Ford: Lincoln MKZ Shortage Is Ending

Ford Motor Co. says it has stopped sending Lincoln MKZ midsize sedan built at its Hermosillo, Mexico, plant to a Michigan factory for quality inspections. The move eliminates a bottleneck that has kept the model in short supply and crippled the brand's sales.

Joe Hinrichs, Ford president for the Americas, tells reporters that the company is close to resolving the "significant" parts shortages that contributed to delays in the new generation of the MKZ. He adds that Lincoln dealer lots will be restocked by March 31.

Analysts note that the timing of the botched production launch couldn't have been worse. Ford is in the midst of a reintroducing the Lincoln brand, which included airing commercials for the next-generation MKZ during the Super Bowl and Grammy Awards. But dealers say customers attracted by the ad campaign were frustrated because deliveries of the car took as long as four months.

Lincoln sales plunged 25% to 9,100 vehicles in the first two months of 2013. That made January and February the marque's two lowest-volume months in 32 years. Sales of the MKZ, which was the brand's top-selling model last year, dropped by two-thirds to 1,400 units in that period.