A 2013 Escape is next to this Lincoln derivative or clone?
Look at what Lincoln is planning for the small SUV market of 2014. This baby Lincoln prototype is obviously based on the all-new 2013 Ford Escape architecture – wheelbase, drivetrain, 2-/4-wheel drive, 5-place seating, and maybe a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with its alleged fuel economy advantages?
Ford Motor appears to be set in its ways by continuing to move Lincoln in the direction of the now defunct Mercury brand – shades of the compact Mariner – with this derivative. It used to be that Mercury’s were Fords with more chrome and a $500 price increase. Now it’s Lincoln’s turn. This follows the Ford Fusion-derived MKZ sedan that is just now entering production, which is in essence a more expensive replacement (Ford hopes) for Mercury Milan, which is now enjoying the big sleep along with the rest of the dead brand.
Lincoln sales dropped 15% to 5,100 units in October. Lincoln without a clear image and only a local presence remains a hobby not a business at FMC with year-to-date sales of 69,000.
Styling tweaks are attempting to set this new model apart from current Lincolns as well as the Ford Escape. These include a departure from the wing-shaped waterfall grille opening used on cars, with the grille itself patterned after the super-sized Lincoln Navigator\ truck.
There is also a squared off rear cargo area in place of the curved roof of the Escape. Projector headlights and upscale wheels are also attempts to say this is an upmarket design. Is it?
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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