With Mercury set to close down in the coming months, Ford will be paying more attention to its Lincoln luxury brand as it looks to compete with top luxury automakers in Europe and Japan.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Lincoln has a new dedicated design team and will roll out seven new models over the next four years. These will be a mix of reworkings of Mercury vehicles, overhauls of existing models and brand-new cars.

The new head of product development, Scott Tobin, is a Ford veteran who will look to establish a new identity for Lincoln that is separate from Ford. The challenge for Tobin will be creating a brand that stands on its own. Many people don't think Volkswagen when they see an Audi or even associate Lexus with Toyota, yet critics have been quick to point out that many Lincolns are simply high-end Fords without their own unique powertrains.

"When people think of Lincoln, I want people to think of a very serene, beautiful vehicle that is very connected to the road and responsive," he told the news source.

The company will also try to skew younger, as research currently shows that the average age of a Lincoln driver is 61 – over a decade older than a BMW driver. Tobin will aim for the 40-50 year old range with features like touchscreen navigation and gas-electric hybrids.

Drivers shopping for a luxury vehicle may want to check out their local used car dealership, as they may be able to find a great deal on the typically expensive cars.