Lincoln unveiled an electric concept back in 2022 and seemed ready to go down the EV avenue full speed ahead. But the Star concept car never made it to production and did not preview any production model either. Now that the automaker has reevaluated its options and the market, it decided to take a step back. Furthermore, the luxury brand is pulling the brakes on EV development and is switching to the development of onboard tech.
Gone are the times when carmakers were plunging head-first into the EV-mania to attract customers but also to evade government sanctions. Like any carmaker out there, Lincoln was setting out for an all-electric lineup. We were presented with the Star SUV concept back in 2022 when the carmaker took it to the Detroit Auto Show, and it seemed to preview an entire zero-emission model series backed up by then-President Joy Falotico.
The concept car anticipated the arrival of an opponent for Cadillac's Lyric electric SUV, but the project was shelved, and a production model was never introduced. Not the Star, not any other of the three, set to be unveiled the following year. Lincoln was then marching to its target: roll out an entirely electric portfolio by 2025.
However, things have changed along the way. The brand's head honchos have reevaluated the strategy, considering the slowdown of the EV market for the past few months, and have changed their minds.
Lincoln is pulling the brakes on electric powertrain development. They are going after onboard technology development to make their vehicles more attractive to a younger clientele with financial power. That is what they did with the all-new 2025 Nautilus that they officially unveiled last week.
Photo: Lincoln
The decision aligns Lincoln's strategy with that of its parent company, Ford. The Blue Oval is now prioritizing ICE-powered models and decelerating EV production as the frenzy seems to have passed, and the demand has been declining in the past few months.
This is why Ford ramped up the production of the Bronco and reduced the number of shifts from three to only two in the production of the F-150 Lightning. Furthermore, the Mach-E electric crossover was the eighth slowest-selling car in January 2024, as reported by CarEdge.
Lincoln President Dianne Craig told the Detroit News that the carmaker is listening to what customers really need. And electric cars don't seem to be it. Technology is what attracts customers like a magnet.
That is the reason why the Lincoln Nautilus, unveiled last week, received the massive 48-inch panoramic display. The display stretches from one pillar to another and integrates both the digital instrument cluster and the touchscreen, which controls most of the functions of the car.
Photo: Lincoln
Mercedes started the large-screen frenzy back in 2016 when they introduced the dual-screen layout with the fifth-generation E-Class (W213).
"It's not just tech for tech's sake; it's very intuitive tech," Craig said in a conversation with Detroit News.
Craig explains that there will come a time when Lincoln will be ready for the transition to a zero-emission lineup. "But right now, from everything we are learning from our customers, now is not the right time for us to be making those declarations about EVs."
While the futuristic technology finds room on board the new Lincoln models, there are still turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines under the hood.
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