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Think of Lincoln, Ford's luxury brand, and what pops into your mind? Probably an image of the Town Car.
The large luxury sedan, with seating for six adults and the marshmallow ride synonymous with luxury 20 years ago, has been the foundation of the brand since 1981.
The Town Car continues to offer a soft big-car ride, cushy living-room-style seats covered in supple leather, highly boosted power steering, smooth and quiet V-8 performance and a trunk large enough to store baggage for a month-long European vacation.
The Town Car has never been better at accomplishing its assigned tasks. The problem for Lincoln is that demand for big luxury boats, no matter how sophisticated they have become, has waned in recent years.
Traditional buyers of the Town Car aren't abandoning the product, they are simply dying off. Younger, affluent buyers, who were raised on Hondas and Toyotas, aren't there to replace the deceased Town Car owners.
Well-heeled customers are opting for the smaller size, more responsive handling and performance and more up-to-date technology offered by such models as the Lexus LS430, Infiniti Q45, Mercedes S-Class and the BMW 7-Series.
This is pointed up by statistics that show Lexus and Mercedes outselling Lincoln and Cadillac in recent years. Town Car sales, which peaked at nearly 150,000 in 1990, probably won't reach 70,000 this year after slipping to 81,399 in 2000.
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