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Blackwood Gets A Brief Reprieve
BLACKWOOD GETS A BRIEF REPRIEVE
The Lincoln Blackwood is getting a reprieve, of sorts. Company sources are
challenging reports, earlier in the week here on TCC and in industry
papers, that there'd be no 2003 version of the high-end hybrid SUV/pickup.
In fact, an '03 model will go into production in August and will continue
through next April, Lincoln product chief Al Kammerer tells
TheCarConnection. He also stresses that original plans for the vehicle
called for only a limited production run: "We never figured Blackwood
would be made forever." What's not disputed is the glitzy crossover's lack
of success. Lincoln sold only 397 Blackwoods through the end of March,
about a third of those produced. The problem? A "botched launch," Kammerer
concedes, with quality issues delaying production, even as a costly ad
campaign got underway. Lincoln is planning another media blitz to
accompany the 2003 model rollout.
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