As Lincoln begins its second century of existence under Ford it’s looking to the all-electric future with an all-new Star Concept SUV. While not officially planned as a future product itself, the sleek new crossover is the ‘captivating dynamic new face’ of the future at Lincoln. It’s a vision that focuses heavily on comfort, convenience, and a constellation of next-generation features as the brand moves to electrify its entire lineup. Last year, Lincoln had its best year in terms of global sales since around the turn of the century. Now, it’s leveraging that success to plan for a future where more than half of its global volume is based on electric vehicles by the end of 2026.
To achieve that it’s going to deliver
three new fully-electric vehicles by 2025 with a fourth one to follow by the end
of 2026 and the Star Concept hints at the design and details we can expect from
those EVs. “Electrification is removing many traditional vehicle design
constraints, allowing us to reimagine what a vehicle can be,” said Ford’s new
chief designer, Anthony Lo. “The Lincoln Star is a study of experiences and
themes that push the boundaries of Lincoln design – and it’s just the start.” This
is a bold SUV that’s more cohesive and stately than many rival offerings we’ve
seen in the past few months. It also places a heavy emphasis on interior
comfort, something that Lo had alluded to in a recent interview.
Not unlike the Lucid Air, the front and
rear seat areas are divided by color in the Star Concept. The rear seats lean
into the lounge theme with wraparound styling and individual leg rests. There’s
even a beverage chiller in the back seat. Up front, a huge panoramic “coast to
coast” floating screen includes not just the infotainment but the driver
information display as well.
At the heart of the spacious interior is
the brand’s battery-electric architecture which allows designers to be more
imaginative and playful with the use of space above the battery pack itself.
According to Lincoln, the architecture uses either rear or all-wheel-drive
which is in keeping with similar vehicles at Ford. It’s not just the cabin
compartment or the exterior styling that’s interesting though. The Lincoln Star
Concept has some cool tricks up its sleeve, well, frunk and trunk in this case.
Open the rear hatch and the Star Concept has a ‘lounge mode’ which transforms
into outdoor seating.
At the front of the vehicle, the hood
itself is made of electro-chromatic glass that can change from transparent to
opaque at the push of a button. That feature allows owners to see what’s in the
main compartment of the frunk without having to open it. Additionally, there’s
a drawer below the main level of the frunk that can hold stuff that you don’t
want others to see.
While there’s no mention of it directly
from Lincoln, one image of the Star Concept shows the steering wheel folded
away and the front seats turned towards the rear. That would certainly be one
comfortable way to travel if the technology was available to do it safely. Now
we just have to wait and see how much of the Star Concept makes it to the real
world. We’re really pulling for the suicide doors.


