Lincoln Sales Tumble Despite Brand Relaunch

Ford Motor Co. introduced its revamped luxury marque as Lincoln Motor Co. in December and aired two commercials during the Super Bowl touting the new generation of the brand's MKZ midsize sedan.

But Lincoln's U.S. sales dropped 29% to 4,900 vehicles in February. That's the second-lowest level in nearly 32 years after the 4,200 vehicles it sold in January, according to Bloomberg News.

Sales of the MKZ, which Ford expects to lead Lincoln's comeback, plunged by nearly two-thirds to 900 units last month. The sedan is in short supply because of quality problems that caused the company to set up quality inspections of the MKZ at its factory Flat Rock, Mich. The sedan is made at Ford's assembly plant in Hermosillo, Mexico.

The company says it now is delivering about 100 MKZs daily. It aims to have Lincoln dealers fully staffed within a month.

But analysts point out to Bloomberg that the rest of Lincoln's lineup also is doing poorly. Every model posted a decline in February except for the MKS fullsize sedan and MKT large crossover vehicle, which boosted volume by 65 units and 90 units, respectively.