Report: New RWD Lincoln a CUV, Could it Be a Hybrid?
Could the Ford Territory be the basis for a RWD Lincoln crossover?
It’s been common knowledge for some time that Lincoln intends to add at least two more new models to its lineup by 2016, and it’s been expected/hoped for equally as long that at least one of the new models in question would be a RWD Lincoln of some stripe.
A report this morning from The Truth About Cars indicates that the RWD Lincoln is indeed on the way, but that it won’t be a Continental or a Lincoln-badged version of the Mustang/Falcon. Turns out, it’ll be a crossover.
A RWD Lincoln crossover. Hm. Well.
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TTAC points out that Ford has already tried its hand with a RWD crossover, Australia’s Territory, and that it was widely praised for not being anywhere as unmanageable as a RWD crossover sounds like it would be.
Ford will utilize the RWD crossover approach for both a Lincoln and a Ford, the latter of which will be branded…wait for it…Explorer.
It’s also reported that most RWD Lincoln CUVs would wind up leaving dealerships with AWD, which begs another question: could this be one of the uses of the RWD hybrid system on which Ford has already begun work?
This would give Lincoln (and, by extension, Ford) the legs to compete in the rising hybrid crossover segment against competitors such as the Lexus RX 450h and the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid, or it could take the form of something sportier akin to the Toyota C-HR or Audi Q4 Hybrid Concept. (Given Lincoln’s flair for the undramatic, the former is much more likely than the latter.)
Dear Lincoln, take this and make it crazier.
Lincoln has been on a roll of late with the success of the 2015 MKC, and it seems poised to capitalize upon that success as much as possible. Let’s hope that this includes a new model that further breaks the brand away from its stigma as a maker of old man cars.
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