we gotta wake up and smell the coffee here. People aren’t buying our world-class Ford Five Hundred. Let’s call it ‘Taurus’ next year and then the clouds will be lifted from buyers’ eyes and they’ll see how much better than a Camry or an Accord it is. We’ll sell seventy million of ’em.”
“Town Car” is a dumb name, especially for a car much too big to be practical in town, but it’s a whole lot better than “MKT” or whatever. “Continental” stands on its own
two feetfour tires just fine. “Versailles”, sure. “Mark [roman numeral whatever]”, fine. “Zephyr”, yep.The next model designation I see consisting of letters and numbers crammed together, I’m going to get Marvin the Martian to blow up with his Ilyudium Q36 explosive space mod-yoo-lay-torrr.
Honestly, it was stupid of Ford to throw away the Taurus’s brand equity (which wasn’t bad, even if the car had degenerated into a fleet-queen special) for “Five Hundred.” Also, the Taurus update coincided with a well-executed facelift and much-needed mechanical upgrades…including the banishment of that horrid CVT in place of the Ford / GM 6-speed, which is as reliable a unit as any. The result was that the ’08-’09 Taurus was quite competitive for the time. So I don’t think that was an attempt to revive a failing car just because of the name.
Strictly speaking, they threw it away for Fusion. Unlike any Taurus before the Five-Hundred was a full-size car, effectively was succeeding(concurrently, confusingly) the civilian Crown Victoria.
The 200/300/500 thing doesn’t bother me as much as the fact that Fiat sells 3 “500”s that are completely different vehicles.
Maybe it’s right that Fiat bought Chrysler. The 500 is Fiat’s LeBaron.
They’re not the only ones. Remember when every Olds became a Cutlass Something.
I think brands should stick to their identities, BMW, Mercedes, Audi and even Lexus have always been alphanumeric, I never had a problem with their use of it. It’s when a brand like Cadillac or Lincoln in a desperate attempt to “be like them” it comes off as shallow, and the letters tend to have zero meaning behind them – although this is something the German three have been screwing with lately.
The Five Hundred/ Taurus debacle is a different story, it was part of the dumb “Ford model names must start with F, Mercury model names must start with M” strategy they were taking. Successful or not, dismantling that goofy stratagy a was positive. In my ideal scenario the Fusion would have been called Taurus from the start.
Here is a quick summary of how some manufactures have the most unimaginative names:
BMW: just give it a number, the higher, the better: 1 Series, 2 Series, 7 Series. SUV? put an X in front of it!
Audi: just give it a number, with the letter ‘A’ in front of it, the higher, the better: A1, A4, A8. Sporty? R! SUV? Change the A to a Q.
Mercedes: just give it a letter in alphabetic order with -Class after it, the latter the letter, the better: A-Class, B-Class, S-Class
Opel: As long as the model name ends with the letter A: Ascona, Astra, Corsa, Insignia
VW: Just name it to any type of wind. Passat, Golf
Peugeot: Give it a 3 digits number, als long as the middle number is a 0. The rest, we don’t care!: 508, 108, 208
Citroen: Let’s pull an Audi, but we’ll replace the letter A, with the letter C: C1, C4, C6
Hyundai: Let’s pull an Audi, but we’ll replace the letter A, with the letter i: i10, i20, i40
Mazda: Let’s pull a BMW, put we’ll scrap the ‘Series’ and replace it with ‘Mazda’: Mazda2, Mazda6. SUV? Let’s take BMW again and add a C in front of it!: CX-5, CX-3
And I could go on fo a while.
But don’t get me wrong, there are still a lot of interesting model names out there. If there is one thing true for me, then it’s the fact that Americans in the past had the best model names. I get intrigued by names like: Savoy, Eldorado, Turnpike Cruiser, Park Avenue, Country Squire, Continental, Firesweep, Bel-Air….
Once again I could go on and on 😀
Don’t forget to add “Scirocco” to the VW list=;-}
and a pat on the back will bring the wind Up!
edw8 – I think to non-Americans, Americans had some of the most comical model names.
I guess it depends what the name is pasted onto to some extent, but “Turnpike Cruiser” sounds like something from Wacky Races and the myriad lame attempts to peg cars to a certain social class (Country Squire, Park Avenue) make me slightly queasy.
I remember a friend laughing at the name “Mercury Grand Marquis”, and coincidentally I was mildly shocked to discover in 1993 that Ford produced something they actually called a Crown Victoria.
To add to your crazy Ford name list:
– Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia
– Ford Grand Torino Elite
I bet the Studebaker President really nailed ya to the wall, heh?
Better than the Dictator.
I believe Chrysler are launching a new model called the Dodge Democratic Deficit.
BMW’s individual model designations haven’t made sense in a while; the 2nd and 3rd digits were the engine size (335, 535, 735 all had 3.5L engines frinstance); now it’s a vague rank, with at least one wag saying the number should be the monthly lease payment.
Hyundai’s the weirdest because they have two parallel lines; a Europe-centric one with numbers and an America-centric one with names. And they overlap, not only in their South Korea home market but in more countries than not; the i30 becomes the Elantra GT alongside the Elantra sedan in North America for further confusion (since there’s a “base GT”, a GT Sport and a non-GT Sport) that would be avoided by just calling it “Elantra Hatchback”.
“BMW: just give it a number, the higher, the better: 1 Series, 2 Series, 7 Series. SUV? put an X in front of it!”
Or, if you’re stumped, call it “Bavaria”.
The better news about the rumors for the Aviator (MKT replacement) is that it may be RWD-based.
I think Cadillac could stand to remove the model numbers, but Audi, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, et al? No.
The way Lincoln was teasing the Nautilus, I thought the Aviator concept was going to debut. Maybe it’ll drop at next year’s NAIAS.
Rumor has it the Aviator will share its platform with the next Explorer… again 🙂 .
Good, as far as it goes. Why it doesn’t do the same thing for MKC is beyond me. Some cars get names and some get the alpha-numeric. That’s almost worse.
Part of the problem with grabbing old names from the past is whether FoMoCo still owns the rights. I understand that after awhile an unused name goes back “into the pile” and someone else can grab it. Premiere (or Premier?) was used as a trim level on Mopars of the late 70s. Cosmopolitan may have trouble with the magazine that had a completely different connotation in the 40s. Capri makes people think of imported Mercurys, and Zephyr was a long, long time ago.
They just need some good names to attach to some good cars. Aviator is a start. I am a little less sure about Nautilus.
Typically, the way names work is that there’s no real conflict unless two companies in the same industry want to use a name. For instance, the “Nautilus” nameplate on a Lincoln would in no way get Ford in trouble with the makers of the “Nautilus” exercise equipment.
Of course, Bentley and Lincoln have sold a car called Continental at the same exact time, in the same market, for years. Granted, the Bentley version has often carried a suffix since 1995 (Continental R, Continental S, Continental T, Continental GT).
Also, there’s the Lincoln LS, which could have been confused with the Lexus LS…although Lexus might have only trademarked the specific badges (LS400, LS430, LS460, LS600hL, LS500, etc…)
I don’t know Kyree, we have a brewery east of Baltimore called DuClaw Brewing Company that ran into similar trouble regarding use of a name…
When they opened their brewery’s new location in Eastern Baltimore County, the first beer they brewed was called “Oz” to commemorate the event. Shortly after this fractal IPA hit the taps, they got a cease and desist order from Warner Brothers’ lawyers.
Funny, Baltimore County never got sued to change the name of the road on which the brewery is located. And yes, that would be “Yellow Brick Road” in Rosedale, Maryland.
I don’t think anyone would confuse a beer with a fictitious place from a 1939 movie.
Rick, I didn’t know DuClaw had opened on Yellow Brick Rd! “Oz;” that’s awesome. Shame WB had to be all corporate about it. Since your screen name is “Retro-Stang Rick,” I’ve wondered if you’re a MCOM member, and if so, whether I’ve seen you at any meetings…
I remember when I was at Penn State (‘way) back in the ’90s, there was a bar/pool hall that opened, and they called it “Hard Rack Cafe.” You can guess what happened there…
Toyota does actually hold rights to the ‘LS’ moniker, and placed an injunction on Ford prior to the release of the Lincoln. It’s why the designations are officially LS V6 and LS V8 as badged on the car.
Supposedly a case of corporate pettiness in retaliation to Ford not wanting Toyotas’ full size truck to be called the T-150 if I recall the story correctly.
Then there’s the classic use of the name “Bonneville”.
Settled very quickly, twice (1958 and 2000) between Pontiac and Triumph by each allowing the other to use the name, as long as Pontiac didn’t start building motorcycles, and that Triumph (the car company was a separate entity) didn’t start building cars – again.
Don’t forget the problems Chevrolet had using Beretta.
Because the Nautilus will be replaced in 2022, whereas the next MKC will come in 2020. I guess they wanted to avoid giving an old car a new name, like Infiniti did with the Q60 (nee G37 coupe and convertible).
As for the “Premiere” name, “Premier” is now the top trim level on Chevy sedans so that’s a no-go.
Does a trim level name grant you exclusive rights? How many companies used “Brougham” in the ’70s? Or “Custom” or “LX” or “Sport”?
Or “Custom” or “Deluxe” or “Sport”.
Ok, I’ve got an idea…
One name I’d like to see return… Mark. Not MK, “Mark”.
Develop a personal luxury coupe and call it… wait for it… the “Mark IX”.
There, that was easy.
Ford/Lincoln could base it on the Continental and make it a hardtop, or even better, a retractable hardtop.
But sadly, my favorite type of car shall never roam the highways again. ;o(
For a true legacy effect, you could also add retractable headlight covers to your Mark IX.
Nice touch, but I thought those were legislated out of existence. Heck, the Corvette doesn’t even have those anymore.
With the current administration, most any law is subject to repeal ==;-}
I don’t think they are illegal (but I don’t know), however, todays headlights are integrated into the styling and hiding them is kind of silly.
Given the design of many headlights now, I wish they were hidden!
Headlights have always been integrated into the styling, that’s why some of us look back at sealed beams so fondly, there was a far greater variety of front end designs because it took creative solutions to make these universal parts look distinctive.
The more accurate way to put it is the inverse, today’s styling is integrated into the headlights.
Lighting technology and cost – both construction and service – is really what did them in, they went extinct pretty naturally. Having said that it would be really nice to see a modern interpretation of them.
Yes, I concluded the same at the end of my 2011 CC Automotive History two-parter on hidden headlights. Powerful LEDs have opened up all sorts of headlight styling possibilities. Sealed beams behind shutters have gone the way of two-piece windshields.
We were begging for this back in the late 2000s and early 2010s before I left, to the point that in 2011 employees were becoming bold enough to ask no less than Mark Fields why Lincoln was sticking to sound-alike confusing names that meant nothing.
What’s funny is that the letters did start out with meanings. Z was for Zephyr, T was for Touring. C was originally toyed with for a C-car sized Lincoln (might have been Compact, but I think it was just representing the size class). X was for Crossover, as I recall.
I for one am glad they’re doing away with the scheme. I don’t have a problem with alpha-numeric schemes per se, but Lincoln’s was particularly bad in execution, very copycat in its reasoning, and didn’t fit the ethos of the brand. The stated reasoning at the time was that they wanted people to focus on the brand, not the model, that people were buying “BMW” and “Audi,” not “335” or “A8.” I’m glad to see that Lincoln’s starting to become Lincoln again, and I hope the new crop of cars that will be wearing names instead of alpha-numerics will be worthy and successful.
Because that’s the biggest secret of all: It’s not the names that are selling or not selling. It’s the products to which those names are affixed. There was no MKS shopper that was saying “Boy, I’d buy that if they just called it “Continental!”
Shallow as I am, I would be far more likely to buy a “Lincoln Continental” than a “Lincoln MKS”. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown had a Continental and an Eldorado too.
No MKS mentioned 😉 Seriously though, I would buy a Continental over a Lexus even if I thought it was slightly inferior, just because of the name.
well, I throw my thoughts out just for grins and giggles. I would like to see a new Lincoln based on the 97 Town Car though sporterized a little with more than a weak 4.6. I wouldn’t what the name was as long as it was memorable ( Flap Jack? Swamp Rat? ), maybe something catchy.
So there.
I for one am glad that Lincoln is ditching the alphanumeric names and going back to real names. With the launch of the Continental, they were striving to be more uniquely American luxury, and if you look to the past they all had real names. Fantastic names like Continental, Town Car, Zephyr, etc.
The alpha numerics were an effort at “me-too” to play with the Germans and the Japanese to be their type of luxury. This is another way for Lincoln to say “we aren’t trying to be German, we aren’t trying to be Japanese, we are trying to be the American style of luxury”.
I don’t expect that Lincoln will acheive the sales levels of the Germans with just this change. They will continue to chase sales (to a point) for a couple of generations of the vehicles. But this is definitely a good step to differentiate.
I for one love the name Nautilus (and it looks great as well). I also love the name Corsair. Those will both be great names.
I guess I am of a certain age that those names have an association,
Nautilus = Julius Verne’s submarine.
Corsair = lower priced Edsel.
I don’t care what you call a car model as long as it is consistent and it is instantly recognizable in the manufacturers pecking order.
I liked BMW, Mercedes and Volvo because I could always tell what it was. Now a days these same manufacturers have so many models it has become meaningless. A while ago a new acquaintance mentioned that he had an M4. I was puzzled I had no idea what it was. Was it a car, a motorbike, a phone. I was clueless so I asked him what was it and he said a BMW. Had he said he had an M3 I would have known instantly what it was. Shouldn’t that be the point in naming cars, having the consumer readily identifying the model.
Someone will realize that Corsair is too close to Corvair, and that will be the end of that idea.
Although, it is Corsair’s turn, given that all of the other Edsel model names have been recycled, with varying levels of success. Ranger went over to the truck side of Ford. Pacer was snapped up by AMC and became, ironically enough, its Edsel, more or less. And last but not least the Chevy Citation.
The Nautilus name took me by surprise but count me as a fan. The crossover itself is also really nice. Have you seen the new Black Label trim on it, “Gala”? It’s like a strange pink/purple interior, apparently inspired by the Met Gala. Not my favourite of the Black Label themes – I prefer the rich brown of Indulgence, the deep burgundy of Destination, or the vivid blue of Rhapsody – but I’m ever so glad Lincoln is offering such stunning interiors.
It almost seems like Lincoln was listening to Curbivores: bringing back names, not trying to battle the Germans, offering colourful interiors.
Nautilus is a nice name for a nice car. Looking forward to seeing what the next-gen MKC and MKZ get renamed to.
As for other brands? For most luxury brands, alphanumerics have been used forever or at least for decades. Even Cadillac has been using them for a while and it’s way too soon into a reorganisation to change tactics. Their lineup will make more sense once the next set of new models are launched, eliminating the whole XT5/XTS confusion.
Those Black Label trims are pretty universally fantastic. If I ever have the opportunity to purchase a Rhapsody Continental I’d have a hard time saying no.
I think Cadillac’s new system makes more sense than the previous one. The XTS is really the old DTS with a new platform. Not quite sure why they picked XTS for it. But the CTnumber for sedans is not bad, as the larger the number the higher up the sedan is. The XTnumber for crossovers also make sense.
For Cadillac to switch over to names would require a new set of names as I don’t think the old names are good for the existing cars. Calling the XTS a De Ville would be OK, but nothing is really a Fleetwood. Cadillac hasn’t really built something worthy of the Fleetwood name since before WWII. Do we really want another Cimarron or Catera or Calis?
If Caddy’s new system makes sense then what the hell does “CT6” mean???
It is a higher end model than a 1 or 2 or… 5
What exactly did De Ville mean?
Huh? Sedan de Ville = Town Car.
Back in the day, everyone knew exactly what a DeVille was. Unless I googled CT6, I wouldn’t have the slightest idea what it is. And I don’t.
A coupe de ville was a horse drawn carriage of a particular type back in the day.
And Fleetwood means “grim town in the north of England”. 😉
I think brands do well by being true to their history and image. For makes that historically used names, I think it is truly stupid to switch to alphanumerics, and I can’t think of an instance where it has actually succeeded. That would include most domestic brands and some of the Asians like Acura. The premium German brands, which have generally used alphanumerics, should keep them.
Personally, I also find compelling names much easier to remember than the alphanumeric gobbledygook. Integra and Legend were memorable, the current names not so much. Same with Lincoln, Cadillac, etc. I am particularly mystified by the trend to use alphanumerics for luxury class cars (probably due to companies trying to emulate German success), as they are not compelling at all. As Hyundai launches Genesis, I find it funny that they too are using forgettable alphanumerics, while the core Hyundai and Kia lines have pretty good and memorable names….
You have forgotten that Cadillac used series numbers before World War Two, not names. The name De Ville was really a trim level for the series 62 after WWII.
Yep, many domestics did. But post WWII names became prevalent and associated with these brands. It also made it easier to tell them apart, as good model names were firmly associated with the marques.
I’m a long time Lincoln (and Mercury!) owner. I’m so happy this decision is finally being made and implemented. I thought this was a super dumb idea the moment it was made public. It seemed to me to be the type of decision some new manager or branding “expert” made solely for the sake of being new, and so they could put their personal stamp on Lincoln products. Lincoln’s choice of names has generally been pretty good (even Versailles was a good name, if not so much the actual car). As mentioned above, Lincoln is slowly getting back to making good, unique cars. The Nautilus is definitely a step in the right direction — both the name and the design.
Versailles was a great name.
The only problem is, most Americans can’t pronounce it correctly…
Well, in our (Americans) defense, that’s an awful lot of letters for the sound sī in that second syllable.
It’s like naming your dog Fido, and spelling it “Phydeaux”. ?
Alas, I’m from South Louisiana, so Phydeaux looks perfectly normal to me… ?
Ha! I like that. And besides, I’m originally from Pennsylvania, where the boroughs of Versailles and North Versailles are pronounced (Ver-Sails).
I’m very pleased to see actual names come back as well; hope it’s a trend that catches on. I’d love to see the Legend, Eldorado, Cougar, etc. again. Anyone for a Tesla Coil, perhaps?
Ha! Probably not a Tesla Coil. But in the spirit of bringing back great names I certainly expect the forthcoming Buick version of the Chevy Bolt EV to be a Buick Electra.
Then they could make a special high voltage version and call it…. wait for it….
Electra 225.
Sorry. Bad pun. ?
Whats wrong with Mercury Cyclone Spoiler Dan Gurney Special?
Cheers from Sweden.
As a long time Lincoln dealer employee (and a Lincoln fan) I say “Hallelujah!!!”, it’s about damn time!
Both Lincoln and Cadillac have alpha-numeric nomenclature that confuses their models in the minds of buyers, that’s for certain. Names like Nautilus will help greatly. Infiniti is also a model identity mess… they took a somewhat meaningful system and changed it to one that means little beyond drawing a line between a wagon and anything else.
Infiniti should just give up and carry over the JDM model names unchanged (apart from having “Infiniti” in front of them); Skyline, Fuga, Patrol etc.
As others have already commented, for some brands it makes sense to use alpha numeric model designations and for some it makes better sense to use traditional names.
I think with regards to alpha numeric naming, it has to be done the right way. The German luxury brands have done it quite well, leaving little confusion. The letters and numbers used in each model actually mean something, such as bodystyle, order in model hierarchy, order in engine hierarchy, etc. Brands like Lincoln and Infiniti’s alphanumeric make less sense.
I too dislike how alphanumerics have devolved into the present day.
However, they can usually travel safely into other languages. Words can stumble, like the false legend that Spanish-speakers thought “Nova” meant no-go. Here’s a nice list of unfortunate names.
Glad to see what Lincoln is doing. I always thought Infiniti screwed the pooch when they picked the odd letter “Q” for many of their vehicles. Did Q stand for anything? I remember a female coworker of mine back in 1998 excitedly telling me how she got a new QX4…I thought she was talking about a tax return form. Only later did I realize a QX4 was a Nissan Pathfinder with leather and fake wood trim.
In Infiniti’s old scheme, as you moved up in the models, you went further into the alphabet. So the “G” was entry level, then “I”, “J”, “M”, and the top of the line was “Q”, and the number was the engine size. So G20 was the G (entry level), with a 2.0 L engine. The J30 was in the middle with a 3.0 L engine. The top of the line Q45 had a 4.5 L engine.
The QX4 was an oddball in Infiniti’s naming scheme. It was their first SUV, which got the extra X designation (in before BMW?). While you could argue that “Q” didn’t mean much with no other letter-named line up SUVs to compare it to, that they did use “Q” for their top end sedan implied it was a bit more than a dressed up Pathfinder. It’s also the only Infiniti model under their previous otherwise consistent scheme where the number wasn’t the displacement of the engine. It should have been called the QX35 to fit in with the SUVs/CUVs they released later (or perhaps IX35 to reflect its dressed-up Nissan status).
I assumed the reason Infiniti choose “Q” when they redid everything is because it was their top end model. Though that doesn’t mean much when everything is “Q”. And the Q45 really kind of went out in a whimper anyway – despite being their top of the line sedan I doubt most people even know it was sold past the 1990’s. And for the record I don’t understand why they suddenly changed a naming/numbering scheme that had worked for them for over 25 years either.
It all depends
Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti and Audi have long used alphanumeric names so it would be very odd of them to drop them for actually lettered names.
Both Cadillac and Acura needs to go back to names instead of letters and numbers. If Lincoln can bring back the Continental name then Cadillac should bring back the DeVille nameplate. If you say the name DeVille, most people think Cadillac. It has more brand awareness then CT whatever.
Acura should have kept the Legend name. I have never understood why Acura killed off that name. even today the name Legend, reminds folks of Acura. It was a big seller every year the cars were made. Considering the fact that Honda has used the Accord name for years, I fail to see what Acura was thinking when they killed off the Legend name for a two letter name.
I think Acura thought “RL” sounded more Mercedes-Benz like. I agree with you, huge mistake on Acura’s part…..Legend, also Vigor and Integra, brilliant names that were tossed aside probably after a 20 minute meeting of two or three Acura marketing reps.
Same with amber turn signal indicators. The word‘s on the street is one of the American executives fought for all-red least-common-denominator taillamps for the American market. He was so full of himself when he got his wish. Geesh!
I think a fair number of automotive regulations are pointless, but I find it mind-boggling that red turn signals are permitted. And stumningly so that it’s permissible to flash one brake light as a turn signal. Ambiguity in the driving environment is never a good thing.
IIRC the issue was that “Integra” had better brand recognition than “Acura” itself and any of the model names (except “Legend” in Southern California). That was circa 2000 at the height of the tuner-car era.
I hadn’t heard about the all-red taillights, always thought that was just a random “we gotta change something for the midcycle facelift, what’s the cheapest thing we can do?” move.
Supposedly the rationale behind Acura’s move was because customers were saying they drove a “Legend” or an “Integra” not an “Acura”.
I wonder if the sales loss was worth the brand name’s predomination.
We can count on MKZ returning to Zephyr, and that the Explorer-based Aviator will replace the MKT. Any bets on what the MKC will eventually become? I would’ve guessed Corsair (awesome name, IMO) until it was brought up that that could be a compact sedan.
Yes, this is great news! Finally a North American motorcar not ashamed to be one.
That was my reaction to the Chrysler 300 and I wanted it to be (and it almost was) for the Continental.
The Nautilus might have a name, but other than that, from this distance it looks like the generic crossovers emerging from every country just now.
I have my doubts on Corsair. Especially on a compact car.
Change the s to a v anddddd…..
It immediately popped into my head and I’m not the smartest turnip in the patch!
Within a car make, model names used to definite where a car stood in relationship to other models built by the maker. A Capri was the base Lincoln, Premiere the step up, Continental the top of the line.
But, this is a different era, at least the model names could now define the category i.e. sedan, crossover, SUV. As it stands now MK C,T,X,Z means nothing to definite which is what. I’ll welcome Lincoln’s return to model names again.
why is Capri base? and wouldn’t Premiere be top of the line. Continental should mean a continental tire, preferably on the Capri and not the Premiere.
Captain Nemo loves it!
The Calcium Carbonate shell of a Chambered Nautilus is structured such that it follows a Mathematical pattern known as the Fibonacci Series.
Fn = F [n-1] + F [n-2]
A car called the Lincoln Fibonacci would be an excellent competitor with Maserati & Lamborghini.
usually one starts with zero and one, but other starting points are possible. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8…
Thanks Edward for clarifying something that’s been a mystery to me for a while, the pronunciation of these “Marks” or “EmKays”. By the way, I remember when people would call some Lincolns Mach 3’s and some Mustangs Mark 1’s. I’m in the process of buying a new-used car and have settled on an Acura RSX, which surprised my wife, because her perception of the Acura brand was a largish luxury car. So the strategy of focusing on the manufacturer brand vs model brand can have unintended consequences.
A Lincoln ‘Nautilus”? Wait until Jules Verne hears about this!
It’s about time they ditched this alphanumeric crap. They have a rich history to mine, and even Versailles would be good as it’s been nearly 40 yrs since that was used and most millennials won’t have any clue about it’s past history. (For the record, I was a fan of the original Versailles, the ’79-’80 with the squared-up roof).
I think Lincoln’s names are strange. The MK_ was applied to the sedans and crossovers, so hard to tell what it is unless you are a Lincoln guy. Then the MKZ is the low end sedan, while the MKS is high end, and now I think the Continental. The crossovers begin with the MKC, then the MKX, with the MKT top of the line. Shouldn’t the X be top of the line? And why is the Z not the top of the line sedan?
At least at Cadillac the ATS is low end, the CTS is higher, but was below the STS. The new scheme, until they do something else, has the ATS a CT2 or 3, the CTS is perhaps a CT4 or 5. The crossovers are XT_ with the current XT5 a replacement for the FWD SRX. That leaves the XTS misnamed.
I love the return to real names too, this should help make Lincoln stand out more.
As for other names, it appears they didn’t renew the Zephyr trademark, but they did for Mariner, so maybe that Mercury nameplate will come back under Lincoln, maybe as their MKC replacement?
Corsair means pirate, sounds kimd of sinister! So I think this will be used for the MKZ replacement, with the Continental, as their 2 sedans going forward.
I read they didn’t change the MKC name now as they acknowledge it’s a big marketing challenge to rebrand models and they don’t want to do 2 models at once, so they will update the others in the next 2 years. Plus the 2019 MKC update is very very minimal.
The lincoln sedans should probably be called Lincoln Fusion. The crossovers Lincoln Escape or Edge, whichever platform it’s from.
And we need New Yorkers in New York!
While I prefer a real name for a car, instead of a hodgepodge of letters and numbers, a really memorable name is a bit of a rarity. Cadillac has built up identity around the Escalade nameplate. Coupe de Ville was a great name and it had a good run, but I can’t imagine a current model carrying that name. ElDorado had great cachet for many years and while it rolls off the tongue like liquid thunder, I don’t see Cadillac building a big brash personal coupe anymore. Poor Lincoln, there is no aspiration to that marque anymore. I still think that the Navigator and Aviator nameplates still have some juice, I guess you could add Continental to that list. I find a problem with the Mark series, as a name. As the series progresses it loses it’s exclusivity, and just sounds like you are counting 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 etc. Oh wait, That was a Cadillac name!
I think Lincoln, Cadillac and Acura should go back to names, and Infiniti should revert to the way in which they did their alphanumeric names at first because the “Q” system is very confusing.