Can Lincoln really recreate itself?

• Lincoln plans to fight its way back
• It will do with four new models, including the new MKZ
• Personal service is the key

The standard way of launching a luxury car brand is to shout to the rafters about how the world should be waiting for a new vehicle like yours. It will raise fine motoring to a new level.

Etcetera.

So we were heartened to see Lincoln's launch yesterday, the humble road of saying to car buyers that we don't expect you to buy our cars unless we earn your business.

"Does the world need another luxury car?" asked the full-page ad in USA TODAY, the New York Times and other newspapers. The surprising answer: "Not really."

Maybe there's hope for Ford's last-ditch chance to save a famous name from the luxury dust bin.

Jim Farley, Ford's marketing chief who is heading the effort, portrays the effort to save Lincoln as going far beyond just exciting new vehicles. It means drilling down the dealer level to improve the customer experience.

A third of Lincoln dealers have finished upgrading their facilities. Fewer Lincoln dealerships, especially in large cities, means a better customer experience.

It's not just about pretty buildings. Farley is dead-set on making the process of selling luxury cars more personal. Just like boutique hotels or niche travel, you want your car salesman to know you want the automatic park option and hate the cobalt blue. Lincoln plans to oblige.

Of course, it helps that Lincoln has an impressive new vehicle on the way, the redone MKZ with its distinctive looks and huge glass roof. Three other models are coming as well.

Together, between flashy new cars and enlightened dealers, maybe Lincoln has a fighting chance.