This compact concept suggests that there may be life in Lincoln after all—and it just may make it to production.
In case you couldn’t tell from the badges on the C-pillars and the cutesy illuminated door-handle motif, the huge split grille confirms that this concept car is a Lincoln. What causes you to do a double take is that the C concept is slightly shorter overall than a Ford Focus and a bit wider than a Lincoln MKZ. We haven’t seen a baby Lincoln before.
According to Peter Horbury, the design director for Ford’s American brands, the C is one of seven concept vehicles that were designed to show the brand’s future direction—in this case, how Lincoln could expand its brand to accommodate a smaller vehicle. (Previous efforts include the MKR, MKS, and MKT concepts.) There are lots of Lincoln design cues on view, from the, er,distinctive grille to the C-pillar shape, side-to-side taillights, and exaggerated shoulder line. The bustle-backed look is a way of providing decent proportions in a small-car package, according to Horbury: “Our planting the C-pillar over the rear wheel gives the car a terrific stance.” Twenty-inch wheels, shod with 245/35 tires, help the stance, too, although Ford’s worldwide design director J Mays volunteers that the car looks good on 17s. This makes us believe there’s a production version in the cards.
New Interior Tech
The interior is full of concept-car detailing. The instrument panel and doors are decorated with recycled driftwood and there’s leather in place of carpeting on the floors. The thin, contoured seats have been seen many times in concept cars, but the designers say they have production viability and that several suppliers are close to successfully manufacturing this style of seat in place of more conventional chairs. The headrests are weight- and size-sensitive and pop up only when someone is sitting down. The steering wheel is one of those space-agey single-spoke affairs that never make it into production.
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