Lincoln Mark LT could be axed

The Ford Motor Company plans to phase out the Lincoln Mark LT pickup after the 2008 model year because of slow sales. A report in Automotive News, the industry trade publication, cited dealer and supplier sources as saying the truck has never lived up to Ford's sales expectations. Introduced in early 2005 as a successor to the short-lived Blackwood, sales of the Mark LT peaked in 2006 at 12,753 units. In two and a half years, total sales have amounted to only 28,000 units — well below the company's target of 20,000 units per year.

The Mark LT had been scheduled for a major face-lift in fall 2009, but suppliers say the makeover has been canceled. The Ford F-Series pickup on which the Mark LT is based is getting a significant overhaul for model-year 2009.

Automotive News said the 2009 F-Series will add a high-end model called the F-150 Platinum.