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Lincoln LS Plays Major Role in Lincoln's Auto Show Lineup

7 January 2000

Lincoln LS, Motor Trend's 2000 Car of the Year, Plays Major Role in Lincoln's Auto Show Lineup

    LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6 -- When the Lincoln LS recently was named
Motor Trend's 2000 Car of the Year, it capped off a banner 1999 for the
California-based car company as Lincoln solidified itself as the premier
provider of American luxury.  Highlighting the recognition, Lincoln will
showcase its award-winning LS and the world-famous Motor Trend caliper at this
year's Los Angeles Auto Show.
    "Research shows this is the automotive award most respected by consumers,
so we were very honored to receive Motor Trend Car of the Year," said Lincoln
Mercury President Mark Hutchins.  "The LS had to beat out an international
field of competitors, and that is as it should be, because the LS was designed
from the start to go tire to tire with the best the world's automakers can
offer."
    Receiving the 2000 Car of the Year award for the Lincoln LS holds added
cache this year since it is the first time since 1975 that Motor Trend
combined both import and domestic vehicles into one competition -- pitting the
LS against 29 international competitors.
    Since it went on sale in June, the LS has been a "home run" for Lincoln.
"Our dealers ordered up all of our 1999 production in the first two months,"
said Hutchins.  "And the international motoring media have given it a lot of
praise, describing the LS as the best American car they have tested."
    Lincoln last received the Motor Trend Car of the Year in 1990 for the Town
Car, the only time prior to this year Lincoln had won in the first 50 years of
the award.  "We don't intend to wait that long before winning again," Hutchins
said, "especially looking at our future product offerings."

    A Company for the New Century
    The Lincoln LS was designed and engineered to balance American style and
luxury with European driving dynamics.  "The LS is an American original," said
Charles Repp, chief program engineer for Lincoln LS.  "It is the product of an
international team, working together to bring the finest elements of the
global carmaker's craft in a distinctly American luxury package."
    With the arrival of LS, and the Navigator before that, the company is
charting a new course for Lincoln.  "We will continue to provide our customers
with upgraded and refined Town Cars and Continentals," said Hutchins.  "And we
will develop a new series of cars and specialty vehicles to grow this great
brand globally."
    The LS, while initially launched in the United States, will help Lincoln
take its vision of American luxury to the world market.  "We believe our
American luxury vision will resonate not only in Boston and Burbank, but in
Tokyo and Toronto as well as Hong Kong and Helsinki," Hutchins said.
    In fact, after testing the LS against the other 29 global competitors for
Car of the Year, the editors of Motor Trend wrote: "The LS is a car that
wholly changes the image of what an American luxury sedan can be."

    About the LS
    The LS, starting at $31,450, offers athletic and confident performance,
while surrounding its occupants with comfortable, yet functional luxury.  It
comes equipped with either a V-6 or V-8 engine, producing 210 or 252
horsepower, respectively.  Either powertrain can be ordered with an electronic
five-speed automatic with overdrive, or an available dual gate SelectShift(TM)
that gives the driver the choice of manual or automatic gear selection.  In
addition, the V-6 can be ordered with a five-speed manual transmission -- the
first manual gearbox in a Lincoln since the 1951 Cosmopolitan.
    Lincoln Mercury, based in Irvine, Calif., markets the full line of Lincoln
and Mercury vehicles.  The Lincoln line includes Town Car, Navigator,
Continental and LS.  The Mercury product line includes Cougar, Sable, Grand
Marquis, Mountaineer, Villager and Mystique.  Additional information on the
Lincoln and Mercury product lines can be found at lincolnvehicles.com and
mercuryvehicles.com .