“This is what the future of Lincoln looks like,” according to the brand’s director of design Max Wolff.

This concept gives a hint as to what 2013 MKZ sedan will look like upon completion. The auto maker has a mission: appeal to younger drivers and separate itself from parent company Ford.

The Detroit unveiling of MKZ was so hot, even the vehicle itself couldn’t handle all that attention. Unexplained smoke began rising from its interior at one point. Even with LINCOLN reps standing in front of the car, there was no escaping someone’s camera phone:

Embarrassing, to say the lease. LINCOLN has a long road ahead of them, with little time to fend off criticism, especially that which comes with photographic evidence.

No official pricing of the 2013 MKZ has been announced, but current models sell for around $35,000 base MSRP.

Smoking Photo: Jalopnik

“Lincoln’s precipitous decline saw it sell just 85,828 cars in the United States last year, a figure dwarfed by just one of rival BMW’s lines – its 3-Series sold 100,910 units in 2010. Sales are off a further 8 percent this year and could drop even more next year when the company’s fleet-heavy Town Car, which accounts for nearly one in six sales, is dropped.”

“Ford says it has seven new Lincolns on the way by 2015, which it thinks will boost sales to 162,000 units despite a planned decrease in Lincoln showrooms. That drop in retail outlets should benefit remaining dealers, which Ford thinks will see sales increase 300 to 400 percent over the next four model years.”

Ford adds its dealers “need to commit to big dealership upgrades to put them more in line with import brand showrooms.”

Ford will add $1 Billion on top of the dealership funds to revamp the brand. Hopefully, we won’t be saying goodbye to Lincoln in 2012.

Source: LeftLaneNews

Scott Graves, legislative director for Republican Rep. K. Michael Conaway, is not a huge fan of 44th President of the United States Barrack Obama. What a surprise. In true internet/text language the staffer snagged a vanity license plate “WTF 44″ on his 2007 Lincoln Navigator.

It caused some controversy on Capitol Hill, and many feel it’s a sign of disrespect. In fact, the Reps seem to be loving their public dissing of Obama these days.

Of course, Graves denies the plates have anything to do with The Commander in Chief, and he ordered new ones when he “realized the meaning could be misconstrued.” Yeah. I guess being outted by Mother Jones takes the fun out of everything.

Source: Jalopnik

Want it? Well too bad – the car has already been claimed. We’re still trying to confirm if the car was sold to a huge enthusiast of Lincolns in Chantilly, VA. Here’s a bit about the ride to help you imagine what life would be like behind the wheel of El CaLincoln:

1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III Ranchero -

According to the seller the Continenchero was “professionally built and they used to call them the Farm and Ranch special”. After a little research left us with no information about who built these (anyone know?) we feel safe guessing this hot rod Lincoln is one of a kind and happened to find a set of emblems from a late ‘60s Ford truck equipped with the “Farm and Ranch Special” package at some point.

Over $22,000 worth of receipts come with Continenchero, which are the result of cosmetic restorations in 2005. After daily driving for a few months, imagine a large dollar amount in gas bills, thanks to its 365 horsepower 460 V8 under the hood of Continenchero.

Based on a novel by Michael Connelly, the story revolves around A lawyer who conducts business from the back of his classic Lincoln town car. This film takes an interesting turn when he begins to represent a high-profile client in Beverly Hills.

Check out the official trailer for The Lincoln Lawyer:

According to Auto News: Ford Motor Co. will funnel all of the discontinued Mercury brand’s advertising budget into Lincoln, says the head of the Lincoln National Dealer Council. That will fund a Lincoln marketing blitz. “You’ll see a lot stronger presence in the advertising of Lincoln in 2011,” Bob Tasca Jr., chairman of the dealer council, told Automotive News. “We’ve got some pretty good products now. We just need to talk about them more.”

Ford declined to speak on the matter, but spokesman Christian Bokich wrote via e-mail: We are preparing the way for seven new or significantly refreshed vehicles to be launched in the next four years.

Ads are expected to highlight the 2011 MKX crossover, 2011 MKZ sedan and MKZ hybrid, pictured above. Tasca added Ford assured him that Lincoln designs will be distinct from Ford’s. Artists’ sketches of the redesigned 2013 MKZ sedan show it to be a far cry from the Ford Fusion, which the car is based on.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

For Lincoln to succeed, analysts say, it’s critical that product planners separate Lincoln’s design, power trains, and technology from those of the Ford brand. Lincoln will get features such as active noise cancellation and adaptive suspensions.

Lincoln has given fans of the luxury American auto maker an outlook for the 2011-13 model years:

Compact vehicle: the automaker is exploring a compact car, possibly built on a next-generation global Ford Focus platform or the Lincoln C concept, first seen at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

MKZ: redesigned for 2013 when it moves Ford’s global midsize platform. The styling of the next-generation MKZ and Fusion will be more differentiated.

Midsize sedan: a Lincoln version of the next-generation Ford Mondeo, sold in Europe, is possible. If approved, the low-volume midsize car probably would be slotted just under the MKS.

MKS: will be redesigned and will continue with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 added in the 2010 model.

Town Car: the large sedan will be discontinued at the end of 2011.

MKX: also expect a redesign for 2011. MKX is likely to get the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder EcoBoost engine in 18 to 24 months. The 2011 model comes with a 3.7-liter V-6.

Navigator: surprisingly the large Navigator SUV will survive past 2012. The car will get an EcoBoost engine and likely the 5.0-liter V-8 within the next few years.

Source: CNET

Now, If this were an episode of Glee, the kids could have just sung and danced their way out of the cars getting repossessed. Unfortunately, real life is less entertaining, and random musicals don’t just pop up out of thin air.

“Students and parents who were overseeing the event said that they called the police to report that the limos were carjacked or stolen, but it turns out that they were actually being repossessed,” according to LEFT LANE NEWS.

Apparently, Galaxy Limo’s owner said the situation with their bank was worked out earlier that day. I guess the paperwork wasn’t pushed through fast enough, as repossession agents were awaiting the prom mobiles. Galaxy plans to offer a partial refund or free future rental as an apology to the high school kids.

Other than a gas-electric power train and Lincoln badge, it will be identical to the regular gasoline version of the midsize sedan.

Source: Edmunds

Ford perversely uses “EcoBoost” to describe their direct-injected and turbocharged engines when everyone knows fuel economy is merely the side effect of more power. The Hennessey MaxBoost 435 is a Lincoln MKS with the right name and 435 HP.

Down the quarter-mile in the MaxBoost it’s hard to full appreciate how fast you’re actually traveling. Lay on the gas and much of the power’s quickly routed to the rear wheels but after a minimum of spinning you’re gently transitioned to the end of the track. I was shocked to check the DriftBox to see I’d hit 60 MPH in the advertised time 4.5 seconds.

via Jalopnik