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Originally posted by: V8 American Thunder
"Sadly, this may be one of the last comparisons between the two brands, as Cadillac creeps upmarket to field $60,000 STS and SRX models, and a $75,000 hardtop roadster, while Lincoln is content to be the best it can in its traditional $40,000-$50,000 price range, while extending slightly downward to join Cadillac and other luxury brands in tapping the lucrative $30,000-$40,000 price range, and extending slighty upward to accomodate its $50,000+ models. The two brands have adopted differing strategies in where they derive their vehicle platforms.

Cadillac has developed the world-class Sigma platform, underpinning everything from the humble CTS, to the $60,000+ STS, and upwards to the new XTS (codename) super-luxury sedan. This platform was purpose-built to equal the architectures of BMW and Mercedes, and it seems to have succeeded in that sense. Cadillac is now back in the luxury race, having remade itself as an America version of the higher-snoot European brands.

Lincoln is embarking on a different strategy in this category. In the late 90's, CEO Jaques Nasser ordered that Lincoln was to recieve its own exclusive architecture, which would be shared with Jaguar, in preparation for the disbanding of Mercury. This became the DEW98, was to underpin a small 3-Series competitor, the Lincoln LS, and a sensational new Lincoln Town Car. However, as Nasser was ousted, Mercury was saved, Ford lost billions, and costs overran on the DEW98, the plan was cancelled. In lieu of that, Lincoln will be composed of a great variety of shared platforms with other Ford family products. Far from mere rebadges, they will be thoroughly massaged by Ford engineers, so they'll be competitive with other vehicles in the class. Instead of RWD, AWD seems to be the new thing for Lincoln, much like Audi. Seeing as Lexus has become the top-selling luxury brand by being a better American luxury brand than any American luxury brand, Lincoln seems to be following them instead of the seemingly declining European brands.

So what's your take? At this point, it is largely dependant on where the market goes.. be it RWD, or AWD. Cadillac could be caught with its pants down, or we'll all be telling Lincoln that we told them so.
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Here's the thread, with the responses: http://caranddriver.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=59617&pageNo=1#1225230