Ford relaunches Lincoln with BMW, Benz in sights Ford unveiled its sleek new Lincoln luxury car Tuesday, hoping a sharply re-made line will be able to wrest away some of the lucrative luxury car business BMW and Mercedes-Benz are enjoying in the US. The panoramic glass-roofed, burgundy-cognac Lincoln MKZ rolled out to auto industry reporters has hints of its MKS predecessor but with far more eye-catching lines aimed at a "new generation" of American luxury car buyers. The car represents "the next major step in our reinvention," Jim Farley, vice president for global marketing, said at the Detroit auto show. We understand that for the Lincoln to succeed with today's luxury clientele, we need to reinvent every part of the business. He touted the experience Lincoln plans to deliver with the car, providing a more personalized concierge-like care for buyers compared to what he suggested was a mass-market approach from the company's German and Japanese rivals who dominate the high-end car sector in the country. "It's as if some luxury brands have become big-box retailers," he said, without citing any specific brand. Decades ago, Lincoln together with Cadillac led the idea of luxury in the United States. But for years both have lagged behind Lexus, Mercedes and BMW in sales. Last year Lincoln sold about 85,000 vehicles in the country, compared to nearly a half-million between the two German giants. Although the vehicle that was unveiled in Detroit remains technically a concept car, it is very close to what will eventually hit the market, said Ford President Alan Mulally -- who called it Lincoln's "new DNA." This MKZ is the definition of the new Lincoln ... In our market research it's the best testing we have ever seen. He said there will be a total of seven Lincoln models within three years.