Lincoln won't build a new pickup, Ford president says
An F-150-based Blackwood or Mark LT will not return anytime soon
Ford Americas & International Markets Group President Kumar Galhotra discusses U.S. manufacturing and its investment in building an all-electric F-150 in the coming years.
Sorry, Matthew McConaughey, it looks like you’ll have to stick with your Ford truck.
A Lincoln spokesman was out and about earlier this year delivering PPE equipment donated by the automaker to first responders in Texas with an F-Series Super Duty King Ranch. He had to, because Lincoln doesn’t make a pickup.
The Lincoln Blackwood was introduced as concept truck at the 1998 Los Angeles Auto Show (John T. Barr/Getty Images)
It used to. In 2002, the luxury brand offered the Blackwood, which was based on the F-150 and featured a carpeted bed with a hard tonneau cover that turned it into more of a trunk. It wasn’t a big seller, though, and only lasted one year after just over 3,300 were made. The brand tried again in 2006 with the more conventional Mark LT, but it was discontinued in 2008 following a run of approximately 25,000 trucks. (The model remained on sale in Mexico until 2014.)
The Lincoln Mark LT was introduced to see if it could leverage the popularity of the Navigator SUV. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
In their place, Ford has added more luxurious versions of its F-150 and Super Duty trucks, with a loaded version of the latter costing around $100,000 today.
Even the upcoming 2021 F-150 can be optioned up to over $80,000 (coincidentally including a tonneau cover,) according to CarsDirect.
The latest-generation F-150 will be available with an electric powertrain in 2022. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
But while customers have been happy to pay a premium for high-end F-150s, and drive average transaction prices to near $50,000, Ford Motor Company North America president Kumar Galhotra said Lincoln won’t be getting another one anytime soon.
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“No, no pickup plans for Lincoln,” Galhotra told Ford Authority as the automaker kicked off production of the 2021 F-150 last week.
“We‘re very focused on Lincoln SUVs, which are doing great.”
Lincoln is transitioning into an all-SUV brand as part of Ford’s move away from car models, other than the Mustang, with the recent cancellations of the MKZ and Continental.
It does, however, sell the F-150-based Navigator full-size SUV, which saw a 26 percent sales decline through the first half of 2020, compared to a 35 percent drop in sales of the Cadillac Escalade, its top competitor.
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