Lincoln's 2017 MKZ Sedan Accelerates the Brand's Revival
Ford (F) - Get Report luxury marque Lincoln unveiled its 2017 MKZ on Wednesday at the Los Angeles Auto Show, showcasing the second-generation "design language" of the reinvigorated brand.
"For an automotive brand to stay relevant, the design language has to evolve over time," Lincoln President Kumar Galhotra said.
In this case, the front grill of the new MKZ borrows heavily from the design of the all-new 2017 Lincoln Continental, which will launch late next year. The 2017 MKZ is set to go on sale in the U.S. in mid-2016, and will be manufactured at the automaker's Hermosillo, Mexico, plant.
Lincoln launched the first-generation MKZ in late 2013, and the car was central to the brand's reinvention. "MKZ has been a cornerstone vehicle for us," said Galhotra.
The mid-cycle refresh brings more than just a new grill. It also adds much more of what the company calls "intuitive technology." One new features is an "auto hold" option useful for those times when drivers are sitting in stop and go traffic. Just press the button on the dashboard, and the car, once stopped, will stay stopped without the driver needing keep stepping on the brake. Galhotra said Lincoln's researchers found that the back and forth is one of the things that causes driver fatigue.
Another feature he pointed to was an adaptive cruise control system that will cause the vehicle to slow down automatically when the traffic around it slows.
While the 2014 MKZ helped to get Lincoln's U.S. sales growing again, the brand has big aspirations beyond American shores. In China, where the brand was launched a little more than 12 months ago, Lincoln now has around 24 dealerships. Come 2016, Galhotra said the brand's expansion will continue at an even faster pace -- it will open one new outlet roughly every 10 days.