The Japanese donor car is extremely well put together too, at least for its middleclass target customer, with better perceived interior quality than some current Lincolns, the brand plans to up the quality of materials and fit and finish to compete more directly with European and Asian luxury imports. To achieve this Lincoln will design unique surface treatments with higher quality plastics, brushed aluminum and chrome accents, plus richer leather and carpeting.
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| Lincoln plans to up the quality of materials and fit and finish for the Zephyr over current Lincolns. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
"Our strategy is to put the money where it counts - on the visual parts and key touch zones," stated Paul Mascarenas, executive director-medium, large, front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive platforms, in the March edition of Ford's internal publication, Ford World.
"We also have a very clear strategy to differentiate across our three brands. To make the interiors affordable, we are driving commonality in areas the customers do not see - seat frames, instrument panel structures, switch hardware and so on," added Mascarenas.
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| The entire interior of the car captures Lincoln's classic design language. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
Specifically, the prototype Zephyr features a light-colored ambience which incorporates Harewood, an exotic wood, featuring its fine grain in a horizontal pattern across the dash, center stack and doors, as well as the chrome center of the shift knob and the hand grip area in between the steering wheel spokes.
That steering wheel speaks Lincoln's classic design language to a tee, framing gauges the domestic automaker says were inspired by "stylish wristwatches."