• The Detroit News, Friday, November 17, 2006 11:15 AM

The Lincoln MKZ sedan, MKX crossover and new Navigator will each have their own product pages on Amazon.com starting Monday. Prospective customers can initiate a purchase with just a single click that will connect them to a Lincoln page. Once there, they can select options, price their vehicle, and chat with a "Lincoln personal assistant," who will act as their go-between with a traditional brick-and-mortar dealer to complete the transaction.

Some marketing experts say the strategy is poorly thought out. "The logic eludes me," says John Henke, president of Planning Perspectives Inc. and a professor of marketing at Oakland University. "You're going to want to test drive, to sit in it."

But Scott Kelly, digital marketing manager for the Lincoln and Mercury brands, said the online purchasing system should appeal to Lincoln's target demo, which he described as busy and used to shopping online. He said the program could be expanded to other Ford products if it proves successful.

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