- The Lincoln MKZ Concept, which debuts on Tuesday at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, not only heralds the 2013 Lincoln MKZ, but previews design changes for the brand.
- Lincoln says it is embracing a simpler look for its next-generation vehicles, as well as continuing to draw on cues from such vintage cars as the 1938 Lincoln Zephyr.
- The four-passenger Lincoln MKZ Concept rides on an all-new midsize platform.
DETROIT — The Lincoln MKZ Concept, which debuts on Tuesday at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, not only heralds the 2013 Lincoln MKZ, but previews design changes for the brand.
The production version of the 2013 MKZ is expected to debut in April at the New York auto show, a Ford insider told Inside Line.
Lincoln says it is embracing a simpler look for its next-generation vehicles, as well as continuing to draw on cues from such vintage cars such as the 1938 Lincoln Zephyr. The four-passenger MKZ Concept gets what the brand calls a "more refined interpretation of the split-wing grille introduced on the 1938 Lincoln Zephyr." That seemingly small detail is considered legendary among automotive historians. "The 1938 Lincoln Zephyr's low, horizontal grille created panic at GM," according to the 1996 book A Century of Automotive Style: 100 Years of American Car Design by Michael Lamm and Dave Holls.
Even if Lincoln does not succeed in riling up its Detroit competitors with redone design details, it still seems intent upon reshaping the brand and drawing in younger buyers.
"With the Lincoln MKZ Concept, we are not introducing a new car," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president for global product development in a statement. "The MKZ Concept is the next step in the reinvention of Lincoln, something we've been quietly, but aggressively pursuing."
The automaker said that the concept sedan "strongly hints at the production model arriving in dealerships later this year, as well as Lincoln's design future." The four-passenger Lincoln MKZ Concept rides on an all-new midsize platform, Ford said.
Lincoln sales were flat in 2011. Lincoln sold 85,643 vehicles in 2011 versus 85,828 in 2010, reflecting a decline of 0.2 percent. The MKZ, a companion to the Ford Fusion, was the best-selling Lincoln last year. Ford sold 27,529 MKZs in 2011 versus 22,535 in 2010, reflecting an increase of 22.2 percent. But sales of the Lincoln MKS and MKT were down substantially last year.
The MKZ Concept gets a sweeping roof line, a panoramic glass roof and an aluminum and boron steel superstructure. No powertrain details were made available. The cabin gets a push-button transmission gear selection, liquid crystal instrumentation and "responsibly harvested" poplar wood trim. The perforations on the seatbacks are supposed to look like "champagne bubbles rising from the bottom of a glass," said Lincoln in a statement.
Inside Line says: Are these design changes enough to lure young buyers away from BMW and Lexus?
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halcyon04 says:
08:13 PM, 01/17/2012
Although it looks very clean design-wise, the push-button PRNDL in this vehicle seems like more of a novelty... pioneered by Chrysler... decades ago.
With Mercury out of the picture, Ford needs to give Lincoln some seriously distinctive design language if they want the brand to be competitive. Otherwise, it's still business as usual: livery and liver spots.
Where are the spiritual successors to the LS and Mark VIII? Rebadged crossovers and family sedans aren't going to cut it.
mrryte says:
06:40 PM, 01/15/2012
Before I get too excited; I wanna see the finished product. We all know that carmakers love to reel the public with eye-catching concepts then the real product turns out to be a yawner. I'll wait to see the MKZ released with a V6 and eight-speed as predicted then I'll start applauding Lincoln.
swheat says:
04:10 PM, 01/14/2012
Great looking car, especially interior. Don't like the front grille and glass roof. It's very nice they'll offer a hybrid version, especially if it's at no extra cost.
mitchmotorhead says:
11:14 AM, 01/12/2012
I'm with Bandt on this one. I, too have loved the Lincoln marque since I was a small boy, when my grandparents drove a '58 Premier and recall fondly the day i came home and saw a Presidential Blue '64 Continental in my neighbors driveway.. it was breathtaking, and you knew instantly what it was, from the austere but unique taillights and rear grille, to the big toothy grin and its big slabbed sides. It didn't need "glitz" .. it was a Lincoln.
That horror on the 2012 Auto show floor looks like an Oldsmobile. It's rediculous, and the folks at Ford apparently don't have a CLUE as to what they're doing. They're either trying to hard - or not at all. I can't decide which.
I think it's a good and humble idea to 'mimick' styling cues from it's lustrous past - however, nearly anybody and everybody who'd have the faintest idea of what the 1938 Lincolns even looked like are all long-dead. The idea is rediculous and ill executed.
I used to boast to my friends how the simple sound of the door opening and closing on my latest Town Car, or my previous '86 Continental all sounded the same. That Lincoln "whump!" when you closed the door. Little things matter. It was familiar.
Like another poster suggested: Lincoln needs to cure its identity crisis and stop trying to be a "European car" .. it's not. And it never was. It was (once) destinctly American. It was the starched shirt and flannel suit with a stunning tie to Cadillac's glitzy over-the-top bohemian. But it was a Lincoln, and you knew one the moment they came into view.
I hope FoMoCo gets a clue, before it's too late. I really do.
bandt says:
06:43 PM, 01/11/2012
I have loved the Lincoln brand all of my life. I owned a Mark VII right out of college, and I have a Navigator in my driveway. I was so looking forward to this new direction that I keep hearing from Ford. Then came the refreshened MKS/MKT. They are both HORRIBLE looking cars. I can't even imagine that those things were approved by someone for production. And then, the new MKZ...
It is not as bad as the above mentioned, but it is not original at all, either. It looks like they hired the designers from Oldsmobile, though. That split grill thing in the front is just ugly and should not continue. It screams Cutlass Supreme from the late 80's. The back looks like an Oldsmobile Aurura from the 90's. It even speaks Dodge with the back lights.
I don't get it. They designed the MKR and everyone went wild over it, even with the ugly front end. They designed the Continental 10 years ago, and that concept still looks great today. Kudos to the interior designers, but the exterior is just a little of this and that, down to the Lexus ES inspired C Pillar lines.
Not good, Lincoln. I'm afraid it's over.
tbone85 says:
03:47 PM, 01/11/2012
I think it would actually be a better move for Lincoln to develop a light weight 4WD system as the basis for their cars. It would be slightly off the beaten path, would give them a clear philosophy and an edge in the Midwest and Northeastern states. Audi has proved this can be done without a massive cost penalty. I think the MKZ if executed perfectly on the current platform will increase their sales, but to play with the big boys in the luxery-performance segment, FWD is simply not going to work.
marshknute says:
10:09 AM, 01/11/2012
Ford must have some borderline retarded employees working at Lincoln. Lets look at the facts, shall we: Lincoln is a dying car brand in serious need of rejuvenation. Where have we seen this dilemma before? Oh, yes, Cadillac!. GM had the exact same problem with their own luxury brand just a few years ago.
Fortunately For GM, they have intelligent employees. They correctly deduced that BMW, Mercedes and Audi (successful luxury car manufacturers) were popular thanks to their good driving dynamics and upscale feel. Cadillac therefore sought out to create sporty, fun to drive cars to pick up their image. It worked.
Ford, unfortunately, can't seem to do the same. Why should I buy any Lincoln over a BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Cadillac? Lincoln's are just Ford's with chrome and more leather. There is nothing upscale or premium about a Lincoln.
If the MKZ is to be a success, it MUST be RWD with an optional rear-wheel-biased AWD system. It MUST have a manual transmission as standard. It MUST have superior engines to those found in Ford's.
In other words, Lincoln's shouldn't be rebadged Ford's. They should offer driving dynamics and driving feel that are superior to that of Ford's. In other words, give customers reasons to buy a Lincoln over a top-spec Ford.
kkear3 says:
07:40 AM, 01/11/2012
If they are going to "reinvent the brand", then why not reinvent the naming strategy. This MK-whatever-the-hell-it-is just does not work for the American luxury brands. Not so long ago, you might have said "I drive a Town Car" or "I drive a Seville" and everyone instantly knew what you were talking about and you had some "car cred" which is really what luxury brands are about anyway. No one has any doubt what a Navigator or an Escalade is, so why use alphabet soup for the rest of the line.
Even Mercedes has all but admitted alphabet soup has gone to far as they have merged the CLK coupe line back into the E-class.
No matter what, I hope Lincoln re-establishes itself and sets itself apart as a luxury brand because there is always room for something different and the car above is.
nefariousnigel says:
07:13 AM, 01/11/2012
Lost in Space called: The Robinson family wants their spaceship back....
steve4ford says:
07:03 AM, 01/11/2012
Very nice looking car, I think they are almost there, but not sure about the fast back design (as someone else pointed out) and the beak, while I get what they are trying to do, mimic-ing the 37 Zephyr, I don't think it's quite there, maybe some tweaking with the chrome lines inside the opening?
And put me on the bandwagon about all of the MK naming, just go back to real names for their cars. Lincoln is not a european brand, they don't need to be, be American and proud, use real names people understand. I thought the Zephyr name for this car originally was great, and I could instantly knew what car was being talked about. With all of the MK naming, I have to see the car first to know which one is being discussed.