Lincoln is hoping a second round of ads featuring actor Matthew McConaughey will boost sales for the new MKX crossover.
Lincoln is rolling out its newly redesigned 2016 MKX midsize crossover with a new series of ads featuring Matthew McConaughey once again.
The luxury automaker partnered with the Oscar-winning actor for a series of ads that began last fall and generated a lot of buzz. That attention included a variety of mocking parodies, including one by Jim Carrey, that weren’t flattering.
However, if the axiom all news is good news ever applied, it was in this case as Lincoln sales jumped 25% in the month after the much-maligned campaign.
After a respite from the McConaughey ads for much of the summer, the division is back with a retrenched version of the campaign, Lincoln officials said.
The new 2016 Lincoln MKX is hitting dealer showrooms now. The new model features a suite of driver-assist systems not previously offered.
The new campaign debuts Sept. 12, and includes appearances National Football League games, John Emmert, group marketing manager for Lincoln, told the Detroit Free Press.
Before folks settle in for another round of musings from McConaughey as he drives the MKX, the new ads have a new tone.
“They are not as introspective,” Emmert said. “They dial up the swagger factor.”
The focus is more about the looks of the MKX as well as the available technology in the new crossover, including a boatload of driver-assist systems, adaptive lighting and an auto hold button that keeps the vehicle from moving without having to hold the foot on the brake.
(To see spy shots of the 2017 Lincoln Continental, Click Here.)
Lincoln is making available several semi-autonomous features for the first time, such as Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection. Also available are:
- Adaptive cruise control uses sensors to detect when traffic in front of the vehicle slows. The vehicle automatically slows down, and resumes cruising speed when the sensors detect traffic has cleared
- Lane-Keeping System includes Lane-Keeping Alert and Lane-Keeping Aid. With Lane Keeping Alert, the steering wheel vibrates when drivers are straying from their lane. Lane-Keeping Aid provides a mild steering input to encourage drivers to steer toward the center of the lane
- Blind Spot Information System, or BLIS, signals the driver when a vehicle enters one of its blind spots by displaying an indicator in the sideview mirror
- Cross-traffic alert detects traffic approaching from either side as the vehicle backs out of a parking space and warns the driver when another vehicle is present with a visual alert and audible tone
(Click Here for a review of the updated 2015 Lincoln Navigator.)
In addition to the new safety features, MKX buyers get an option for a new engine as well. The 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, which the brand says is the quietest EcoBoost V6 ever, produces 335 horsepower and 380 lb.-ft. of torque. The crossover’s standard 3.7-liter V6 is SAE-rated at 303 hp at 6,500 rpm and 278 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm is also available.
Both engines are mated to a six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission with push-button shift. Front-wheel drive is standard, Intelligent All-Wheel Drive optional.
(For more on the production plans for the 2017 Lincoln Continental, Click Here.)
The new model comes at a time when sales have been struggling. Sales through July were down 25.3% so the ads come at the right time to turn that around. The first MKX’s hit dealer lots in June, and have had a positive impact. While year-to-date sales are down, July sales were up 27%, bolstered to some extent by the appearance of the new model.