First Of Ford’s Four Electric Lincoln Models Coming In 2022

Over the past year, Ford

F
Motor Company has aggressively ramped up its planned investment in vehicle electrification going from $11 billion to $22 billion and then to $30 billion during its recent capital markets day. While the Ford brand has revealed its first three battery electric vehicles (BEV), the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit and F-150 Lightning, we’ve yet to see any details about the plans for Lincoln until now. Today, Lincoln has revealed that the first of four global BEVs it will launch in the next few years will debut in 2022 and the brand plans to have a full portfolio of electrified vehicles by the end of the decade. 

Lincoln’s chief rival Cadillac will also launch its first BEV in the spring of 2022, so Lincoln shouldn’t be far behind, but Lincoln president Joy Falotico was more non-committal about where she expects the brand to be by the end of the decade. Cadillac has repeatedly said that it is targeting being an all-electric brand by 2030. Lincoln on the other hand plans to have a slate of vehicles with the ever vague “electrified” propulsion. 

When asked during a Q&A session whether that means all BEV or if that would include hybrids and plug-in hybrids no one from Lincoln would provide a straight answer except to say that depending on market demands, they may still offer internal combustion engines at that time. While remaining flexible to shifting market requirements is probably wise from a business standpoint, it will likely leave many to question the brand’s commitment to electric vehicles. Falotico did however emphasize that she expects have of the brand’s sales to be BEVs within five years. 

Currently, Lincoln only offers four models in North America, all SUVs ranging from the compact Corsair to the full-size Navigator following the end of production of its last sedans, the MKZ and Continental. In the brand’s other market in China, Lincoln continues to offer the Continental and does plan a production version of the recently unveiled Zephyr Reflection concept. 

The new design language of the Zephyr including its emphasis on horizontal lines that create a sense of width are something we can expect to see in all of the next generation of Lincolns including the upcoming BEVs. That includes the massive pillar to pillar display that spans the dashboard. What Lincoln won’t say is what the first BEV will be. They have acknowledged that the shift to electric skateboard platforms will provide flexibility to try out new form factors beyond just the wagon-shaped utilities currently being offered. 

However, a reasonable guess as to the nature of the BEV we see next year would be a replacement for the Nautilus. While the Nautilus just got an updated interior for 2021, it and its sibling, the Ford Edge are now the oldest models in the respective lineups and due for replacement. The Oakville, Ontario assembly plant where they are produced is slated to be converted to BEV production as part of the new Unifor contract agreed to in fall 2020. 

We do know that this BEV will utilize Ford’s RWD/AWD electric architecture. During a Q&A following the Ford capital markets day, Ford’s chief product officer Hau Thai-Tang acknowledged that this is a further evolution of the platform used in the Mustang Mach-E although it will likely utilize Ford’s new in-house developed motors and batteries from SK Innovation or Ford’s BlueSK cell production joint venture with SK Innovation. 

In addition to going electric, Lincoln is also evolving the way it sells vehicles. One-third of Lincoln sales in the U.S. are already completed online and the brand is developing a digital sales platform that will allow all transactions to be done without sitting down to sign a stack of documents at a dealer. For those customers who do want to shop in person, Lincoln wants to improve that experience as well. 

That includes expanding the number of standalone Lincoln stores. Lincoln is developing its exclusive Vitrine stores for the top 130 markets in the U.S. The brand is also building on some of the ideas that have already been piloted with the Ford brand including mobile service. A pilot in Houston is testing a mobile fuel and vehicle spa subscription. This will take advantage of the connectivity now built into all Ford and Lincoln vehicles to determine when they need fuel or maintenance and arrange to provide that on-site to avoid a trip to the service department. 

Lincoln is still a relatively small brand in terms of sales compared to the market leaders from Germany or Japan, but it has been growing steadily for the past six years and has established a strong foothold in China. If consumers go for its upcoming batch of BEVs, it could well be an all electric brand by the end of decade, but Ford is being flexible and willing to pivot as it has shown over the past couple of years as it has quickly changed its product plan for BEVs in response to the market. For a brand that seemed on its last legs not so many years ago, Lincoln may have a very interesting future.