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FoMoCo is all about going global and going small – the same applies for its luxury brand Lincoln. With the Navigator selling poorly, Lincoln is now considering vehicles as small as the Ford Focus and a compact crossover due out in 2011. The two would be the smallest Lincoln models in the brands current lineup and unless a coupe based on the Ford Mustang materializes, Lincoln will walk away from the rear-wheel-drive segment when the Town Car dies in 2011.

As of right now, most of Lincoln’s development team is focused on a compact car based on the next-generation global Ford Focus platform. While product chief Derrick Kuzak says that Lincoln has room in its lineup for a front-wheel-drive compact car, such a car is far from being green-lighted by executives, reports Automotive News.

Lincoln unveiled the Concept C at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show with a 1.6L EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine under the hood. It was the first time we’ve seen anything official from Ford regarding a 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine.

A compact crossover for Lincoln is more than definite for the brand. A model is currently under development for the 2012 model year and is said to share the underpinnings with the next-generation Ford Kuga for Europe and the replacements for the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner.

The model is expected to be produced in Louisville, Ky.

As for the Navigator – well let’s just say that no major updates are planned – in fact, the model could be discontinued altogether at the end of 2011.

Lincoln Concept C:

- By: Omar Rana

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