Autos

Lincoln

How the brand is in trouble: Aging demographics, weak brand image
How it can survive: New models, greater differentiation, expanding overseas
Sales, first four months 2008: 38,811
Sales, first four months 2007: 46,959
Percent change: -17.4%
Pictured: 2009 Lincoln MKS
Starting Price: Under $38,000 (TBA)

Unlike Mercury, Ford Motor Co. is obviously throwing some weight behind updating the Lincoln brand, including fairly recent models like the Ford Edge-based MKX crossover, the MKZ sedan, and coming this summer, the MKS luxury sedan. The MKS gets a 3.7-liter V-6, plus an optional turbocharged V-6 within a year of its launch this summer. The MKS is aimed at buyers under 50, the company said. That would be in sharp contrast to the Lincoln Town Car, with an average age around 70, one of the oldest in the industry, according to Strategic Vision and the Power Information Network.