While parent company Ford has already embraced EVs with the Mustang Mach-E, its luxury division Lincoln is only now signaling the dawn of an electric era. 2022 will mark the brand’s centenary and to celebrate the important milestone, the high-end American marque is going to unveil its very first electric car. It’s part of a greater plan to have four zero-emissions models on sale by the end of the decade.
Until that happens, Lincoln estimates half of its global sales will consist of EVs by 2025 before offering a fully electrified lineup by 2030. To get there, new rear- and all-wheel-drive battery-electric architectures will be developed to support the four EVs planned to arrive this decade. The first of the bunch will complement the Aviator and Corsair SUVs, which both offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Details about the new electric vehicles remain shrouded in mystery for the time being, but the adjacent teasers suggest the first of the bunch will likely be an SUV. It has a roomy interior with four individual seats and side-by-side dashboard displays. The bulge in the headliner above the front seats could be there to host screens for the rear-seat entertainment system.
Stepping outside of the vehicle, the first production Lincoln EV will get a full-width light bar at the front, flanking the company’s badge that also lights up. A panoramic roof is being confirmed by the North American company, along with a design language inspired by the stunning Zephyr Reflection concept introduced earlier this year at the Auto Shanghai 2021 in China.
The first Lincoln to do without a combustion engine will support over-the-air updates bringing improvements post-purchase. Lincoln ActiveGlide hands-free highway driving technology is also being promised, making use of cameras, radars, and driver-monitoring systems. Much like it’s the case with Ford’s BlueCruise, ActiveGlide will work on select sections of divided highways, which Lincoln refers to as Hands-Free Blue Zones.
Future models will take advantage of a newly developed digital platform based upon Google’s Android Automotive operating system and will offer a so-called Rejuvenation mode. When activated, owners “can create their own sensory environment through various display, lighting, climate, seat, massage, scent and audio settings.” The luxury marque goes on to say it’s “experimenting with digital scenting techniques, exploring how warm, pleasant scents positively affect the mood and overall well-being of passengers.”
Source: Lincoln
