We don't think we're alone in hoping Lincoln will one day soon become the automotive brand it wants to be. If Germany has several premium automakers, then surely there's enough for both Cadillac and Lincoln to thrive as America's performance luxury brands. Thing is, only Cadillac can make that claim as Lincoln just can't seem to find its stride. Sure there have been some solid models like the MKZ and MKS, but neither one really brings anything new and exciting to the table (a retractable glass roof isn't enough guys).

Even the suits at Ford recognize this. The automaker's design boss, J Mays, just stated that "Every brand needs to have a DNA and a unique selling point and things in the vehicle that makes you think." Perhaps he summed it up best like this: Lincoln is "not true luxury." Hey, at least he admitted it. Mays continued by statting the new MKZ is pretty much the starting point of, well, starting over for Lincoln. But at the end of the day, that car is still a Ford Fusion underneath. Despite its pretty exterior design and some new features, it'll take a lot more to get buyers into showrooms.

Mays estimates that it'll take Lincoln around 10 years to get to where it needs to be, but other industry analysts put that number at 30. Question is, can Ford afford to keep Lincoln going for that length of time until that so-called turnout happens? Lincoln will soon be going on sale in China, a country known for having a love affair with Buicks. And if Buick can get back on the recovery thanks to Chinese popularity, then perhaps Lincoln will have the same luck in the Far East.