CollinsLincoln vehicles: As part of its parent company’s new business plan, Lincoln, Ford’s luxury brand, has revealed ambitions to make its whole lineup hybrid or all-electric by 2030. The company plans to unveil its first all-electric vehicle in 2022, and by 2025, it expects 50% of its global sales to be zero-emission vehicles.
In addition, Lincoln automobiles will get a hands-free enhanced driver assistance function based on Ford’s BlueCruise technology, dubbed “ActiveGlide” by the premium brand. Google’s native Android Automotive operating system, which is being extended to “millions” of Ford vehicles the same year, will be available in new Lincoln automobiles starting in 2023.
Ford revealed its new $30 billion “Ford Plus” business plan in May, and four of Lincoln’s electric vehicles will be produced on the new flexible EV platform. The platform may be used in vehicles with all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, and it “allows [Lincoln] to reinvent the interior space, and provide the power of sanctuary in a new way for our clients,” according to John Jraiche, the company’s global director for premium cars.
Lincoln unveiled the Zephyr concept car in China in April, claiming that it provides a strong representation of the company’s future automobiles, both inside and out. It had a dashboard-spanning screen and a novel user interface called “Constellation” by Lincoln. On Wednesday, Lincoln produced a brief video showing how the new UI would look. “Designers and engineers are also experimenting with digital scenting approaches, examining how warm, pleasant scents positively affect the mood and overall well-being of passengers,” according to the business.
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Lincoln was previously collaborating on its first all-electric vehicle with Rivian, an EV startup in which Ford owns at least a 10% share. However, at the start of the epidemic last year, the luxury automaker stated that the project had been shelved. While it appeared at the time that Lincoln was still working with Rivian on another electric vehicle, the business confirmed this week that there had been a misunderstanding. Rivian is still working on a future product with Ford, but its relationship with Lincoln terminated last year.
In more immediate news, Lincoln has revealed that the 2021 Nautilus will begin receiving over-the-air software updates this summer. These will improve the Apple CarPlay experience and upgrade the onboard navigation system. The built-in Amazon Alexa personal assistant will have hands-free capability later this year with an update.
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