By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(September 21, 2013) In the run-up to the Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford released information about its new S-Max and its plans to introduce a trim line for Europe that sits above the Titanium. It is resurrecting the Vignale name for this trim level, and creating Fords that are more luxurious than anything ever seen before. (The move also extends to a unique ownership experience that is suspiciously like Lincoln’s concierge service.)

Seemingly separate, these two things stuck in my brain like peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth. The common denominator in these equations was the same: Lincoln.

The S-Max Concept is a stylized version of the people mover Ford will launch in Europe next year. Based on the Fusion/Mondeo platform, Ford calls it a “Sports Activity Vehicle” or “SAV” to delineate it from crossovers, SUVs and minivans. Combining the “one-box” shape, large wheels and wheels at each corner styling of crossovers and SUVs with the maneuverability of a sedan, it doesn't carry the stigma of either a wagon or minivan, and is pitched at the more luxurious end of the market.

Despite the fact that Ford will be selling the next-generation Edge in Europe (something it did not do with the current version), it will continue to offer the S-Max as a distinct vehicle. Popping an S-Max badge onto the similarly sized Edge — as it did when turning the American Escape small SUV into the European Kuga — is not part of the “One Ford” plan.

And while there are other examples of vehicles that are not shared globally (the EcoSport and ironically termed global Ranger spring to mind), the question arises whether or not there is enough volume to support a Europe-only S-Max. True, it’s much easier to put a new body on a chassis designed to accommodate a number of different “top hats”, but ultimate profitability is hampered when the volume over which you can spread that cost is limited. That’s when I started thinking about Lincoln.

Lincoln needs a vehicle that is more than just a warmed-over Ford. Savvy buyers know they can get the same technology in a different package, and for thousands less, by shopping at their Ford dealer instead of under the Lincoln star.

True, you get more luxury with the Lincoln, but that deprivation can be assuaged by the money you save. As for Ford’s lower standing on the social status ladder, not only is that being raised by vehicles like the Fusion, it is not wildly lower than Lincoln’s. In fact, Lincoln barely exists as a higher end brand, so why worry? Pocket the money and laugh all the way to the bank.

However, a vehicle like the S-Max would give Lincoln something that Ford (in the U.S.) doesn’t have, and set it apart from its direct competition. This vehicle would take some of the pressure to be everything to everybody off the MKX, and open the door to making it more of a direct competitor with the luxury brand competition and less of a tricked-out Ford. Aware of the trouble Mercedes faced with its R-Class SAV, Lincoln would have to carefully establish it as a luxury “express” in order to side-step the minivan stigma that crushed the Mercedes in its crib.

Adding a hybrid drivetrain pulled from the Fusion sedan and the health monitoring technology shown in the S-Max concept would appeal to trendy suburbanites, and give the vehicle a “caring” reputation. Both then could be transferred back to Europe for use in the Vignale trim level S-Max.

The fact that the Vignale trim level, pictured at left, goes above and beyond the former top of the line Ford trim not only makes it a good starting point for the Lincoln version of the S-Max, it makes it pretty obvious that any plans to make the American luxury marque truly global have, at best, hit a snag and, at worst, been dropped. Rather than spend the time, effort and money necessary to design, develop, build and export Lincolns that are truly world class, apparently Ford has decided to limit the brand’s exposure to North America and China.

The Vignale gambit moves Ford farther upmarket without the expense of establishing a new brand in an already crowded Europe. It’s an interesting and financially seductive strategy, but not one without very real dangers.

Both BMW and Mercedes are moving into sectors they never would have entered had not government regulations to dramatically reduce CO2 output on a fleet basis not been written. The A- and B-Class and their spin-offs put Mercedes up against mainstream automakers like VW, but without the profit margin gained by vehicles like the E- and S-Class. The same is true for BMW, who not only kept Mini when its ill-fated takeover of Rover collapsed, but is producing its own line of front-drive vehicles for sale around the world.

The very things that made these two brands popular (dynamics, technology, luxury, performance, etc.) are harder to achieve in a small car. Particularly when a volume automaker like VW not only has the volume to be more profitable in these volume segments, but also has the buying power to add luxury and technology items lucratively.

Ford, unlike VW, does not have an upmarket brand in Europe. There is no in-house competitor to Audi. Thus, it is forced to stretch the boundaries of the brand in order to compete at these higher levels. Whether or not buyers will permit Ford this arrogance is as yet unknown. However, both those moving upmarket and those already there will undoubtedly see the blue oval as a symbol of where they’ve been, or do not want to go, than of where they want to be. If it truly wants to move into the clouds above its current perch, Ford needs a sub-brand like Lincoln.

In the long run, Lincoln requires vehicles that create and build upon an image of easy going American style, luxury and technical superiority allied to performance infused with finesse. Jaguar’s recent moves into harder core cars has left wide open the “Space, Pace, Grace” end of the market to just such an assault. A Lincoln-ized S-Max would be a good start. However, it is more likely that the brand will be limited to building sumptuous restyled Fords for the U.S. and Chinese markets, while Ford attempts the impossible in Europe.

The Virtual Driver