When the automobile industry started expanding, most of the companies aimed at making low-cost car designs. This was a revolution that started to make sure every people of the nation can afford one of them. For example, we know that Volkswagen started manufacturing Volkswagen Beetle which became famous as The People’s Car. But, many companies were also inclined towards producing luxury vehicles. Back in the early 1900s, the demand for personal luxury vehicles also existed. Some people loved the tinge of royalty that led to its mass production. Lincoln Motor Company, a division of the American automobile company, Ford specializes only on luxury vehicles. Henry M. Leland founded the company in August 1917 which gradually came under the acquisition of Ford.
Henry M. Leland
Henry is one of the most famous American automotive entrepreneurs who founded two major companies, Lincoln and Cadillac. He was born in 1843 and was the youngest among his eight siblings. Born into Vermont, Henry grew up in Barton. Later, he went to Brown & Sharpe Plant where he learned engineering and precision machining. His growing knowledge landed him a job in the firearms industry.
In the upcoming years, he served in many companies and also invented the electric barber clippers. In 1902, Henry started working for Ford. And, under his guidance, many changes were made in the engineering of its vehicles. Five years after founding Lincoln Motor Company, Henry was struggling to keep the company altogether and thus sold it to Ford. He sold Cadillac to General Motors.
Henry also took a very active part in politics to set his country free from corrupt politicians. He died on 26th March 1932.
What led to the founding of a new company?
Henry already founded Cadillac went to established Lincoln Motor Company. He came into a heated argument with William C. Durant, President of General Motors. So, he left the company in 1917 and planned to build a new company. He decided to name the company after Abraham Lincoln, as Henry cast his first-ever vote for him.
Henry founded the company with a capital investment of $10 million. He was focused on making Liberty V12 aircraft engines and he bought many parts from companies like Buick, Cadillac, and Packard. Due to World War I the production came to a halt. But, before it took place, the company produced 6,500 units of such engines.
After the acquisition by Ford Motor Company
Ford acquired the Lincoln Motor Company on 4th February 1922 for $8 million. Ford noticed that after General Motors bought Cadillac, they made an entire division for luxury cars. So, they did the same thing with Lincoln Motor Company and gave a tough competition to GM. Lincoln witnessed many changes after the acquisition.
In 1933, Lincoln became the first company to manufacture luxury vehicles with an exclusive V12 engine. The company introduced many models during this time. Some of them are Lincoln Model K (1931), Lincoln Zephyr (1940), Lincoln Continental (1948), etc. The company ended the production of Continental after producing 5,322 units. In the 1950s, Lincoln launched Continental Mark II as its model line. During this time, this model became the most expensive car in the automobile market in America.
The recession economy
Due to the global recession in the 1950s, Lincoln was forced to consolidate its model lineup to a single model line. Moreover, the model cycle of Lincoln witnessed an extension of nine years from three years. But, in the next decade, Ford decided to come up with a new model as the successor of Continental Mark II. So, in the last 1960s, Continental Mark III was released in the market.
During the 1980s, the company redesigned and launched the new Continental thus making it the lightest model in its history after World War II.
A new century
After entering the 21st century, the company ended the production of Mark series and started producing Navigator SUV. In 2006, the company released the redesigned Lincoln Zephyr which became the smallest sedan Lincoln ever produced. 2020 will witness a series of new models which includes Lincoln Aviator Black Label, Lincoln Corsair, Lincoln MKZ, and many more. The company has a very huge market in South Korea apart from introducing the Lincoln Navigator model. The company has stopped importing in Japan since 2016. Other markets where the company is available are Oman, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, United States, etc.
Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more