OMG- Lincoln Aviator (2007) revealed!!!

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[img2=left]http://www.detnews.com/pix/2005/10/27/biz/b027-avaitorsub-1005n_10-27-2005_SR9C5F0.jpg[/img2]Ford hopes bold design reinvents luxury brand
By Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News


NEW YORK -- With the launch of the Lincoln Zephyr sedan and the unveiling of the new Lincoln Aviator crossover, Ford Motor Co. has begun a reinvention of its luxury marque that is all about capturing the spirit of American achievement and optimism, albeit with an assist from a British designer and Japanese engineering.

Lincoln was once the best-selling luxury brand in the United States but has seen its sales decline amid the resurgence of General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac brand and fast-growing foreign brands.

Ford has struggled to make Lincoln relevant again but with little success. So far this year, Lincoln sales have fallen 10 percent.

"We've kind of lost our way," said Elena Ford, the company's director of North American product marketing, planning and strategy. "Product is always what brings you back."

The person in charge of designing that product is Peter Horbury, Ford's executive director of design and the man credited with giving Volvo its new strong-shouldered look.

Elena Ford -- great-great-granddaughter of Henry Ford and cousin of Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr. -- said she is counting on the British-born designer to work the same magic with Lincoln.

The first step, Horbury said, was figuring out what Lincoln means as a brand. "I think first and foremost, it's American," he said.

To Horbury, that means optimism and achievement, Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge.

"I have to find a way of translating all these positive qualities of America into sheet metal," he said, adding that the new Aviator is a good start.

Horbury said the current Aviator -- like other SUVs with their high seats and long hoods -- evokes the Conestoga wagon and the stagecoach. He said the future Aviator was designed to conjure images of fighter jocks, poised for takeoff on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Elena Ford admits all this talk about Americana can sound a little strange in a British accent, but she said the fact that Horbury is not American actually gives him a unique ability to distill the essence of this country and its culture.

"He sees things differently than we do," she said. "He got on this whole American Dream thing with me the other day. I'm like, 'I get it, I get it.'"

Officially, the Zephyr inaugurates Lincoln's new look and the Aviator underlines it.

Taken together, Horbury said, they point the way to Lincoln's future -- smaller, sleeker and more fuel-efficient. Horbury offers measured praise for the Zephyr, whose design was all but finished when he was asked to begin Lincoln's makeover 20 months ago. He's more enthusiastic about the Aviator, which he was able to put his imprint on.

Lincoln also has promised two new large sedans will be coming in the future. The new Aviator bears little resemblance to the current version -- a big, boxy SUV built on the same platform as the Ford Explorer. It's a curvy crossover based on the Japanese-built Mazda6.

Horbury said it was designed to capture the spirit of the "memorable Lincolns of old" in a thoroughly modern package.

The 2007 model will officially be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January and is expected to be in dealer showrooms next fall.

The Aviator breaks with many of Lincoln's styling cues, which Horbury found too restrictive.

"America is nothing if not diverse," Horbury said, adding that he wants to mirror that in his designs. "I don't see the reason why we have to keep the same design on every car."

He also wants to see Lincoln move into new market sectors.

"What's to say that's the smallest Lincoln of all?" Horbury asked, pointing to the Zephyr. "The design department is deeply involved, not just in how the vehicle should look, but in what the vehicle should be."

With the Zephyr shipping in volume and the introduction of the new Aviator, 2006 promises to be a big year for Lincoln.

"Next year is our growth year," said Lincoln Mercury President Al Giombetti.

Source:Detriot News
 
It looks great! I was afraid of the masked cars, that the tail lights would look nasty. Sad to see Lincoln's business decline by so much over the years, but they really shot themselves in the foot.
 
:I It is ad how low they have fallen in the past few years. But that Aviator looks pretty good. Definately nicer than that Lexus RX330 thing. And I think it looks better than the Infiniti GX35, the BMW X5 or X3, the Mercedes M class, the Saab 9X, the Landrover Freelander, the Acura MDX, and the Volvo XC70. The only SUV in the Aviators class that may come close to lookin as good is maybe the Cadillac SRX.
 
That "Thing" is a cookie cutter Rice wagon looking hunk of crap, again what in the hell is Lincoln thinking? That is a PUKEWAGON! Looks like everything else on the road. NO style, boooooooooooooooring.
 
ONEBADMK8 said:
That "Thing" is a cookie cutter Rice wagon looking hunk of crap, again what in the hell is Lincoln thinking? That is a PUKEWAGON! Looks like everything else on the road. NO style, boooooooooooooooring.

But yet people continue to buy RX330s, X5s, XC90s, and Muranos, and there ain't much difference between those previously mentioned 4. I think it will be refreshing to see a strong American competitor; if the Zephyr's interior build quality is any indication of what to expect, I think the new Aviator will do nicely.

I'[ve never liked the Caddy SRX anyhow- looks like a box with wheels, and the inside control gauge was ripped form the CTS.
 
captainalias said:
But yet people continue to buy RX330s, X5s, XC90s, and Muranos, and there ain't much difference between those previously mentioned 4. I think it will be refreshing to see a strong American competitor; if the Zephyr's interior build quality is any indication of what to expect, I think the new Aviator will do nicely.

I'[ve never liked the Caddy SRX anyhow- looks like a box with wheels, and the inside control gauge was ripped form the CTS.

I agree with ya, there!....
 
what it really boils down to is advertising. if lincoln advertises it well... it will sell. i do not know about everyone else, but i have yet to see a commerical for the zepoli. and yet in the past 3 days in a row i have seen fusion spots on t.v.
 
ONEBADMK8 said:
That "Thing" is a cookie cutter Rice wagon looking hunk of crap, again what in the hell is Lincoln thinking? That is a PUKEWAGON! Looks like everything else on the road. NO style, boooooooooooooooring.


:I
I guess if you are use to the Yuppie wagons here's your Lincoln...

I think it sucks... Not for me....
 
JoeyLincolnMK8 said:
what it really boils down to is advertising. if lincoln advertises it well... it will sell. i do not know about everyone else, but i have yet to see a commerical for the zepoli. and yet in the past 3 days in a row i have seen fusion spots on t.v.

I agree, the advertising will make or break the Aviator and Zephyr. So far, I've just seen one TV ad and some magazine inserts for the Zephyr. Look at Caddy- they expend so much to make themselves well known. And it's worth it- just look at Caddy's resugence over the years.
 
it is not only caddy. but i see more BUICK commericals on t.v than i do lincoln...lol. they need to advertise more like BMW, BENZO, and even INFINITI!
 
:I I would never buy one either, I don't like vans or SUV's. But this looks better than alot of other crossovers. And as mentioned above with the right advertising may just be what Lincoln needs to get back in the game.
 
CRAPOLLA on wheels. Hideous looks LIKE EVERYTHING else hunk of $hit. What did they do gather around smoke a bone while looking at the Lexus Brochures and said "what the hell, go with this style here"?

Its just so horrible, painfully horrible and ugly as all holy hell.

PS The Fusion is a Mazda 6 Sport...shhhhhhhhhhhhh.
 
Lincoln sponsored the Glenmoor Gathering Concours last year and I got to sit in the prototype of this vehicle. Unfortunately, it was way to small for my 6'5" frame.Won't somebody build me a large two-door sport ute, please.
 
No one will buy the new "Gayviator" unless it's under $30K. When will Detroit realize that the "beautiful" people, the yuppies, and the wealthy won't buy them becuase their "American" and too reliable?. The "beautiful" people won't buy American- they buy Eurotrash and Jap SUV's and cars that are overpriced, gas-guzzling, high-insurance rate, unrealible cars that are a mechanic's attention whore- so that they know that all the money they've been wasting on their big Kraut or Sweed POS's is money well wasted...
 
From autoblog:

3060000000051210.jpg


Above: The first official photo of the 2007 Lincoln Aviator.

Below: Lincoln Aviator Concept from the 2004 Detroit show.

3060000000051213.JPG


Not surprisingly, the production version lost the cool rear gate execution from the concept; but fortunately, its sleek overall profile has been retained. No matter how you look at it, the ‘07 Aviator is a big improvement over the current baby Navigator…and the changes goes far beyond cosmetic — the new Aviator will be largely based on the Mazda 6 whereas the old Aviator was pretty much a Explorer underneath. This car-based Lincoln midsize SUV will be powered by a twin-cam 3.5L V6 that pumps out 250 bhp and mated to 6-speed auto tranny. Can this new Aviator give the Lexus RX330 a run for its money? Will Lincoln add a hybrid version to the line-up? Only time will tell…
 
ONEBADMK8 said:
CRAPOLLA on wheels. Hideous looks LIKE EVERYTHING else hunk of $hit. What did they do gather around smoke a bone while looking at the Lexus Brochures and said "what the hell, go with this style here"?

Its just so horrible, painfully horrible and ugly as all holy hell.

PS The Fusion is a Mazda 6 Sport...shhhhhhhhhhhhh.

LMAO!!! I don't like it either.
 

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