Lincoln's latest concept, appearing this weekend in Pebble Beach, looks at the future while embracing the company's past.
- The Lincoln Model L100 Concept shows Lincoln isn’t straying from ultra luxury.
- This concept lacks a steering wheel, and instead opts for an interesting crystal controller and autonomous driver tech.
- Lincoln shares no specifics but notes that next-generation battery tech powers the Model L100 Concept.
Joining the pomp and circumstance of Pebble Beach, Lincoln is showing off its Model L100 Concept. This battery-electric concept points toward the future of automotive mobility while paying homage to Lincoln’s opulent past. The show car helps celebrate and honor the past 100 years of Lincoln cars while still embracing what’s to come. By 2030, Lincoln plans to have a fully electrified portfolio, which could include hybrids and EVs.
Powertrain details are light, but Lincoln says the Model L100 Concept sports next-generation battery cell and battery pack technology to deliver more power density and efficiency. Though the company doesn’t identify the enabling battery technology, Ford has invested in a solid-state battery company.
Powertrain aside, the Model L100 Concept is intended to be an autonomous vehicle, and the concept shows off Lincoln’s upcoming driver-assistance technology and how it might be integrated. Without a steering wheel, this Model L100 Concept will rely on some serious autonomous tech that is probably still a few years away. In place of the steering wheel, Lincoln opted for a wild “chess piece controller.”
As you’d expect from an autonomous concept, the Model L100 Concept’s seating can change depending on the mood of the passengers. It can configure in the traditional car layout, or it can shift to a more social seating arrangement.
Just looking at the Model L100 Concept, it’s clear Lincoln is scoping the future, with a lifting roof and massive rear-hinged doors. The massive wheel covers give extra space for Lincoln designers to work with lighting techniques.
Interior of Lincoln L100 Concept.
Lincoln
About the styling, Ford’s Chief Design Officer Anthony Lo says, “Concept vehicles allow us to reimagine and illustrate how new experiences can come to life with the help of advanced technologies and allow our designers more creative freedom than ever before. With the Model L100, we were able to push the boundaries in ways that evolve our Quiet Flight brand DNA and change the way we think about Lincoln designs of tomorrow.”
It’s hard to say if this wild concept will ever be more than just that, though this could be a solid jumping-off point for a high-dollar production vehicle like Cadillac’s Celestiq.
Wesley Wren Wesley Wren has spent his entire life around cars, whether it’s dressing up as his father’s 1954 Ford for Halloween as a child, repairing cars in college or collecting frustrating pieces of history—and most things in between.
Keyword: The Lincoln Model L100 Is a Wild Electric Show Car