The rumored ‘Lincoln Mark-E’ (the title given by the internet to the first Lincoln electric car) is coming soon. The ‘Mark-E’ will preview the future design of Lincoln EVs, possibly including the Lincoln Aviator EV.
On June 16, 2021, Lincoln announced that it plans to introduce its first global EV in 2022 and has four EVs in the pipeline in total. On April 11, 2022, the company confirmed the reveal of the global EV concept for April 20, 2022. Along with the announcement, it released a teaser of the upcoming SUV concept.
Design
The upcoming Lincoln electric car concept will be an SUV model. Image Source: Lincoln
The teaser images show that the Lincoln electric SUV may distinguish itself from the sporty Mach-E with an opulent, emotional, and brawny design. The concept features a high and flattish hood, slim headlights and tail lights with a connecting light strip, and illuminated Lincoln logos and block-lettered inscription (rear). The teaser suggests the presence of a LIDAR sensor on the roof as well, hinting at advanced autonomous driving features.
Interior
The Lincoln Electric car concept could have hints of the Zephyr Reflection concept (pictured). Image Source: Lincoln
The interior of the first Lincoln electric car could have similarities to the Zephyr Reflection concept pictured above. We may see the new digital design language, called ‘Constellation,’ with a “coast-to-coast display” that includes night sky themes in the SUV.
Spy media has revealed that testing of the Lincoln electric car has commenced. The early prototypes wear the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s top hat, but peculiar differences indicate that the actual EV underneath the familiar shell is something else.
As shown in these official sketches last year, Lincoln is reimagining its design language with the upcoming EVs. Image Source: Lincoln
A higher ride height and the wheels with six lug nuts (instead of five) suggest that the Lincoln electric car will be tougher than the Ford model. Other visible changes include an increased wider track and an elongated wheelbase, which hint at a bigger body and a more spacious cabin.
Video Source: YouTube/Sinister Coyote 5.0
Lincoln electric car expected specifications
The first Lincoln electric car will ride on an evolution of the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s RWD/AWD EV platform. In the announcement on June 16, 2021, Lincoln said that it plans to use a new RWD/AWD EV platform for all its four EVs.
Ford originally planned to borrow the Rivian R1S’ powertrain for the Lincoln Mark E, but the deal for powertrain sharing with Rivian is off the table now. The Lincoln electric SUV could share components with the Mustang Mach-E to get the ball rolling. The top-end Mustang Mach-E configuration packs two motors with up to 480 horsepower and 634 lb.-ft. of torque, and a 98.8 kWh Lithium-ion battery with 376 cells.
Expect a maximum range of around 300 miles in the first Lincoln electric car. An adaptive suspension could be a standard feature in the electric luxury SUV.
Retail
Lincoln is working on improving customer experience as part of its transformation to connected and electrified vehicles. The company is expanding Vitrine dealerships to more locations. There are currently 28 such brand-exclusive dealerships, and 50 more are in the pipeline. With a plan to focus on the top 130 luxury markets, the company will likely further increase retail outlets to serve its EV customers in the next few years.
Production
Given that the ‘Mark-E’ will be technically similar to the Mustang Mach-E, Ford could manufacture the EV at its plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico. However, reports suggest that the company won’t add more EVs to this factory for the foreseeable future because it needs all the production capacity it can free up to make the Mustang Mach-E. That explains why it’s relocating the production of the Ford Explorer EV and Lincoln Aviator EV, a move that, according to another Automotive News report, would cause an 18-month delay in their start of production. Lincoln should announce production plans when it unveils its BEV concept this month.
Ford confirms five electric vehicles for the Canadian plant
In October 2020, Ford confirmed that it plans to build five electric vehicles at its Canadian facility in Oakville, Ontario. Here it makes the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus, both of which have no defined successors by the company. Production of electric cars at this facility will begin in 2024, and the last of the five planned models will enter production in 2028.
During the Q3 2020 earnings call on October 28, 2020, James Farley Jr., President and CEO, Ford Motor Company, reaffirmed this development. The company has finalized an agreement with Unifor (Canadian auto workers union) for building electric SUVs at the Oakville plant, Farley Jr. said. He offered no further details on the SUVs planned for this facility.
The Canadian government has advanced the deadline for automakers to switch to zero-emission vehicles by five years to 2035. According to a report from windsorstar.com last July, Unifor, Ford, and the Canadian government will hold discussions regarding the ban. Ford may have to soon decide the future of its engine plants in Essex and Windsor and the vehicle assembly plant in Oakville.
According to Automotive News‘ product pipeline page, the Lincoln Nautilus’ production at the Oakville Assembly Plant will cease in 2023, and an all-electric midsize crossover codenamed Lincoln CDX818 will arrive as its successor in 2025.
Lincoln future models (EVs)
Reuters has learned that the company has lined up five pure electric Lincoln SUVs for launch through 2026. As per the people familiar with the plans, some of these models will replace or sit alongside the Corsair, Nautilus, Aviator, and Navigator.
An Aviator EV or an Aviator-sized electric SUV will enter production at the Oakville plant in late 2024 or early 2025, two of its sources said. Production of the Corsair and Nautilus’ electric alternatives could commence at this facility in 2025 or 2026. Ford hasn’t finalized the production plans for these two models yet. Its smaller EVs will sit on the same platform as the Mustang Mach-E, as per the sources. The largest Lincoln electric SUV, a Navigator-class model, will enter production in 2026. Ford will build it using the same new bespoke EV platform as the next-gen F-150 Lightning.
Lincoln has become an SUV brand in the United States
Production of the Lincoln MKZ ended in 2020, making it the final Lincoln sedan in its portfolio. With the Lincoln Continental also departing, Ford Motor Company’s luxury brand specializes in SUVs in the United States and will keep it that way for the foreseeable future.
In an interview with Ford Authority, Kumar Galhotra, Ford Vice President and President of the North American region, said that Lincoln did not have foreseeable plans to go back to sedans but added that the luxury segment is important in China and that Lincoln was a growing brand there.
Lincoln sales decline
Sales of Lincoln dropped from 105,410 units in 2020 to 86,929 units in 2021, marking a year-over-year decline of 17.5%. The bright spots were the Nautilus (24,443 units) and Navigator (15,631 units) SUVs, which recorded year-over-year growth of 7.5% and 2.5%, respectively. Sales of all the Lincoln SUVs combined fell 4.4% to 83,788 units. In Q1 2022, Lincoln’s sales dropped 25.2% YoY to 7,485 units (Q1 2021: 10,005 units).
Electric SUVs could become a new sales avenue for Ford’s luxury brand and give it an early mover advantage in the face of competition from Japanese and European OEMs. Before the Mark E and electric versions of the next-gen Lincoln Aviator and Ford Explorer, the Blue Oval would launch the Ford F-150 Lightning in spring this year. By 2030, the Lincoln brand’s line-up will include only electrified models.
Featured image: Ford
Keyword: First Lincoln Electric Car: Everything we know