Lincoln Gives Plush People Mover The Green Light

FoMoCo's flagship Lincoln brand recently announced plans
to produce a large soft-roader, dubbed MKT, for the 2009 calendar year.
You can call MKT whatever you want- crossover, people mover, glorified
wagon - just don't dare utter the SUV acronym. Hell, Mercedes
classifies their similarly intentioned R-Class
as a GST, or Grand Sports Tourer. With automakers striving to lower
emissions and up the MPG anty, gas guzzling truck-based product
connotations are the equivalent of Kevin Bacon's outlandish Rock music
in Footloose.  So yes, MKT will utilize a car platform currently used by the likes of Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and sister vehicle/bread box Ford Flex.

Considering the historically incestuous styling relationship
between Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products, we were pleasantly
surprised to learn that MKT won't be a Flex clone with a chrome star
adorning the grille. In fact, MKT will bear resemblance to performance
sedan sibling MKS and the MKT concept vehicle first shown at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

"Embracing the same spirit as the concept, the Lincoln MKT's design
represents harmony in motion, balancing sculptured shapes and contours
traditionally associated with beautiful cars on a crossover vehicle
that offers the luxury of space and efficient, powerful performance,"
said Peter Horbury, Ford's executive director of Design for The
Americas.

Navigator sales ain't what they used to be, so a more fuel efficient
[sister vehicle Flex gets up to 24 MPG on the highway] offering like
MKT will give Lincoln a competitive offering to square off against the
likes of Buick Enclave, Mercedes R-Class and other 7-passenger luxury
soft-roaders in the pipeline. In addition to a 3.7-litre V-6, MKT also
will also offer an EcoBoost
3.5-litre V-6 estimated at 340 horsepower and 340 lb.-ft. of torque.
Ford says EcoBoost engines, which are turbocharged and have direct
injection, deliver up to 20% better fuel economy and 15% improved
emissions than larger-displacement engines. 

Lincoln’s MKT Concept showed
Detroit show goers another application for the domestic luxury brand’s new
design aesthetic. Like the MKR concept, and new MKS flagship sedan, MKT
proudly bears Lincoln’s new double-wing chrome snout. And at more than 17 feet, the concept is longer than R-Class
and Escalade. The production MKT will feature three rows of seating instead of the 4 first class
airline-inspired, fully reclineable seats seen in the concept. Also likely not to make production is the center console with
solid-state lighting technology that
allows for 3D image projection onto contoured surfaces.

The MKT Concept featured “upcycled” materials from SABIC Innovative Plastics.
Valox iQ and Xenoy iQ resins were used in making the body, energy
absorbers, wire bundles and glazing and the resins were made from
discarded soft drink bottles. It remains to be see if the production version will be quite as green.

MKT will be produced alongside Flex at Ford's Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario,  Canada.

Pictures from Lincoln