Background and Identification
Lincoln (officially the Lincoln Motor Company) is Ford Motor Company’s luxury vehicle division. Ford is an American automaker that was incorporated in June 1903. Henry M. Leland founded the Lincoln Motor Company in 1917. The company was named after Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln Motor Company was purchased by Ford in 1922. Lincoln is still Ford’s only luxury nameplate.
Lincoln automobiles compete with Cadillac vehicles, both top luxury vehicle brands. Cadillac is General Motors’s luxury vehicle line. The 1940 Lincoln Continental was the first vehicle in the personal luxury car segment. Lincoln’s product line includes luxury sport utility vehicles, crossovers, and sedans. Limousines and livery vehicles have also been produced by Lincoln.
Lincoln was placed in Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury division after World War II. The Mercury brand was discontinued in 2010. In late 2012, the Lincoln brand reverted back to its original name, Lincoln Motor Company. Vehicles sold under the Lincoln brand name are sold in China, South Korea, and the Middle East (except for Iran and Syria).
Lincoln vehicles can be identified by the Lincoln emblem, which is called the Lincoln Star. The emblem is a four-pointed star inside of an elongated rectangle, which is sometimes filled with a red color and sometimes left unfilled.