The latest Lincoln sales numbers speak to the massive job ahead for a Ford Motor Co. that has vowed to revive its Lincoln premium brand.

Ford of Canada reports that it sold just 27 Lincoln MKS sedans in August. Yes, you read that correctly: 27. In the WHOLE country. And Lincoln managed to move a paltry 37 MKZ sedans, 29 MKT crossovers and 31 Navigator SUVs (sport-utility vehicles). In the WHOLE country! The bad sales news at Lincoln for these models brings us to the deal. Last month, Lincoln moved a completely respectable 401 MKX crossovers – nearly twice as many as Lincoln sold in January – and the deal tells a big part of the story: Employee Pricing worth a $3,055 discount, plus another $5,000 in a Dealer Allowance factory-to-dealer rebate, and for you Costco members, tack on an additional $1,000 bonus. That’s more than $9,000 in handouts for the buyer of a $47,100 MKX with all-wheel drive.

Lincoln’s problems in Canada are part of a bigger issue with Lincoln. Ford’s neglect has left this problem to fester for years, but in Canada Lincoln’s challenge is harder still because more than a decade ago former Ford of Canada president Bobbie Gaunt championed an effort to consolidate stand-alone Lincoln dealerships into neighbouring Ford ones.

A true premium brand has its own dealer network. Cadillac, by the way, faces the same problem in Canada. Yet Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti all have their own stores, even though Audi, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti are part of much larger car companies – Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda and Nissan, respectively. Lincoln and Caddy, too, belong to large conglomerates, yet they get no love from the mother ship.

Ford officials say they are planning new Lincoln models, stylish Lincolns loaded with technology that are coming to dealerships being trained and rewarded for emphasizing personalized customer service. That’s all good. But in Canada, Lincolns will still be sold in showrooms where you can buy a Ford Transit Connect utility van popular with the telephone company, or a Ford Fiesta subcompact. Not good.

What is good here at Deals of the Week, however, is the offer Volkswagen has on its newly-updated Passat sedan: combined offers worth as much as $5,000 thanks to the latest Volksfest promotion on, say, a $37,475 Passat 3.6L DSG Highline model.

Nissan, meanwhile, is clearing out leftover 2012 Sentra compacts to make way for an all-new Sentra. So here’s the deal that helped Nissan Canada drive up Sentra sales in August by 66.3 per cent: $3,250 in Trading Dollars for cash buyers or a $1,350 bonus to those who lease and take advantage of a 0.0 per cent lease rate for up to 60 months.

Finally, some parting words for the outgoing 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. Goodbye. You see, an all-new 2013 version is around the corner, therefore to clear out any remaining 2012s, Hyundai Canada has slapped on a $4,500 discount that can be combined with 0.0 per cent financing for three years. Not bad at all on, say, a $29,699 Santa Fe GL Premium with all-wheel drive.

In all instances, check with your dealer for all the details. As per usual, Deals of the Week obtained pricing information from carcostcanada.com, among other sources. Consult your dealer for all the details.

2012 Lincoln MKX AWD

• MSRP: $47,100
• Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $1,700
• Factory discount: $5,000 (Delivery Allowance factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Factory discount: $3,055 (Employee Pricing Discount factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $40,745
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $46,041.45
• Factory rebate: $1,000 (Costco factory-to-customer rebate)
• Final price: 45,041.85

2012 Volkswagen Passat 3.6L DSG Highline

• MSRP: $37,475
• Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $1,465
• Dealer discount (estimated): $1,300
• Factory discount: $4,500 (Dealer Cash factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $33,140
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $37,488.20
• Factory rebate: $500 (Volksfest factory-to-customer rebate)
• Final price: $36,948.20

2012 Nissan Sentra 2.0 CVT

• MSRP: $16,778
• Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,667
• Dealer discount (estimated): $375
• Factory discount: $3,250 (Non-stackable Trading Dollars factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $14,820
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $16,746.60
• $1,350 Lease Cash can be combined with a 0.0 per cent lease rate for 60 months

2012 Hyundai Santa Fe GL Premium Auto

• MSRP: $29,699
• Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,860
• Dealer discount (estimated): $1,000
• Factory discount: $4,500 (Stackable Cash factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $26,059
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $29,446.67
• Can be combined with 0.0 per cent financing for three years

Pricing information source:carcostcanada.com. Calculations based on Ontario customers. Please note that while the information above is accurate at the time of publication, incentives are given at the discretion of individual dealers, and may be changed or discontinued at any time. Dealer discounts are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis.