The three brands have different starts but are all owned and operated by one company
FORD Motor Company is known for breaking the mold, including the purchase and refining of its luxury vehicle division in the 1920s.
Unlike many other luxury vehicle divisions for major automakers, like Toyota’s Lexus, Honda’s Acura, and Nissan’s Infiniti divisions, Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury division had an interesting start.
The three divisions aforementioned were originally started by their parent companies to offer their loyal customers reliable yet luxurious cars.
Lincoln, though, was a brand that was originally founded by Henry M. Leland, who named his company after the beloved American president, Abraham Lincoln in 1917.
Ford was eager to compete with other budding luxury automakers of the time, like Buick, Packard, Pierce-Arrow, and General Motors’ increasingly popular Cadillac division.
Seeking to branch out to new audiences, Lincoln Motor Company was quickly purchased by Ford in 1922, and following World War II, merged Lincoln with their own Mercury division, creating the Lincoln-Mercury line.
Eventually, though, Mercury was discontinued in 2010 to allow Ford to further refine Lincoln into its former luxurious roots, and as of today, Lincoln is the sole luxury division for Ford.
While Ford and Lincoln vehicles share differences in design, technology, interior design, and materials, the two brands share many production lines, platforms, suspension, engine, and transmission components.
SHARED QUALITIES
Lincoln broke new ground as a luxury vehicle maker with the Continental, which showed American consumers that style, comfort, and longevity can be one reasonably priced deal.
It was a mid-sized sedan introduced in 1939 that had a lot of amenities that other vehicles of the time didn’t, like wood trimming in the interior, and other European influences, like a rear-mounted spare tire holder.
In modern times, Lincoln is still the luxury division of one of America’s oldest car makers, though their focus is producing luxurious SUVs and crossovers rather than having a luxurious version of every vehicle in their lineup.
For instance, the Lincoln Navigator was the Ford Expedition in disguise, the Lincoln Mark VI was a slightly different Ford Thunderbird, the Mercury Cougar was a redesigned Ford Mustang, and the M-Series pickup trucks from Mercury were rebadged Ford F-150s.
Even today there are Mercury equivalents to Ford’s best-selling models, like the Lincoln Aviator appealing to Ford Explorer buyers, the Lincoln Corsair looking strikingly similar to the Ford Escape, and the new Continental looking to scoop up Ford Taurus fans.
Both Ford and Lincoln are looking towards an all-electric future, with Lincoln lacking a true EV but featuring plug-in hybrids, while Ford has the F-150 Lightning EV pickup truck.
Lincoln has recently announced the Star EV SUV, which is set to debut in 2025 – a mid-sized two-row SUV that boasts dramatic styling and is expected to have a price tag hovering around $70,000 – which in a market that is currently seeking affordable EVs, maybe a little tough.
The Star will be the first of several EVs to be produced under the Lincoln moniker, followed closely by Ford EVs as part of the company’s mission to be all-electric by 2030.
