Lincoln Dealers : Ford Motor Co. intends to invest about $1 billion in new vehicles

Lincoln dealers say Ford Motor Co. intends to invest about $1 billion in new vehicles by 2014 in a bid to rejuvenate its struggling luxury brand.

Ford's leadership team, including CEO Alan Mulally, met in Dearborn two weeks ago with Lincoln dealers from major metropolitan areas to assure them of the company's commitment to the brand. Lincoln sold fewer than 35,000 vehicles in the United States through the first five months of the year, down 7.5 percent from a year ago. That represents less than 1 percent of the U.S. market.

Last year, Ford promised that Lincoln would get seven new or significantly upgraded vehicles over four years. But major auto shows have come and gone this year with no new Lincolns to excite dealers who are being asked to spend, on faith, $1 million or more each to upgrade their facilities in anticipation of a fresh showroom of vehicles.

"We're fully committed to making Lincoln a world-class luxury brand with compelling vehicles and an exceptional consumer experience to match," Lincoln spokesman Timothy Elliott said Monday.

"The bigger question is whether Lincoln will be viable," said Rebecca Lindland, a director with IHS Automotive Inc. in Lexington, Mass.

General Motors Co. CEO Dan Akerson recently dismissed Ford's efforts to revive Lincoln, its competitor to GM's Cadillac. "You might as well sprinkle holy water. It's over," he told The Detroit News.