2013 Lincoln MKC Review and Prices
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Mercury is dead. Long live Lincoln. That’s the rationale for Ford Motor Company’s late-2010 decision to end its long-ailing “middle” brand after 71 years and shift those resources to the continued build-up of Lincoln, now the automaker’s sole remaining nameplate besides the Blue Oval itself. It looks a wise (if belated) move, as Lincoln is more profitable than Mercury but remains a luxury-class also-ran. True, sales were up 3.5 percent year-over-year in 2010, helped by the addition of the MKS premium-large sedan and MKT premium-midsize-SUV crossover. But the total U.S. market was up 11 percent, and rivals Acura, Audi, Cadillac, and Infiniti all posted gains of over 20 percent.Ford apparently hopes to improve Lincoln’s earning power by adding new features to existing models and bolstering the lineup with products once slated for Mercury: a compact car and/or a compact-SUV crossover. Both could launch as early as model-year 2013, being based on the new global C1 front-wheel-drive platform that underpins the redesigned 2012 Ford Focus. Though crossovers remain hot sellers, there is as yet no sign that Lincoln will get an upmarket version of the next-generation Ford Escape. But Ford all but confirmed a Lincoln compact car when unveiling the C Concept exercise at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
The result should be a new addition to the ranks of premium-compact cars, the 2013 Lincoln MKC. As the smallest Lincoln ever, it would be a timely counter to the likes of the Acura TSX, Audi A3 and A4, an expected front-drive BMW compact, and Cadillac’s upcoming 2012 ATS, especially now that another rise in fuel prices is fueling renewed buyer interest in smaller vehicles.
Though we could be wrong, the 2013 Lincoln MKC probably won’t look much like the C Concept. For one thing, the showcar was a chunky 4-door hatchback that would likely be a tough sell among typically conservative luxury-class buyers. Then too, the C Concept was created under the aegis of Peter Horbury, who left Dearborn later in 2009 to resume his previous job as design chief at Volvo in Sweden. And Ford’s new head of North American design is Moray Callum (younger brother of Jaguar styling supremo Ian Callum), who doubtless has his own ideas about future Lincoln styling.
Considering all this, we think the 2013 Lincoln MKC will end up as a conventional “trunked” 4-door sedan with unique exterior sheetmetal and plenty of Lincoln cues to stand clearly apart from the notchback Focus. We imagine something along the lines of today’s simple, attractive MKZ premium-midsize sedan. Lincoln’s “flying wing” grille is a shoo-in, but probably not the concept’s exaggerated body-side “shoulder line” and crowd-pulling fripperies like center-opening doors sans middle body pillar, a hub-less steering wheel, and dual bench seats that resemble high-dollar massage chairs.
The result should be a new addition to the ranks of premium-compact cars, the 2013 Lincoln MKC. As the smallest Lincoln ever, it would be a timely counter to the likes of the Acura TSX, Audi A3 and A4, an expected front-drive BMW compact, and Cadillac’s upcoming 2012 ATS, especially now that another rise in fuel prices is fueling renewed buyer interest in smaller vehicles.
Though we could be wrong, the 2013 Lincoln MKC probably won’t look much like the C Concept. For one thing, the showcar was a chunky 4-door hatchback that would likely be a tough sell among typically conservative luxury-class buyers. Then too, the C Concept was created under the aegis of Peter Horbury, who left Dearborn later in 2009 to resume his previous job as design chief at Volvo in Sweden. And Ford’s new head of North American design is Moray Callum (younger brother of Jaguar styling supremo Ian Callum), who doubtless has his own ideas about future Lincoln styling.
Considering all this, we think the 2013 Lincoln MKC will end up as a conventional “trunked” 4-door sedan with unique exterior sheetmetal and plenty of Lincoln cues to stand clearly apart from the notchback Focus. We imagine something along the lines of today’s simple, attractive MKZ premium-midsize sedan. Lincoln’s “flying wing” grille is a shoo-in, but probably not the concept’s exaggerated body-side “shoulder line” and crowd-pulling fripperies like center-opening doors sans middle body pillar, a hub-less steering wheel, and dual bench seats that resemble high-dollar massage chairs.
sourec : http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2013-lincoln-mkc.htm
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