The auto industry is in the midst of the so-called a transformation once in a century when it switches to zero-emission propulsion. As it happens, this year also marks Lincoln’s 100th Anniversary. Really had Lincolns a few years earlier, but Lincoln counted February 4, 1922, when Henry Ford bought the company, is its birthday. Like many others, Lincoln wants to electrify its lineup and plans to introduce four new battery-powered models by 2026. Today, it announced the futuristic Lincoln model. Star Concept.
Exterior design director Earl Lucas told Autoblog at the preview: “It was a clean sheet of paper that helped us review the next four products. But when asked if it was a intersection, Lincoln representatives were against having it placed in any existing catalog. Designer Kemal Curic describes it as a “new species”.
It lacks the vertical two-box design of crossovers and SUVs scattered on the roads of America. Instead, it has a significantly raked up A-pillar and a more angular rear. The greenhouse area shrinks to the rear and the main body has a distinct anti-wedge shape. As for these eyes, it has almost wagon-like proportions.
Another sign of the Star is the use of light. Illuminated surfaces can be found all over the car – on the logos where the badge is usually found, on a thin strip around the roof and on the fingernails marked with the wheel arches. There’s also an unmissable light bar that extends past the edge of the nose before curving through the fenders and onto the A-pillars. It’s reminiscent of the chrome strips on the blade-shaped fenders of the 1961s. Continent, but the designers we spoke to denied that similarity. The star is definitely chromium-resistant and the light will take the place of that luminous work.
Throughout our walk, designers used phrases that conjure up views of jet transit. “It’s the journey, not the destination,” Lucas said. Curic uses the term “in flight” when talking about driving modes. Head of interior design Robert Gelardi calls it “the romance of travel”. It’s as if the Star is turning into a moment where Lincolns like the Continental Mark II, once the most expensive domestic car ever sold, carrying American standards around the world and taking on the likes of Rolls royce car.
Thus, the interior of the Star, approached by a pair of suicide doors, seeks to absorb the occupants of Lincoln’s definition of luxury. The use of light continues to be used in the header, A-pillars, door panels, armrest consoles and even the seat backs. A bright, uninterrupted “coast to coast” display spans the dash, with built-in auxiliary controls and tools. Even the floorboards have an ambient light stripe that stretches from the building to just behind the front seats. The front seats also swivel 180 degrees to face the rear, but Lincoln won’t perform any self-driving functions.
The light allows the Star to shower the driver with one of three “rejuvenating moods”, which colourful Ambient light, sound and built-in aroma diffuser can create separate airflow. By default, if one slides into the Stars in the morning, the Coastal Morning mood shows water flowing across the screen, accompanied by white noise of the ocean while the glow gives off a dawn-like glow. Enter at noon and the atmosphere changes to energetic Mental Vitality, while end-of-day excursions are accompanied by a Chill Evening. Of course, drivers can choose any time they like regardless of the time of day. On the other hand, cycling through the scent profiles felt like a quick walk through the fragrance department at Macy’s.
The Star also uses its openings in novel ways. Its back door opens like a clamshell, with the bottom half forming what Lucas calls the love seat. It is designed to be stretched, as a rear support emerges from the trunk. At the front, the “grid” area slides forward like a drawer while the “hood” opens on a four-link hinge that lifts it up like a saucer. That hood area is made of electrochromic glass, so one can view or hide the contents of the cabinet. The back door has a hidden compartment for an accessory box that can store a laptop or tablet for wireless charging. Lincoln also says it “detects incoming wireless content” that can be displayed on the home screen.
All of the Star creators we spoke to echoed the feeling that this is an exciting time to be a designer. The the battery The electric platform gives them the flexibility to create a new limousine wagon shape that doesn’t really exist in the current market. Naturally, that raises the question of whether Lincoln, with its long history of luxury salons, will ever return to a sedan layout.
We argued that Zephyr China market can make a great Tesla to replace. “China is forcing us to keep the sedan alive,” Lucas said, “So at least we have one in our portfolio.” While Lucas declined to say whether such a vehicle will appear in the state, it seems to imply that if market conditions in the US change, Lincoln will have a product ready.
Ultimately, the Star is just a concept, but it represents the philosophy Lincoln will follow as it makes its EV transition. The brand is expected to have a fleet of zero-emissions vehicles by 2030. We’ll have to see if there’s any space for Lincoln’s concept of luxury in the increasingly crowded luxury electric vehicle market. .
