FORD is pulling the plug on the struggling Scorpio and looks likely to replace it with a right-hand-drive version of the new baby Lincoln in a bid to revive flagging executive sector sales. The controversially-styled Scorpio has never really found its feet in the UK since launch in 1995 and is selling only 6,000 units a year.

Production will cease in July, but the car will remain on sale until stocks run out around the end of the year. A pair of new concept vehicles based on the Fiesta and new Focus platforms will fill the gap in Ford's production plans left by the Scorpio's demise.

Although Ford's official line is that the Scorpio will not be replaced, Fleet NewsNet understands that the forthcoming compact Lincoln will be introduced early next year in a move which mirrors General Motor's decision to market the Cadillac in the UK executive sector.