Report(s): Lincoln is “not true luxury,” the next gen MKS seeks to change that
Ford’s luxury brand, Lincoln, has been trying extraordinarily hard to equate themselves to other extremely competitive luxury market sets similarly to what GM is trying to do with Buick—trying to shave off the rough and recent history of being the go-to brand for your grandparents’ mode of transportation.
It’s even to a point where Ford’s design chief, J. Mays, openly stated that Lincoln was “not true luxury,” setting up the brand of the very difficult task of rebuilding its reputation, according to TheDetroitNews. This something that Mays thinks will take up to a 10-year investment in order for it to be successfully implemented.
Analysts have stated that a “unique selling point” would be crucial to helping Lincoln reestablish themselves as a true luxury automaker.
In a separate exclusive report by CARandDRIVER, some of these efforts might be taking place very much in the near future, beginning with the next generation 2016 Lincoln MKS. According to C/D, the MKS will receive a complete redesign from Max Wolff, who used to design cars for Cadillac and Holden. Additionally, being the brand’s flagship, the new MKS will also set the stage for Lincoln’s next generation of design philosophy. It’s described to hark back to the days of the 1970s-inspired shoulderline kink that could be seen on countless American automobiles of yesteryear.
The new MKS will be based off of the same platform as the Ford Taurus—like the current model, which originally started life as a Volvo S80. Enlarged and elongated versions of this platform helped spawn the current Ford Explorer and Ford Flex as well.
An all-new 2.9L EcoBoost V6 internally referred to as the “Nano” will be offered, along with the current EcoBoost 3.5L V6 found in the current Taurus SHO. A six-speed auto will be included in the debut, but is expected to be replaced soon after by an all-new nine-speed auto being cooperatively developed by Ford and GM.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: TheDetroitNews
Contributing Report: CARandDRIVER