USA TODAY International Edition
Lincoln adds a little sizzle to small SUV
MKC part of move to ‘ reinvent’ brand
Ford unveiled on Wednesday Lincoln’s entry for the hot small luxury SUV market — a key product for the effort to revive the Lincoln brand.
Ford says the MKC will go on sale next summer; pricing was not announced.
Lincoln has a good start with the redone MKZ midsize sedan this year — the first of four new vehicles Lincoln has promised by 2016 to “reinvent” the brand. The second, the MKC, now can give Lincoln momentum, or douse it.
Jim Farley, the Ford global marketing head who also oversees Lincoln, summed up in a statement what the MKC needs to do for the brand: “As a challenger luxury brand, entering this ( market) segment is a natural next step for us. MKC will do more than just compete — it will change the way people think about Lincoln.”
The new Lincoln SUV gets a new engine as an option — a 2.3- liter version of Ford’s Ecoboost turbo fourcylinder that the brand says will be rated 275 horsepower and put out a healthy 300 lb.- ft. of torque.
But the coins of the realm for premium car brands these days are high style and high technology. And Lincoln says the MKC will deliver both to get on more premium buyers’ short lists and bring new customers to Lincoln, particularly on the coasts where European and Japanese luxury brands dominate.
Showy features include a liftgate that wraps around the curvy rear and can be had with a motion- sensing, hands- free power opener similar to the optional feature on the Ford Escape. It also offers a panoramic glass roof.
Electronics include an optional THX- certified surround sound system and Ford’s Sync/ MyLincolnTouch voice- activated and 8- inch touch- screen infotainment and control system, plus traditional buttons and knobs for redundant control of the climate and audio system.
Smartphone integration includes an app — My Lincoln Mobile — that lets you start, lock, unlock and locate the MKC. It also can be used to call for help, check fluid and pressure levels and program an engine start time to warm or cool the MKC.
MKC comes standard with a 2.0- liter EcoBoost turbo four. Gas mileage estimates were not announced.
Available automated safety systems include a collision mitigation system with automatic braking, a lane- keeper warning system, blindspot alert and rear cross- traffic detection. City dwellers also can order a system for parallel parking assist.
The MKC will be built in Louisville, alongside its country cousin, the Ford Escape.
VW to offer electric Golf
Add Volkswagen to the nearly complete list of major automakers offering an electric car for at least some markets in the U. S.
The first fully electric VW — a version of the Golf compact — will be unveiled next week at the Los Angeles Auto Show and go on sale next year.
The e- Golf, as it will be known, will have a lithium- ion battery and a 115 horsepower electric motor capable of going from zero to 60 miles per hour in 10.4 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 87 mph.
The 700- pound battery is good for a range of 70 to 90 miles per charge. To make owners worry less about running out of juice, VW has an interesting roadside assistance program that will deliver the car to a nearby charger when it is within 100 miles of home. VW will also spring for a taxi ride home or to work if the driver decides not to stick around while the car recharges.
Jaguar E- Type stretch
Is it possible to improve what is probably the most iconic sports car that Jaguar ever built?
A customizing outfit in the United Kingdom will find out when it sees the reaction to its custom restoration of a 1968 Jaguar E- Type that includes a 4- inch stretch.
Purists may condemn the makeover as sacrilegious and are certain to be even more inflamed by the matching trailer: It’s the back end of another E- Type.
Classic Motor Cars Limited of Bridgnorth says it undertook the job on the left- hand- drive E- Type, Series 1, 4.2 roadster at the request of its American owner.
CMC says that it believes its stretched E- Type is how the car really should have been designed in the first place. “This is the E- Type that Jaguar Cars should have built,” says Nick Goldthorp, managing director of CMC, in a statement. “The extra space makes all the difference and actually alters the whole attitude of the car.”
Auto credit loosens
More people are taking out auto loans, and fewer are behind on payments.
Motorists owed $ 782.9 billion on auto loans in the third quarter, up $ 103 billion from a year ago, Experian Automotive says in a report. That’s the highest since it started keeping track seven years ago. Experian also found that 30- day auto loan delinquencies were at 2.58% in the third quarter compared with 2.67% the year before. That’s a 3.4% drop.
“The combination of higher loan balances and relatively flat loan delinquencies is good news for everyone connected to the automotive industry, including consumers, lenders, retailers and manufacturers,” said Melinda Zabritski, senior director of Automotive Lending for Experian Automotive, in a statement.
One trend encourages another. Experian says not only do low delinquencies encourage more lending, more lending encourages more buying — lifting consumers, lenders, the auto industry all at the same time.
Special Honda Ridgeline
Honda continues to tend its Ridgeline pickup, this time by adding a Special Edition.
The $ 38,335 model is mainly a cosmetic package — black trim on the wheels, and around the headlights and taillights, plus Special Edition badges. The one significant hardware item is a deluxe navigation/ infotainment setup. It has leather upholstery and comes in three dedicated colors, which have fancy names but are basically black, white and silver.
The Ridgeline went on sale in March 2005 and differs from other pickups in its car- like construction and driving manners.
These have given it a cult following among some Honda loyalists, but not many. The first 10 months this year, Honda’s sold just 14,807 Ridgelines, according to Autodata.