《林肯车SWOT分析》案例导读

1  SWOT分析
优势：林肯车是传统豪华轿车在一级市场的代表，具有品牌优势，并且福特的其它品牌如水星等也都具有良好的性能，这也可以提升福特林肯品牌在消费者心目中的形象和品牌价值。1979年林肯的Town Car 开始缩小尺寸、林肯的Mark VⅠ第一次提供四门车，1984年，林肯引进了Mark VⅡ，回归到完全二门的样式并且装置了新发展的悬挂系统，这一系统在美国其它任何一家的车上都没有发现，并且林肯的Continental综合了欧洲风味和美国特色。
劣势：制造小型车只有几年的历史，经验技术方面都会有一定的欠缺。林肯虽然是传统型豪华车在一级市场的代表，但是对于林肯正在进入的功能型轿车市场，还需要进行认真的尝试和探索。
机会：美国政府施加了对日本往美国出口汽车的数量限制，这对美国汽车行业是一个保护措施，也是美国汽车向小型化转型的一个喘息机会。20世纪80年代，燃料价格稳定后，消费者又开始购买更大尺寸、更强动力的车型，而这是美国汽车的强项。
威胁：70年代，随着能源价格的上涨，许多汽车进口制造商开始生产小型、节能的汽车。随着进口汽车的流入，美国汽车市场上的国内厂商份额开始收缩。这些进口汽车大部分是从现在世界上最大的汽车制造商——日本进口的，也就是说美国的汽车行业受到来自日本的经济型轿车的威胁。另外，因为美国对日本往美国出口汽车的数量的限制，日本的产品开始调整为较大型的、高消费阶层的、专业的汽车，这对作为豪华车的凯迪拉克是一个威胁。80年代中期，经济增长缓慢，而汽车企业经营活动的好坏归根到底取决于国家的经济状况。在国家经济情况良好的情况下，大多数汽车企业的经营效果也好，在国家经济条件较差的情况下，多数汽车企业的经营效果也差。
 
2竞争者分析
知己知彼，百战不殆。有效的竞争战略必须以对竞争对手的分析为基础。我们可按以下步骤对竞争对手进行分析。(1)辨别企业的竞争者。林肯的竞争对手有很多，国内的有通用凯迪拉克，欧洲的有奔驰、宝马和奥迪，日本的有本田、丰田和日产。除了要辨别这些明显的竞争者外，凯迪拉克还要注意辨别潜在的竞争者。(2)辨别竞争者战略。公司必须辨别竞争者战略的变化，以及时对自己的战略进行相应的调整。在林肯的竞争者中，奔驰和宝马在豪华车市场上采用的是多样化战略，在外型和价格方面深入高消费阶层；日本丰田是稍低价位的欧式豪华车战略；日产是小型、低价战略。(3)判定竞争者的目标。在这里，林肯的竞争者的目标都是提高本企业汽车的销售量和在豪华车市场的占有率。(4)评估竞争者的优势和劣势。各种竞争者能否执行他们的战略和达到其目标，这取决于每个竞争者拥有和利用资源的能力。公司需要辨认每个竞争者的优势与劣势，要得到详细竞争者的优、劣势需要进行认真的市场调研，这里我们简单说一下，奔驰是第一辆汽车的制造者，代表了可靠的工程，日本一向是以生产经济型轿车著名，在制造经济型轿车方面有明显的优势。
3建议
(1) 做细致的市场调研，掌握及时、准确的市场资料。林肯面对的是不断变化的竞争和市场，为了更好的了解企业本身和竞争者，为了使企业取得更好的发展并适应环境，林肯必须通过市场调研和预测掌握市场走势，并从中寻找机会，避开和减少风险。
(2) 作为传统型豪华车在一级市场的主要代表，在进入功能型豪华车市场时，定价也是一个重要的方面，林肯应该综合运用需求导向定价法和竞争导向定价法。根据消费者对林肯功能型豪华车所感受的价值水平和竞争对手产品的品质和价格来进行综合评定，然后确定林肯功能型豪华车的价格。不要一味的追求销量而定低价，更不要像中国的红旗轿车一样，由尊贵的品牌变成了一般品牌。
(3) 利用美国政府对进口日本汽车数量进行限制的这段时间，做好竞争者分析和本企业战略的调整。日本汽车的小型、节能优势是个不容忽视的威胁，决不能有轻敌思想。
 
【思考题】
 
(1) 你以为林肯是否应该进入功能型轿车市场？
(2) 作为传统型豪华车的制造者，林肯在进入功能型轿车时，可能会遇到哪些问题，应该注意哪些事项？
(3) 在广告方面，林肯应该注意突出什么?
 
Ford: Lincoln
Current Environmental Factors
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s，while energy was plentiful and inexpensive，American car manufacturers enjoyed great success building cars that were large and powerful. During the 1970s， energy prices increased-the product of temporary shortages in the supply of oil. As a result， import manufacturers， many of which were building small， fuel-efficient automobiles， were in prime position to take advantage of the situation. With the influx of these fuel-thrifty imports，the domestic portion of the U.S. automobile market began to shrink from approximately 96.5 percent in 1957 to 85 percent in 1973，to 77 percent in 1979，and finally to approximately 68 percent in 1987. Most of these imports were coming from Japan (Toyota，Nissan，Honda，etc.)， now the worlds largest producer of motor vehicles.
Western European countries also have been major suppliers of auto- mobiles to the U.S. market. Makers such as Volkswagen，Mercedes-Benz.and BMW from West Germany; Volvo and Saab from Sweden; to a lesser degree，Peugeot and Renault from France; and，sporadically， Fiat，Lancia，and Alfa Romeo from Italy. Also，during the 1980s the Yugoslavians (Yugo) and the Koreans (Hyundai and partnerships through Ford and GM) began exporting cars to the United States.
Throughout the energy shortage and until the mid-1980s，the Japanese enjoyed favorable yen/dollar exchange rates and were，therefore，in large part able to offer vehicles that cost less than comparable U.S. or West European products. The Japanese manufacturers also had significant success in producing these small，fuel-efficient automobiles with high quality. However，the U.S. government， pressured by GM， Ford， and Chrysler imposed a "voluntary restraint，" or quota，on the number of Japanese cars which could be exported to the United States. With this quota and with the appreciation of the yen，which occurred in the mid- to late-1980s. Japanese manufacturers began to lose their ability to sell large volumes of small cars and still make desirable profit margins. These factors began to force the Japanese to adjust their product mix to include a greater percentage of the more profitable larger，upscale，and specialty automobiles.
While the Japanese first concentrated on small，fuel-efficient cars，the European car manufacturers， with Volkswagen as the possible exception，have targeted distinct market niches. Mercedes-Benz，BMW，Audi， Saab，and Volvo have all，to varying degrees，concentrated on the upper segments of the market. The Koreans and Yugoslavians have targeted the low-end market and，due to the strength of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar and other currencies， have replaced Japan as the low-cost automotive exporters to the U.S. market.
In response to the high cost of fuel in the mid-1970s，the U.S. big three began to downsize their products and increase the number of small and fuel-efficient models. As a result，cars in the 1980s are generally smaller and more fuel-efficient than earlier models. However， when fuel prices in the mid-to late-1980s stabilized， manufacturers began to build and consumers began to purchase the larger and more powerful models as they had in previous years. These cars were，however， still more efficient than the vehicles of the 1960s.
Car sales are a function of the economy. When work forces are employed and the economic outlook is favorable，sales will more than likely be healthy. If gasoline prices are perceived as high or not stable，sales of small，fuel-efficient vehicles will rise. In the mid-80s， during a period of high interest rates and a slow economy，domestic automobile manufacturers offered large cash rebates and attractive low-interest financing (as low as 0 percent on a 24-month term by American Motors) to spur sales. During this period，when customers shopped，they not only shopped for the best model but for the best sale incentive.
Traditional versus Functional Luxury
The U.S. luxury car market can be classified into two segments. traditional and functional. U.S. manufacturers have typically produced entries to the traditional segment. and the Europeans， the functional segment. Traditional luxury cars have been represented primarily by Cadillacs and Lincolns in the first tier and Oldsmobile，Buick，Mercury， and Chrysler in the second. The functional luxury cars of Europe' were primarily made up of Germany's Mercedes-Benz. BMW and Audi; Britain's Rolls-Royce and Jaguar ; and certain models of Sweden's Saab and Volvo.
Traditional luxury cars strive to make the driving experiences as effortless as possible. This has been accomplished by providing passengers with plush， living-room-style interiors and rides so smooth that Mercury commercials of the mid-1970s boasted that a Cartier jeweler could flawlessly cut a diamond while riding in the back seat of a Mercury luxury car. The functional luxury car， on the other hand， attempts to put the driver in touch with the road via steering and suspension systems that inform the driver of the immediate environment.
Throughout Lincoln's history， the division has had a variety of competitive products to contend with. In the 1930s，brands such as Packard， Pierce-Arrow，Auburn， Cord， Imperial， and Lincoln were vying for a piece of the luxury car market. By the early 1960s， most of these great marques had become memories， with only GM's Cadillac division and Chrysler's Imperial (until 1985) left to offer a measurable amount of domestic competition.
Lincoln  ，Ford's Lincoln wasn't far behind as Cadillac plotted its strategy for the luxury car market. In 1979， the Town Car/Coupe， Lincoln's equivalent to the de Ville，was downsized to dimensions similar to the Cadillac. In that same year， the Mark V， competitor to the Eldorado，was also downsized. The new Mark VI (each new design of the Mark series advances one Roman numeral) in fact shared the same platform as the Town Car; therefore，it shared similar overall dimensions and was now for the first time available with four doors. In 1982，Lincoln introduced the Continental，the replacement for the poor- selling Versailles. Both cars were direct competition to Cadillac's Seville and attempted to emulate virtues of the Seville. The new Continental went so far as to borrow certain styling cues from the Seville， Particularly the "bustle" style trunk.
In 1984， Lincoln's strategy began to change. This year Lincoln introduced the Mark VII. No longer built off the Town Car/Coupe chassis， the Mark VII was back to purely a two-door body style and offered two distinct versions: the traditional luxury model based on the  Designer Series，and the functional luxury model-the LSC. The Mark VIIs used a newly developed air suspension system not found in any other car in the United States. The LSC version came with upgraded sport-oriented appointments such as European-style seats and a firmer version of the air suspension. Over the following years，a tachometer and a higher- output engine were also added to the LSC to increase its functional appeal.
In 1988， Lincoln introduced an all new design for the Continental. Borrowing heavily on the functional theme of the Mark VII LSC，the earlier to emulate it. According to Maryann N.Keller，auto- motive industry analyst and vice president of the New York brokerage firm Furman，Selz，Mager，Deltz and Birney，"...Lincoln's new Continental， priced just under $30，000，is demonstrating that an American car maker can produce an automobile that combines appealing features from two continents[Europe and North America].The body style and interior appointments have a definite European flavor. The size and generous complement of creature comforts are distinctly American. Though it could use a more powerful engine，the Continental signals Ford's arrival as a real challenger in the functional luxury car market."
Foreign Competition-European
As Cadillac moved through the 1960s and 70s，the European luxury cars were emerging as serious alternative types of luxury automobiles. Rolls-Royce of England，long recognized as providing expensive，hand- built luxury cars， was never a Cadillac alternative. Mercedes-Benz， however， was a different kind of luxury car. If  Cadillacs were as plush as fine living rooms，the Mercedes-Benz was as functional as a well- appointed study. The Mercedes-Benz mission was not to surround the driver or passengers in cushions of soft velour or provide them with a silky smooth ride， but to provide firm，supportive seating and a con- trolled ride in an automobile engineered for traveling at high speeds on the German autobahn.
The heritage of today's Merceds-benz can be traced back to 1885 and the streets of Mannheim，Germany. It was then that Carl Friedrich Benz produced the world's first motor car. While others had pioneered and patented the gas engine，Benz applied it to a passenger-carrying vehicle.
Since the very beginning，Mercedes-Benz has stood for solid engineering. All of the company's automobiles are targeted to various price points in the functional luxury segment. While a $30，980 entry- level 190-D 2.5 model may share components with the top-of-the-line $79，840 560-SEC， there are no other "lesser" divisions that might require Mercedes-Benz components. This also affords Mercedes-Benz the luxury of maintaining a single automobile focus. However， the company is also one of the world's largest medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturers.
As the 1970s progressed and the 1980s approached， additional European manufacturers began to market their products in the functional luxury segment. Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) of West Germany moved from exporting primarily two-door sports coupes to vehicles similar to Mercedes-Benz. BMW's strategy differed from Mercedes in that BMW catered even more so to the sport-oriented functional luxury buyer. The BMW product offerings begin with the small two- and four-door 3 series， the four-door midsize 5 series， large four-door 7 series， and the two- door 6 series. Over the past few years，BMW has broadened its product offering by introducing the previously mentioned 3 series four-door. The all new 1987 BMW 7 series includes a replacement for the 1986 735i model as well as an all-new model for 1988，the 750iL. The 750iL is the largest， and at $70，000 the most expensive， sedan than the 735i and is the only five-passenger sedan in the world to offer a 12-cylinder engine.
As the functional luxury market has developed，Mercedes-Benz has also become considered by many to be the ultimate car in the luxury market.(However， it is recently being challenged by BMW.) The Mercedes-Benz line is similar to that of the BMW. The 190 Class is similar in size to the BMW 3 series，the 300 Class the 5 series，and the S Class the 7 series. Mercedes-Benz also offers various two-door coupe and convertible models. In 1987，the combined U.S. sales of Mercedes-Benz and BMW reached approximately 178，000 vehicles，over half of Cadillac's current volume.
The third German player in the luxury car market is Audi. Audi reached an all-time-high U.S. sales volume of over 74，000 units in 1985 due in large part to the sleekly styled 5000 series(48，057 units). The size of a mid-Mercedes and BMW offering， the 5000 was priced lower and could be purchased with one of the first applications of four- wheel drive in a passenger car. However， in 1986，under reports that 5000s equipped with automatic transmissions could unintentionally accelerate， sales began to slide. In 1987， sales were off 44.2 percent from just two years earlier.
For the 1988 model year，in an effort to restore Audi's presence in the luxury car market， the company introduced an all new replacement for the 4000 series，now dubbed the 80(as it is in Europe). For the 1989 model year， the Audi 5000 has been relaunched as the Audi 100 and 200(depending on engine size).The 100 and 200 models do not differ from the 5000 series before them in exterior appearance. However， the interior has been redesigned，and the Audi engineers are quick to point out the new engineering developments that differentiate the 100/200 Audis from the old 5000 series.
Foreign Competition-Japanese
The mid- to late- 1980s have been accompanied by generally stable fuel costs. As a result， manufacturers are again offering larger models and more powerful engines. In addition， the late 1980s has also included a weaker dollar against other Western currencies such as the West German mark and the Japanese yen. A weak dollar makes buying West German or Japanese imports more expensive. In an effort to maintain acceptable margins on their automobiles， many of the foreign manufacturers have raised prices. This upscale movement in prices by these manufacturers is accompanied. in many cases， by efforts to market models that are also further upscale in class and content.
In the late 1980s， a strong Japanese yen helped create a situation in which the Japanese were no longer the low-cost producers. No longer were the Japanese able to build entry-level cars and price them as competitively against domestic，Korean， and Yugoslavian entries as they had in previous years. The Japanese， unable to make their desired profit margins on these vehicles， began to expand their product line upward to include a greater proportion of compact and midsize cars. These cars include larger models of Honda Accord，Toyota Camry and Cressida， and Nissan Maxima.
Watching the Germans move further upscale in image and in price， Honda saw an opportunity to provide European-style functional luxury cars，but at the price of traditional domestic luxury models. Acura also places emphasis on dealer service. In combination with product quality， dealer service accounted for the number one rating in the 1988 J.D. Powers Consumer Satisfaction Index.
Acura， and other soon-to-be-released Japanese luxury cars from Toyota (Lexus) and Nissan(Infiniti)， hope to appeal to those import buyers that have bought non-luxury imports in the past and now want to move upscale but maintain certain import virtues. Acura models include the midsize Legend. The Legend comes well equipped with four -wheel power disc brakes， air conditioning， power door locks and windows， and stereo radio with cassette tape deck-all standard. Like the European functional luxury cars， Acura also pays special attention to the vehicle's handing and performance. To that end， the Legend carries a high-tech racing-bred multivalve V-6 engine and a suspension not found in any other Honda vehicle. Of the Acura Legend， automotive analyst Maryann N. Keller said，"In less than three years， Honda's Acura division will surpass the magic 100，000-unit mark， which means it will outsell every high-priced European brand in the market." Hans Jordan， head of U.S. marketing for Mercedes-Benz，says，"Acura is a legitimate contender in the $20，000 to $30，000 price range."
 As Acura continues to establish itself in the U.S. luxury car market， Toyota and Nissan are in the process of launching their own luxury car divisions: Lexus and Infiniti， respectively. These new offerings will follow Acura's lead by initially introducing two products for each of the new divisions and selling them only in dealerships dedicated to that division. Acura， Lexus， and Infiniti will not share facilities with the lesser Hondas， Toyotas， or Nissans as Lincoln does with Mercury or as Cadillac is allowed with other GM divisions. The Lexus and Infiniti models will also follow Acura by offering a high degree of Lexus/Infiniti "only" content and distinct styling not to be shared by Toyotas or Nissans.
Lexus 'initial offering in 1990 will be an all new sedan with a modern multivalve V-8.According to Automobile Magazine， the Lexus LS 400"is a large，roomy，rather conservatively styled four- door sedan that appears to be an amalgam of BMW and Mercedes-Benz design cues， given an American spin with a Cadillacesque egg-crate grille， Detroit-style wood trim， and wrinkled leather upholstery. Its drag coefficient makes it the slipperiest of production sedans， and its four-liter， four-cam， 250-horsepower V-8 engine will push that slippery shape through the air at speeds guaranteed to keep Mercedes- Benz，BMW，and Jaguar engineers working late for the next decade or so." The LS 400 is expected to be priced at approximately $35，000，roughly half of a comparable-size Mercedes-Benz or BMW.
Lexus will also introduce a midsize sedan derived from an existing Toyota，the midsize Camry. The ES250 will be powered by a high-tech multi- valve V-6 similar to the Acura Legend. A year later， Lexus will debut a new coupe model.
Nissan's Infiniti brand will be introduced at roughly the same ties as the Lexus. The introduction of the Infiniti brand will begin with a large sedan similar to the Lexus LS 400. The Infiniti Q45 will be powered by a 4.5 liter V-8 and sell for approximately $35，000. Commenting on the image intentions of the sedan， Takashi Oka， senior project manager of the Q45，said，"We want to create a new definition of luxury and establish an international image beyond that of BMW and Mercedes." The Q45 will be joined at introduction with a smaller， less expensive two-door model based on the Japanese market Nissan Leopard. The new coupe will be powered by a multi-valve V-6 and sell for around $25，000. A third model will join the Infiniti brand in 1991. A multivalve V-6 powered midsize sedan， based on the Nissan Maxima， will go head-to- head with the Lexus ES250 as well as the Acura Legend.
Both Lexus and Infiniti have targeted to sell approximately 100，000 units each when the full range of models is available. This contrasts to Acura's estimated sales of 300，000-400，000 by the mid-1990s.