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January 4, 2007 This Week:
© 1998 - 2007
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The Lincoln MKR concept features seven key exterior cues, which define modern Lincoln design:
Three or four of these design elements are likely to appear on future production Lincolns, including the concept’s most dramatic feature: the double-wing grille inspired by the 1941 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet. The split grille is designed to resemble the bow of a boat cutting through the water, giving the oversize Lincoln star a proper home on which to stand proud.
The Lincoln MKR concept’s four doors and body side remain characteristically clean. A button concealed in the chrome door trim springs open the four ‘winged’ doors, slightly inclined for additional sophistication and a touch of drama. Inside, the Lincoln MKR concept defines a new direction for modern luxury, with ambient lighting and contrasting colors and materials that offer both a new look and philosophy for future Lincoln interiors. A black oak instrument panel engineered from recycled wood stretches from side to side and carries through to a twin-level floating center console that extends into the rear of the cabin. This expansive ‘T-shaped’ panel houses the passenger information display system seamlessly disguised by the flush touch screen control surfaces and a navigation screen that can be concealed by a powered door. The instrument cluster provides a jewelry-like focal point. Chrome-trimmed gauges illuminated with Ice Blue lighting can be easily viewed in harmony with the concave spoke steering wheel that includes retractable paddle shifters. Ice Blue lighting is carried throughout the high-contrast interior, emitting from the door panels, mohair-carpeted foot wells, seats, center console and perhaps most dramatically from the large Lincoln star above which is easily viewed from each of the Lincoln MKR concept’s four seats. Each soy-foam based seat stands alone, looking as if suspended in air, wrapped in a creamy cashmere leather made through a more environmentally friendly chromium-free process. Seatbacks are finished with high-gloss, ceramic-looking shells. The concept also features the THX II Certified Car Audio System, Lincoln’s signature audio system, which produces sound quality comparable to home theater systems. Under the Lincoln MKR’s sculpted hood is the exquisitely detailed TwinForce engine, finished in chrome and accented in the cranberry red metallic paint that dresses the rest of the modern exterior. This marks the birth of the new TwinForce engine family that will power production versions of a range of future Ford and Lincoln products. TwinForce uses direct injection technology and turbocharging. These technologies are common in diesel engines but have only recently been combined together in gasoline engines. The Lincoln MKR’s engine also is flex fuel capable, providing the driver with the flexibility to switch back and forth between gasoline and E-85 ethanol. Combining the high octane found in E-85 or premium gasoline with TwinForce technology allows the MKR’s V-6 to deliver 415 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque – an impressive 118 horsepower per liter. To achieve this type of performance from a V-8 would require an engine displacement of 6.0-liter or larger, nearly double the size of the 3.5-liter in the Lincoln MKR. As a result of the smaller V-6, the Lincoln MKR concept delivers 15 percent better fuel economy than a V-8 with similar performance. The concept’s engine is mated to a six-speed transmission, and the concept features independent rear suspension for more refined road manners. (January 1, 2006)
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Lincoln MKR Concept:
Design Strategy for the Next Generation of Premium American Cars
