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ReprintsLincoln wear-and-tear plan is part of broader branding strategy
Photo credit: BLOOMBERG
Ford Motor Credit Co. is tailoring its F&I products for Lincoln customers.
Ford Credit launched Lincoln Automotive Financial Services in November as part of a strategy to polish Lincoln's credentials as a luxury brand and gain a degree of separation from the Ford brand.
The strategy is starting to extend to F&I products, such as the captive's WearCare policies covering excess vehicle wear and tear for lease customers.
Eventually, Lincoln Automotive Financial Services wants to have all consumer-facing Lincoln products and information branded for Lincoln, says Ford Credit spokeswoman Margaret Mellott.
Luxury-brand rivals such as BMW Financial Services and Mercedes-Benz Financial have a menu of house-brand F&I products. Dealers for those brands say the brand name on the products a big selling point.
Ford brand and Lincoln wear-and-tear policies were already a little different.
The Lincoln version of WearCare covers up to $5,000 in wear damages on vehicles that have been driven an average of 25,000 miles a year or fewer. For vehicles that average more than 25,000 miles a year, it covers up to $2,500 in damages.
Ford-brand wear-and-tear policies limit damages to $4,000 on vehicles driven up to 25,000 miles a year and to $2,000 on vehicles driven more than 25,000 yearly.
Online brochures and other information for WearCare and for Guaranteed Asset Protection have been tailored to Lincoln customers, featuring photos of Lincoln products and carrying no references to Ford or Ford Credit.
For now, some F&I products on the Lincoln Automotive Financial Services Web site, credit.lincoln.com, are still linked directly to the Ford brand. For instance, Lincoln customers who click for more information on extended-service contracts are taken straight to Ford-branded Extended Service Plans.
"When we launched Lincoln AFS branding and the Web site, our goal was to achieve the unique Lincoln feel," Mellott says. "As we move forward, we'll be looking for opportunities to provide Lincoln customers an even more robust and deeper experience."
You can reach Jim Henry at autonews@crain.com.
