A couple of weeks ago, we showed you a new batch of spy photos of the 2010 Lincoln MKT--then we brought you the scoop on Ford's production plans for the new Lincoln crossover from a secret backgrounder held during the Pebble Beach Concours.

Today, WorldCarFans is showing off the latest spy shots of the MKT, with some shots of its interior. WCF says the prototype, caught in Michigan, has an MKS-style grille up front, xenon headlights, and a black-and-tan interior with a telescoping steering wheel and a big navigation screen. The 2010 MKT, they add, is being developed under the codename D472.

Ford plans to show off the MKT at the Detroit auto show. Though it's based on the architecture that also spawned the 2009 Ford Flex, the MKT doesn't share a single sheetmetal panel or interior trim piece with the Flex. The MKT will even get its own engines--either a 3.7-liter V-6 or a 3.5-liter "EcoBoost" engine, with direct injection and turbocharging, that's good for 340 horsepower. A six-speed automatic with paddle shifters will be the sole transmission.

Standard features on the MKT will include seven-passenger seating, SYNC, and a power-folding third-row seat. The latest Travel Link system from Sirius will be available, as will all-wheel drive and Ford's new Cross Traffic Alert system, which will alert drivers to obstacles when backing out of a parking space. The MKT will also offer an auto-park feature that steers the vehicle into a parallel-parking spot at the touch of a button.

Before the MKT shows up, Lincoln will pull the fabric from the revised 2010 MKZ sedan at the Los Angeles auto show.

Ford says the 2010 Lincoln MKT has the green light for production, and will be shown off at January's Detroit auto show.

The MKT is based on a concept from last year's Detroit show. A three-row crossover, the MKT is derived from the mechanical set that also spawned the 2009 Ford Flex, but Lincoln says the two vehicles don't share a single exterior panel or interior trim piece.

Lincoln previewed the MKT for TheCarConnection.com today, but photos of the production version are on embargo until the Detroit auto show in January. (The concept MKT is shown here.) However, Ford president of the Americas, Mark Fields, does confirm the MKT will get a choice of powertrains--either a 3.7-liter V-6 or a 3.5-liter "EcoBoost" engine, with direct injection and turbocharging, that's good for 340 horsepower. A six-speed automatic with paddle shifters will be the sole transmission.

Ford says the MKT will come with a raft of standard features, including seven-passenger seating with a power folding third-row seat, first and second-row heated and cooled seats, and the SYNC entertainment controller. Options will include a new-generation navigation system, Sirius Travel Link and a new Cross Traffic Alert system that alerts drivers to obstacles when backing out of a parking space. The MKT will also offer an auto-park feature that steers the vehicle into a parallel-parking spot at the touch of a button.

The 2010 Lincoln MKT will be joined in showrooms by a revamped 2010 Lincoln MKZ, which will be shown at the Los Angeles auto show in November. Fields says the MKZ will not get the hybrid powertrain coming for the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan we showed you yesterday.

 
Ford's plan for restructuring the company includes a comprehensive move into smaller crossover vehicles and European cars, and gives the evergreen Ranger yet another reprieve from the chopping block.

The plan, announced this morning by the company as it faces an $8.7 billion net loss for the second quarter--after $8 billion in one-time charges--will cut truck production at three plants and will bring over a raft of new vehicles, including a production version of the Lincoln MKT concept we showed you earlier this year, as well as a new small car for Mercury in 2010, along with the long-awaited hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans.

“We continue to take fast and decisive action implementing our plan and responding to the rapidly changing business environment,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. “Ford is moving aggressively using our global product strengths to introduce additional smaller vehicles in North America and to provide outstanding fuel economy with every new product.”

The sprawling, no-stone-unturned plan has many products moving, dying or living on--here's the official word from Ford:

• 2009 Ford F-150: the new truck goes on sale in the fall with a 7-percent fuel economy boost, Ford says


• 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ: these sedans go on sale in early 2009,; the Fusion and Milan will exceed fuel economy of four-cylinder Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords


• 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid: Ford says fuel economy will top the Toyota Camry Hybrid


• 2010 Ford Mustang: Will come in coupe, convertible, and glass-roof models starting in early 2009; TheCarConnection.com expects a Los Angeles auto show debut


• 2010 Ford Taurus: the new four-door will emerge in mid-2009 with EcoBoost engines


• 2010 Ford Transit Connect: this small multi-purpose van arrives in mid-2009


• 2010 Lincoln seven-passenger crossover: the production version of the Lincoln MKT concept arrives with a 300-hp-plus EcoBoost V-6 in mid-2009


• 2011 Ford Fiesta: built in Mexico, the new Ford Fiesta arrives in both four- and five-door versions in early 2010


• 2011 Ford Focus comes over from Europe in both four- and five-door versions in 2010


• 2011 Mercury small car: could be spawned from either the Fiesta or Focus, it in 2010; Ford confirms Mercury will stay in its lineup of brands


• 2011 European small vehicle: a “whitespace” entry in North America, Ford says, this likely is a version of Ford's European C-Max midi-van; it's due in 2010


• 2011 Ford Explorer: likely built from the Ford Taurus platform and replacing the Taurus X in nomenclature, this was previewed by the Explorer America concept from the Detroit auto show. Ford says with unibody construction, EcoBoost, six-speed, weight savings and up to 25 percent better fuel economy, the new Explorer arrives in 2010


• In addition, Ford plans to upgrade or replace all its engines in U.S. vehicles by 2010, and to offer six-speed transmissions on most of its products. Ford also plans to offer its direct-injection, turbocharged EcoBoost engines on more than 80 percent of its North American lineup by the end of 2012.


• And finally, Ford will extend the life of the Ford Ranger pickup for another two years. Its plant in Minnesota had been planned for closure next year; Ford will build the compact truck there for at least another two years.

Ford's plans are underpinned by the assumption that a U.S. economic recovery won't come for at least 18 more months; that Ford will control about 14 percent of the U.S. market with its domestic brands (Volvo not included); and that the price of oil isn't going anywhere soon.

Lincoln just let us drive its new 2009 MKS. This handsome five-passenger sedan will be in dealerships in just a few weeks. Our burning question is, Will anybody care? We ponder this sincerely, especially after talking with members of Lincoln's marketing team who told us that "Lincoln" means nothing to the MKS target audience.

This is not a positive thing for one of America's most storied brands. Past leaders of Lincoln should be ashamed. The brand's new leaders have a formidable task ahead of them.

If the market pays attentions to the MKS's arrival, it'll discover a competitive mid-lux offering that Lincoln thinks makes a good alternative to the Cadillac STS, Lexus GS, and Acura RL. We agree.

The Lincoln's distinctive styling works in its favor. The MKS is the first production Lincoln to use the division's new grille design that the company previewed on the MKS and MKT auto show concept vehicles. The winged design reaches back to Edsel Ford's 1941 Continental, and gives the newest Lincoln a welcomed bit of character that's grounded in something other than a designer's imagination.

A new 275-horsepower 3.7-liter V-6 powers the MKS. The engine is a larger version of Ford's corporate 3.5-liter engine, and it performs adequately with a high degree of smoothness and little noise or fuss. While premium fuel is required to hit the 275 mark, using regular fuel delivers a still healthy 265 horsepower with no change in fuel economy (17/24 mpg for front-wheel drive and 16/23 mpg for all-wheel drive).

The new Lincoln's six-speed automatic is seen in other Ford products such as the Edge, but has been thoroughly recalibrated for this upscale installation. In the MKS, the transmission includes a sport mode as well as manual shift capabilities. Throughout the hills of Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C., with the transmission in the sport setting, the gearbox shifted aggressively. Its performance was close to anticipatory and did an excellent job of keeping the Lincoln in the right gear at the right time—just what an automatic transmission should do.

Another bright spot for the 2009 MKS is its chassis. Gnostics know that the Lincoln is based on the current Taurus, which itself was loosely based on the Volvo S80. However, Ford just didn't plop a new body on an existing platform. The MKS features a totally new multilink rear suspension with coil-over shocks and a retuned front strut suspension, then bolts them both to a reinforced chassis that is 35 percent stiffer than the current Taurus. The resulting ride it Goldilocks taught: not too soft and not too hard, even with the optional 20-inch wheels shown on the car pictured here. Steering response is quick, and driving at street speeds, the understeer one expects from a largish front-wheel-drive sedan is totally absent. The MKS is also available with all-wheel drive.

Pricing starts at around $38,000 for a front-wheel-drive MKS without any fancy options--but including standard features as heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, SYNC, HID headlamps--and runs up to $46,000 for a decked-out all-wheel-drive edition.

Will anyone care? Is there hope for Lincoln? We hope so, but we'll have to wait and see.--Rex Roy

Lincoln seems to be heading into production with a new big crossover vehicle shown as a concept at this year's Detroit auto show.

The 2010 Lincoln MKT was spotted on a Detroit freeway, wearing a nose bra to cover its vital Lincoln bits. This was the first time our spies have seen the MKT mule at speed, engaging in some true road test work. As with its Ford Flex counterpart, this early development mule for the 2010 Lincoln MKT is using a stretched Ford Freestyle/Taurus X body. But it's all Lincoln in front of the A-pillar: witness the prominent grille peeking quite plainly through the front camouflage.

Just as Lincoln's MKS concept translated almost verbatim to the production model that is just hitting showrooms, it appears that the MKT concept's pronounced grille treatment is also destined for public consumption, almost unchanged.

There's some discussion as to whether Ford can afford to develop the production 2010 Lincoln MKT, but we expect it to be ready for sale sometime in the late spring or early summer of 2009.

Until we can confirm it, check out the rest of the 2010 Lincoln MKT spy shots, and take a gander at the gallery of MKT concept photos we showed you in January.--KGP Photography