Ford CEO Almost Sunk Lincoln

2015 Lincoln MKC (Credit: © Ford Motors)

Ford CEO Alan Mulally really should wear a superhero cape, and not just because he did a good job once in dealing with Matt Lauer’s bumbling line of poorly thought-out questions. The outgoing CEO is likely the reason why Ford never reached bankruptcy, even if it did get a little closer to that reality than many might realize. Mulally said what needed to be said at a time when Ford was not in a good place, and his unwavering honesty and vision for what the company could become has transformed it into a line of vibrant models consumers actually want to purchase.

All of that transformation looks to be starting to ripple through Lincoln now, hopefully, but it has come out that Mulally almost axed the luxury line and its badge-engineering ways not that long ago. Bloomberg is reporting that just last year the Ford CEO was weighing whether the big money suck of a luxury brand should continue on or if he should put it out of its misery.

Fortunately, Fields, who was the Chief Operating Officer for Ford at the time, convinced Mulally that Lincoln was worthy of saving. Even more fortunate is the fact that Fields is set to take over as CEO of the company, which bodes very well for the Lincoln brand.

Right now, Lincoln is pinning its future hopes and dreams on the 2015 MKC crossover. While the model might help transform the brand at least some, the fact that there is no rear-wheel drive luxury sedan in the lineup is completely wrong. The fact is that both Hyundai and Kia offer rear-wheel drive luxury sedans, which is a real sign of the times. Fields better have some aces up his sleeves, because to make Lincoln financially viable again he’ll need them.