LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14, 2007 -- -- The new Lincoln MKS full-size luxury sedan aims to attract new buyers
with its timeless design, fuel-efficient powertrain and an unparalleled
suite of features and technologies.
-- Class-leading convenience features include SYNC(TM) voice-activated,
hands-free in-car communications; Easy Fuel(TM) capless fuel filling;
THX-certified audio; SIRIUS Travel Link(TM); voice-activated
navigation; and a next-generation keyless entry keypad.
-- Lincoln-exclusive fuel-efficient 3.7-liter V-6 and all-wheel drive
provide smooth driving.
-- Lincoln MKS will be the first vehicle to offer Ford's new gasoline
turbo direct injection engine technology - which provides the power and
torque of a V-8 engine with the fuel efficiency of a V-6 -- less than a
year after launch.
-- An outstanding value starting below $38,000, Lincoln MKS orders are now
being accepted; customers can visit www.lincoln.com to build and price
their vehicle.
The all-new 2009 Lincoln MKS full-size luxury sedan debuts today,
providing customers understated style, first-of-a-kind convenience
features, advanced safety and one of the best values in the luxury
market.
Unveiled at the Greater Los Angeles International Auto Show, the new
Lincoln flagship is designed to help fuel Lincoln's growth by attracting
new customers.
"Lincoln has reestablished itself as a quality and design leader with
award-winning products like the Lincoln MKZ, MKX and Navigator," says Mark
Fields, Ford Motor Company's president of The Americas. "With the Lincoln
MKS, we are raising the bar even higher with unparalleled amenities and
performance, and a price that should be irresistible to luxury
customers."
The New Lincoln Flagship: A Strong Contender in the Luxury Sedan
Segment
The Lincoln MKS is a full-size luxury sedan aimed at bringing new and
younger buyers into the Lincoln fold. Not traditional luxury buyers who
shop based on name and price tag alone, Lincoln MKS customers are under 50
and value beautiful modern design, more fuel efficiency and good value.
Pricing for Lincoln MKS starts at less than $38,000, a strategic move
aimed at attracting new customers to the brand. Many will be first-time
luxury buyers, with a significant number expected to migrate from imports.
In fact, up to 60 percent of those buying the luxury sedan are expected to
be new to Lincoln.
"We're playing to win with the Lincoln MKS, especially in California,
where more luxury vehicles are sold than anywhere else. We will do so by
offering confident, understated, respectful luxury -- not something that
will go out of fashion in a year or two," said Mike Richards, Lincoln
General Marketing Manager. "We're also making an extra effort to reach out
to African American and Hispanic buyers who want and deserve luxury in
their lives, in part, through new marketing relationships with artists
Common and Juanes."
Juanes, a 12-time Latin Grammy award winning artist, will help introduce
SYNC, which is standard on Lincolns and widely available on Ford and
Mercury products, to the Hispanic market. Juanes was recognized by Time
magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" for his
belief in the possibility of social change through music.
Common, an accomplished musician, children's author and actor, will
represent Lincoln beginning in 2008. The partnership will feature multiple
levels of advertising, marketing and promotional activities between Lincoln
and Common's wide-ranging businesses and his community service program.
Common is currently appearing with Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington in
the Ridley Scott-produced film American Gangster.
Consumers can visit www.lincoln.com to build and price their ideal
Lincoln MKS and place their order at their local Lincoln dealer
immediately.
To be built at Ford Motor Company's Chicago Assembly Plant, the Lincoln
MKS will begin arriving in Lincoln showrooms next summer.
Loaded with Convenience and Technology: Lincoln MKS offers
unprecedented amenities
The Lincoln MKS offers a suite of technologies and features not found on
other luxury sedans. They include:
-- SYNC, a hands-free, voice-activated hands-free in-car communication and
entertainment system developed by Ford and Microsoft. The system fully
integrates most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and digital media
players, providing customers hands-free cell phone and music selection
capabilities.
-- THX(R)-certified audio system with 5.1 Surround Sound, SIRIUS Travel
Link(TM) and Voice-Activated Navigation, which provides superior sound
quality -- plus real time traffic updates, movie listings, radar
weather forecasts and even directions to the closest local gas stations
with the best prices.
-- Lincoln's Next-Generation Keypad, which uses heat-sensing technology to
bring alive the keypad of LED backlit numerals embedded in the driver
side B-pillar. The driver enters a five-digit code to unlock the
vehicle.
-- Easy Fuel(TM) Capless Fuel-Filler System, a customer convenience that
helps reduce evaporative emissions that create smog and global warming.
When fueling is completed, and the nozzle is removed, the system
automatically seals shut.
-- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which allows the driver to set the car's
speed and maintain that speed without using the accelerator pedal. The
radar-based system also can monitor the vehicle in front (up to 600
feet) and adjust the speed of the Lincoln MKS to keep it a safe
distance behind the lead vehicle. Four settings accommodate different
driving styles.
-- Intelligent Access with Push Button Start, which is a first for Lincoln
and allows the driver to enter the Lincoln MKS and start the engine
without using a key. Drivers simply carry the special fob as they
approach the vehicle, touch the keyless entry pad on the B-Pillar, open
the door and with the brake pedal engaged, start the engine by pushing
a button.
-- Adaptive Headlamps with Automatic High Beams and Standard High-
Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps, which enhance nighttime visibility by
illuminating more of the road and reducing glare from oncoming traffic.
Sensors monitor vehicle speed and steering wheel input engaging
electric motors that pivot the left headlamp up to five degrees and the
right headlamp up to 15 degrees to increase the driver's field of
vision. Plus, automatic high beams switch to high intensity when no
other vehicles are detected.
-- Rain-Sensing Wipers, which are moisture-activated and programmable.
-- Forward Sensing System, which determines how close front objects are
while parking.
-- Rearview Camera System, which is mounted beneath the Lincoln Star on
the decklid and activated when the vehicle is shifted into reverse,
giving the driver a view of what's behind the vehicle. The system
works in conjunction with the vehicle's reverse sensing system and uses
the navigation screen as a display.
Understated Design: Lincoln MKS debuts new design DNA
The Lincoln MKS is the first vehicle to embrace Lincoln's new design DNA.
"Every element of this luxury sedan reflects the culture of Lincoln --
from its well-proportioned athleticism to the design cues we have
painstakingly developed, modernizing the best elements over time," says
Peter Horbury, executive director of Design for The Americas.
Its most striking exterior design feature is its double-wing grille,
which sweeps up into the jewel-like headlamps, wrapping around the front
fascia and forming a sharp crease that defines the high beltline. A subtle
kick-up over the rear wheel calls back cues found on many classic Lincolns.
Strong shoulders, dramatic C-pillars, clean body sides, a tall rear deck
and large wheels and tires lend the Lincoln MKS a confident stance.
Modern luxury carries through inside, as well. Space is abundant, with
a class-leading interior package. In fact, the MKS has the largest rear
cabin in its class in every important dimension, including head, leg and
shoulder room. And Lincoln tends to passengers' comfort with standard
heated rear seats, an overhead skylight and a sun shade for the
backlight.
Its interior is sleek. For instance, the Lincoln MKS's symmetrical
instrument panel has fewer break lines than other luxury vehicles. The
flow- through center stack is clean and uncluttered, with an information
screen integrated at the top. The large center console has a split,
two-piece, padded upper section. Each section slides forward individually
to form an armrest.
"Luxury buyers still expect rare beauty, but today, they also seek
authenticity," Horbury said.
"This is space Lincoln can rightfully reclaim, given the design of our
vehicles and the way we've chosen to adorn the MKS with the finest real
leathers, rare woods, real aluminum and chrome accents -- in a more
environmentally responsible way."
For example, the leather used for the seats is perfected with vegetable
dyes and a chromium-free tanning process to create the softest leather ever
used in a Lincoln.
It is supplied by Bridge of Weir Leather, the same company that provided
hides for the Ford Model T and the iconic Continental Mark II, as well as
the Concorde, the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Burj Al Arab, the world's first
7-star hotel.
Ebony wood used for some models is reclaimed from furniture makers and
others sources, offering a rare wood with minimal environmental impact.
Also offered is Olive Ash, a wood with a distinctive grain pattern created
when the roots of two trees grow together.
Smooth Power: Fuel-efficient V-6 today; V-8 power with V-6 efficiency
tomorrow
The Lincoln MKS is powered by a Lincoln exclusive new 3.7-liter V-6
engine. The powertrain has been derived from the proven 3.5-liter V-6
found in the Lincoln MKX, which was voted one of Ward's 10-Best Engines for
2007.
Both engines share the same strong, die-cast aluminum block and
lightweight four-valve heads for smooth operation at high RPMs. The 3.7-
liter's larger cylinders contribute to the increase in horsepower and
torque. This engine delivers 270 horsepower and 265 lb.-ft. of torque and
is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with SelectShift that delivers
smoother shifts, better fuel economy, acceleration and the option to
manually select gears.
"This engine is tuned to maximize the increased torque to improve
performance where it's needed most -- standing acceleration and passing,"
says Michael Celentino, chief engineer.
Less than a year after launch, the Lincoln MKS will be the first vehicle
to offer Ford's new gasoline turbo direct injection engine technology.
The premium engine -- which offers the power and torque of a V-8 with
the fuel efficiency of a V-6 -- will make the Lincoln MKS the most powerful
and fuel-efficient all-wheel drive luxury sedan in the market.
Lincoln MKS also is available with an all-wheel-drive (AWD) system that
provides a confident driving experience in all weather. It uses a
sophisticated system of clutches to quickly distribute torque between front
and rear wheels -- up to 100 percent in either direction -- to avoid wheel
slip. The AWD system works with the standard Advance Trac(R) stability
control system to provide additional stability, transferring torque from
side- to-side.
An all-new independent rear suspension design features vertically
mounted shock absorbers mounted at the outboard end of the suspension arms
near the wheels, maximizing suspension travel and allowing for more precise
suspension tuning.
The MacPherson strut and rear-facing L-shaped lower control arm front
suspension also was designed to maximize suspension travel and tuned to
work in harmony with the rear suspension. As an added benefit, the new
suspension design can accommodate larger, 20-inch wheels and tires without
compromising ride comfort.
The Lincoln MKS comes standard with 18-inch bright, machined, cast
aluminum painted 10-spoke wheels. Nineteen-inch 10-spoke painted, polished
or machined aluminum or a class-exclusive 20-inch, 11-spoke, highly
polished, cast aluminum wheel are available options.
Building on a Heritage of Safety Leadership
The Lincoln MKS is equipped with a comprehensive package of the latest
in active and passive safety features to provide the highest level of
protection for all occupants.
Standard safety features include: dual-stage driver and front passenger
air bags, safety belt pretensioners, load-limiting retractors, driver seat
positioning sensor, side air bags and Safety Canopy(TM) side curtain air
bags with roll-fold technology and four-wheel ABS brakes.
Additional standard safety features include an anti-theft perimeter
alarm, Battery Saver, Belt-Minder(R), Child Safety Locks, glow-in-the-dark
trunk release, illuminated entry, LATCH (Lower Anchors & Tethers for
Children) and a tire pressure monitoring system.