Ford’s Lincoln makes play for GM-dominates big SUV market
Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln luxury brand is making a play for a General Motors stronghold, revamping the Navigator truck-based SUV so it can better compete with the Cadillac Escalade and other big GM people haulers.
On Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show, Ford is to unveil an all-new Navigator, a cushy seven- or eightseat utility vehicle with an aluminum body as it attempts to win back buyers of the big SUVs. GM says it now controls about 80 percent of the US market for large, highly profitable SUVs.
Last year, Ford showed off a silver-blue metallic Navigator concept vehicle in New York with an appearance by actor and Lincoln spokesman Matthew McConaughey. But the production version won’t have the concept’s expensive and heavy gull-wing doors or the nautical equipment stored in the back cargo area. McConaughey won’t be here either.
The new Navigator has soft yet supportive leather seats and enough space to hold adults comfortably in all three rows, company designers say. The second and third rows fold flat with the touch of a button to haul cargo.
The SUV also has a 20-speaker sound system. The revamped Navigator comes with a 3.5-Liter, twin-turbocharged V6 engine that puts out 450 horsepower. It’s mated to a new 10-speed automatic transmission, which Ford said will give it peak performance at all speeds and better fuel economy. (AP)