Lincoln MKF Concept Could Make a Compelling Rival Against the Mercedes CLS

It’s no secret that Lincoln has been struggling on many different levels over the past years - if not decades, with one of the more persisting problems being that the Blue Oval's sole luxury standard bearer has persistently failed to deliver in the design department.

The Ford group's answer to this problem was the appointment of former Cadillac exterior design Max Wolff as the head of Lincoln's design team last year and the creation of a new 40,000-square-foot dedicated studio in Dearborn, with the new MKZ being the first example of Lincoln's styling revitalization.

Moreover, Lincoln is also looking for young and emerging talents from colleges and universities by sponsoring projects. One of the more recent Lincoln backed concepts that caught our attention is the MKF from Brian Malczewski, an automotive design student at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.

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Lincoln Town Car Limo Crashes Into Exotic Car Shop in LA, Damages Ferrari and Rare TVR [Updated]

A livery service Lincoln Town Car that was used as a taxi smashed into a luxury car shop in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles on Wednesday morning leaving one person injured and causing damages to the building and at least two supercars, a Ferrari F430 Spider and a rare TVR Tuscan S.

According to authorities, the driver of the Lincoln taxi pulled out an injured female passenger from the rear seat and left her near the Specialty Car Craft shop in the 1800 block of South La Cienega Boulevard before he fled the scene on foot. The female passenger of the Lincoln was taken to the hospital.

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Lincoln Town Car Limo Crashes Into Exotic Car Shop in LA, Damages Ferrari and Rare TVR [Updated]

A livery service Lincoln Town Car that was used as a taxi smashed into a luxury car shop in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles on Wednesday morning leaving one person injured and causing damages to the building and at least two supercars, a Ferrari F430 Spider and a rare TVR Tuscan S.

According to authorities, the driver of the Lincoln taxi pulled out an injured female passenger from the rear seat and left her near the Specialty Car Craft shop in the 1800 block of South La Cienega Boulevard before he fled the scene on foot. The female passenger of the Lincoln was taken to the hospital.

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Lincoln Selectively Goes Back into the Future for New 2013 MKS Commercial

A new Lincoln commercial for the redesigned 2013 MKS sedan takes us for a very quick spin through the luxury brand's history.

The spot starts from 1922 when the Ford Motor Company purchased Lincoln after it was forced into bankruptcy and stops in the mid-1970s, skipping almost three decades of history (wonder why…) before it showcases the new MKS.

You can watch the 30-second ad in the video after the break.

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Lincoln Selectively Goes Back into the Future for New 2013 MKS Commercial

A new Lincoln commercial for the redesigned 2013 MKS sedan takes us for a very quick spin through the luxury brand's history.

The spot starts from 1922 when the Ford Motor Company purchased Lincoln after it was forced into bankruptcy and stops in the mid-1970s, skipping almost three decades of history (wonder why…) before it showcases the new MKS.

You can watch the 30-second ad in the video after the break.

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Ford Recalls Mustang, F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator Over Transmission Problem

A variety of Ford and Lincoln models are being recalled in the States to fix a potential issue with the automatic transmission.

In particular, the Blue Oval told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is recalling 10,500 vehicles, including the 2012-2013 Ford Mustang sports car, 2011-2012 Ford F-150 pickup truck, 2012 Ford Expedition SUV and 2012 Lincoln Navigator SUV.

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Ford Recalls Mustang, F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator Over Transmission Problem

A variety of Ford and Lincoln models are being recalled in the States to fix a potential issue with the automatic transmission.

In particular, the Blue Oval told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is recalling 10,500 vehicles, including the 2012-2013 Ford Mustang sports car, 2011-2012 Ford F-150 pickup truck, 2012 Ford Expedition SUV and 2012 Lincoln Navigator SUV.

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2013 Lincoln MKZ's New Split Grille won't be Used as a Template for Future Models, Says J Mays

The 2013 Lincoln MKZ sedan that received its world premiere at the New York Auto Show earlier this month, debuted a new and more contemporary design language for the Ford Group's luxury brand.

Among other key styling elements that stand out on the mid-size model is the sleeker interpretation of Lincoln's split grille that replaces the baleen-whale vertical bars with chrome horizontal slats that are supposed to evoke an eagle's spread wings.

One would think that, like other premium carmakers, Lincoln would apply the same grille treatment to all of its next generation or redesigned models, but according to Ford Group's top designer, J Mays, that won't be the case.

"We haven't made an announcement that every single car within the lineup is going to have the same grille bars," Mays told Automotive News. "We needed with the MKZ to signal a new generation of Lincolns. That's the first of the new cars to come with what I would call a more innovative face on it."

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2013 Lincoln MKZ Revealed in Production Trim, gets 2.0 Turbo and 3.7-liter V6 [Photos + VIdeos]

Once again, Ford is attempting to kick start its troubled Lincoln brand, this time with the presentation of the all-new 2013 MKZ sedan that will go on sale in North America in the fall following its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show later this week.

Lincoln promises that the 2013 MKZ is much more than a glorified Ford Fusion, despite the fact that the two cars share the same platform architecture, a similar engine lineup and various systems.

To differentiate the two models and help the MKZ compete against established models in the executive mid-size segment like the BMW 3-Series and the Audi A4, Lincoln will offer its sedan model with a V6 engine as well (the Fusion is available only with four-cylinder engines) and exclusive technologies.

These include a standard Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD) adjustable suspension with three modes (Sport/Normal/Comfort), an optional 15.2-square-foot panoramic roof that slides back and a Push Button automatic transmission.

The MKZ is the brand's first model to be created by a dedicated team at its new Lincoln Design Studio under the supervision of Max Wolff, who was hired from Cadillac.

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2013 Lincoln MKZ Sedan Pictures Leaked from the Other Side of the Atlantic

So much for the Ford group's attempts to tease the production version of the 2013 Lincoln MKZ before its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show as the usual suspect from Eastern Europe has spoiled the Detroit maker's plans by letting loose a trio of official images.

The production model doesn't seem to have changed much from the concept MKZ we saw at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show in January, as the only visible differences we spotted in these pictures are the bigger headlamps, the door handles, the larger exterior mirrors and of course, the smaller alloy wheels.

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Lincoln Previews Production Version of 2013 MKZ Sedan by Showing us its Mega Panoramic Roof

In a few days' time, we'll know exactly how much the Lincoln MKZ gained or lost in the transition from concept car to production model as the Ford group will lift the veils off its new premium mid-size model at the 2012 New York International Auto Show next Wednesday.

One feature of the car that Lincoln is willing to share with us before its grand premiere is the 2013 MKZ's huge glass roof that measures 15.2 square feet or 1.41 square meters, which if not the largest, is one of the largest of its kind in a production sedan.

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Ford Posts Biggest Profit Since 1998 but only Thanks to One-Time Gain, Gives $6,200 Bonus to Workers

Piggybacked by a one-time tax gain, Ford Motor Company has posted its highest annual profit since 1998 and the second biggest in the firm's 109-year long history. The Blue Oval's net income for 2011 was US$20.2 billion or US$4.94 per share, an increase of US$13.7 billion, or US$3.28 per share, from a year ago.

However, most of the profit came from a one-time, non-cash special item of US$12.4 billion from eliminating a valuation allowance against the company’s net deferred tax assets.

Ford said that full year pre-tax operating profit was US$8.8 billion, or $1.51 per share, an increase of US$463 million from 2010.

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Students Design an All-Electric Lincoln Continental for 2025

At the 2012 Detroit Auto Show that comes to an end on Sunday, January 22, Lincoln put on display the MKZ Concept to preview both the looks of its soon to be launched mid-size sedan as well the brand's new styling direction.

But FoMoCo isn't the only one to present a design concept for a future Lincoln as the Lawrence Tech University had its own proposal in the form of a quarter-scale model for a pure-electric Continental for 2025.

The study for a luxury sedan model is the work of Lawrence Tech students Colin Bonathan and Jeeho Cha and it was endorsed by the Ford Motor Company.

It all started in the summer of 2011 when Bonathan and Cha came up with plans for a Lincoln concept as part of their undergraduate degree program in transportation design. The university said that Ford officials liked the concept so much that they commissioned the quarter-scale model for display at the Detroit event.

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Woman Drives a Lincoln 100mph for 18 Miles…on the Wrong Side of the Highway!

Talk about a driver with a license to kill; a 60-year old woman in a Lincoln LS drove about 18 miles on the wrong side of Interstate 5 in Washington at speeds of up to 100mph (160km/h) before state troopers were able to stop her!

Miraculously and even though several drivers called in to the police to report near misses, there was no crash or injuries.

As it turned out, the Pamela Drawsby, was heavily intoxicated after she mixed alcohol and prescription drugs. "I compare her to a bullet out of a gun; she was just waiting to hit something," Washington State Patrol Trooper Guy Gill told KVAL news.

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D'oh! Lincoln MKZ Concept up in Smoke at the Detroit Auto Show

There's a reason why the crowds aren't allowed to touch most concepts and prototypes, let alone take them for a spin. With a few exceptions, these models are created purely for show and lack the painstaking attention to detail under the skin found on production vehicles.

But while a mishap is understandable and perhaps even excusable, it's also hugely embarrassing -no matter how small it is- when it happens to a vehicle like the Lincoln MKZ Concept with which Ford itself says it's not only introducing a new car but "essentially a new brand". Even more so when the incident occurs at the largest auto show in North America…

To make matters worse, Detroit's Free Press was on hand to film the smoke coming from the MKZ (or at least that's what it looks like in the video). Hop over the break to watch the clip.

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New Lincoln MKZ Concept Previews Production Model and New Design Language [Updated]

The problematic luxury child of the Ford Motor group is trying to recuperate from years of neglect with a fresh concept model that not only previews the next MKZ mid-size sedan due in dealerships later this year but also serves as a vision of Lincoln's next-generation vehicles.

Of course, those of you that have been following the automotive industry will know that this is not the first time that Ford has attempted to rejuvenate its luxury brand. All the same, the Blue Oval claims that the MKZ Concept, which debuts at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show, marks a new era for Lincoln.

“With the Lincoln MKZ Concept, we are not introducing a new car. We are essentially introducing a new brand,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's vice president for global product development. “The MKZ Concept is the next step in the reinvention of Lincoln, something we’ve been quietly but aggressively pursuing.”

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2012 NAIAS: Early Reveal for Lincoln MKZ Concept

The same people that brought us an early glimpse of the 2013 Ford Fusion sedan over the weekend are further testing the Blue Oval's patience by dropping pictures of the Lincoln MKZ concept model ahead of its planned world premiere in Detroit on Tuesday morning.

The conceptual MKZ appears to be a little bit more study than what we were expecting given that its role is to preview the production model that will be unveiled withing the next year or so.

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Lincoln Teases its MKZ Concept Ahead of the Detroit Motor Show

Whereas Ford will be revealing the production version of the 2013 Fusion sedan at the Detroit Auto Show on Monday, its premium brand Lincoln will debut a concept of the next generation MKZ sedan.

The current model is heavily based on the soon-to-be replaced Ford Fusion and that won't change with the new MKZ. What Lincolns promises, however, is that its lowest priced sedan will have a more unique design inside and out.

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And the Best-Selling Premium Brand in the U.S. for 2011 is…

The one thing we knew for sure after the manufacturing disruptions in Japan caused by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami was that Lexus wasn’t going to top the premium segment in the U.S. market for the first time in a decade. In fact, we also knew something else, the two contenders to the throne: BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

What we didn’t know up until Thursday is which of two brands was going to win, since both were caught in a neck-to-neck sales race. Going into December the gap was so small - less than 1,600 cars- that the win could go either way.

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Lincoln to Reinvent itself with New MKZ Sedan Concept at the Detroit Auto Show

Another auto show another promise from Ford to reignite interest in its underperforming Lincoln brand. This time the place is the upcoming 2012 Detroit Motor Show and the product is a concept model that will preview the next generation of Lincoln's MKZ mid-size sedan.

Along with the new study, Ford says it plans to highlight the relaunch of its struggling luxury brand with a new display area at the Cobo Center in Detroit, which will be 50 percent larger than last year and feature an art gallery with art and decor by artist Chuck Hoberman.

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