Lincoln News: Quiet Flight 2040, The New Luxury Lincoln of the 21st Century

[G. David Felt]

June 29th 2021 Lincoln released online via their YouTube channel the work of their latest push for luxury and the creative boundaries in transportation design. The goal was to challenge 4 teams of the ArtCenter College students in Southern California to tell a meaningful story of the future of luxury transportation.

The four teams were built with each team having a team of students from the following disciplines:

• Film
• Enterainment
• Illustrators
• Animators

The mission for each team was to envision a Lincoln vehicle of 2040 and beyond, but the world in which those vehicles would live, even the lives of the people who would drive them. Lincoln asked  just not for great looking vehicles, but a great narrative, rich storytelling and understand the ecosystem in which the concept vehicle would live.

Each team was guided by the Lincoln promise of Quiet Flight. The goal of creating ultimate sanctuary for human transportation while conforming to the company's CASE acronym of Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric.

To ensure diversity of ideas, each team was assigned a vehicle type to be represented as follows - a two passenger, a four passenger, a four passenger with elevated ride height and a six passenger vehicle.

The executive team at Lincoln was awe struck and inspired by the presentations of Quiet Flight DNA.

To quote the Lincoln press release:

Collectively, the four concepts embody a wide range of futuristic, luxurious Lincoln vehicles. From a monitor on the ArtCenter College of Design campus in Pasadena, to dozens of other monitors across the country, the animated stories came to life.

• The Lincoln Glider sedan, taking cues from classic Zephyr and Continental models, is the inspiration for a short film, “Now You Drive,” which opens with Dominic in the driver’s seat of a futuristic two-seater. The 36-year-old Lincoln designer heads into the city to pick up his father, Dolan, who is paralyzed. After storing his dad’s wheelchair in a dedicated slot in the car, Dominic says, “Dad, now you drive.” As the vehicle’s gas and brake pedals disappear into the firewall, Dolan marvels at a car smart enough to take over some of the driving duties for him – allowing him to get behind the wheel again for the first time in years.
• In “Anniversary,” a four-passenger Lincoln vehicle leverages its digital technology to enable its passengers to connect the present and the past. In celebration of their 30th wedding anniversary, Julianne and Greg set out to revisit some favorite spots from their youth. As they reminisce about the moments that bind them and re-explore the path of their relationship, their Lincoln sedan is able to access digital images of the past and display their fond memories on the dashboard.
• The future of the family SUV is envisioned in “Amongst the Stars,” with tech advances that give passengers access to features such as touch-screen windows. As astronaut Claire Boron prepares to take her first steps in space, she recalls her first close experience with the stars on a family trip to White Sands National Park. Riding in a four-seat Lincoln, she gazes through the windows and moonroof and first tastes the excitement that has come to shape her life as an explorer of the unknown.
• The film “Ensemble” imagines next-level autonomous driving, putting a group of musical artists in the cabin of a six-passenger luxury cruiser that more closely resembles a well-appointed living room. Ahead of their opening show, the six musicians find sanctuary as they glide through a bustling, fast-paced city in a self-driving vehicle that enables them to luxuriate in peace and comfort as they get ready to perform.

While the four teams delivered on the assigned challenge, they also delivered so much more by also presenting images of what they see even normal driving BEVs should be like on the inside and out. The students believe electric auto's will allow the passion of flowing designs to return in ways that have never been thought of in the last couple of decades.

Lincoln continues to strive forward as a top tier luxury auto company in the US and now with the top sales satisfaction.

Lincoln Earns Top Spot in J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction Index Study for 2020 | Lincoln Media Center

2020 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study | J.D. Power (jdpower.com)

ArtCenter College of Design Students Imagine Lincoln Quiet Flight in 2040; Push Creative Boundaries in Transportation Design | Lincoln Media Center

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[A Horse With No Name]

I like the direction this is going. 

[G. David Felt]

58 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I like the direction this is going. 

Agree, I think they have some Luxury Auto Executives that see the Future and realize they can take it to the next level of Luxury Quiet Flight!

[A Horse With No Name]

51 minutes ago, David said:

Agree, I think they have some Luxury Auto Executives that see the Future and realize they can take it to the next level of Luxury Quiet Flight!

Hell yes. 

[balthazar]

OMG…

[G. David Felt]

3 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Hell yes. 

Amazing to compare the current 2020 Navigator to the 2020 GLS and truly Navigator wins.

Exterior, Lincoln truly looks more Luxurious.

Interior, this is a tie in my book, both truly have a luxury look.

[balthazar]

GLS from the outside looks like a $40K SUV… tops. This looks twice as expensive: 
 

[G. David Felt]

33 minutes ago, balthazar said:

OMG…

In regards to the concepts or the DNA idea, GLS, Please expand your thinking. 

?

I would think you would like the 2 person sports coupe at least. Very flowing design in my book.

[balthazar]

• Can you imagine dealing with that blooming onion of corporate bullshit as a designer?? Holy crap.

• Don't care for the 'Neo-classic' coupe proportions above; they're largely terrible, not remotely production-possible and it's riding like a Jeep. This is not a future for Lincoln (or anyone).

[G. David Felt]

31 minutes ago, balthazar said:

• Can you imagine dealing with that blooming onion of corporate bullshit as a designer?? Holy crap.

• Don't care for the 'Neo-classic' coupe proportions above; they're largely terrible, not remotely production-possible and it's riding like a Jeep. This is not a future for Lincoln (or anyone).

Yup, sure can since I deal with it every day in my job. Just another day at work. LOL

I actually like the Coupe they proposed, I like the sweep to it and proportions. To me very sexy and luxury all in one.

[balthazar]

I pity you if you get the same sort of amorphous, new-age, 'envision the reimagined future' garbage as prattled on about in the first video above. 

[surreal1272]

7 hours ago, balthazar said:

I pity you if you get the same sort of amorphous, new-age, 'envision the reimagined future' garbage as prattled on about in the first video above. 

It’s called “everyone has different tastes”. 

[smk4565]

Coupe will probably never happen, maybe Lincoln gets 1 sedan.  If Lincoln had 5 SUVs and 1 sedan, the sedan would likely be the lowest seller, so the product planning people probably won’t green light a sedan unless they play to grow how many vehicles they have.  You could still do a SUV below Corsair and it would outsell any sedan, they can go above Navigator with an SUV and turn better profit than a sedan.  
 

I like sedans but most car companies don’t sadly.  

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, smk4565 said:

Coupe will probably never happen, maybe Lincoln gets 1 sedan.  If Lincoln had 5 SUVs and 1 sedan, the sedan would likely be the lowest seller, so the product planning people probably won’t green light a sedan unless they play to grow how many vehicles they have.  You could still do a SUV below Corsair and it would outsell any sedan, they can go above Navigator with an SUV and turn better profit than a sedan.  
 

I like sedans but most car companies don’t sadly.  

We know that the 4 door Zephyr BEV is coming for the brand as well as a complete series of SUVs. Once that gets done, I can see a two person coupe being done as the global platform will make it easier to offer than under ICE.

Also as Lincoln has stated, they are looking to be a profitable luxury division for those wanting the best, not a mass market for everyone brand.

They are hitting the right notes as people are buying and increasing their market share at the expense of competition.

[smk4565]

1 hour ago, David said:

We know that the 4 door Zephyr BEV is coming for the brand as well as a complete series of SUVs. Once that gets done, I can see a two person coupe being done as the global platform will make it easier to offer than under ICE.

Also as Lincoln has stated, they are looking to be a profitable luxury division for those wanting the best, not a mass market for everyone brand.

They are hitting the right notes as people are buying and increasing their market share at the expense of competition.

Coupes won’t make money though, unless it has Porsche 911 pricing scheme.  
 

If the Zephyr works really well then maybe and that’s a big maybe.  I think Zypher will go about as well as Continental did.  Also the Mustang was the worst selling Ford last quarter not counting discontinued stuff like Fusion or Focus.  Coupes are a hard business unless you have global footprint for volume and/or share the cost like Supra and Z4.

[balthazar]

1 hour ago, David said:

I can see a two person coupe being done as the global platform will make it easier to offer than under IC

How do you figure? IC or BE can go into multiple vehicles... the body construction and all the unique parts is what makes the bulk of a 'Lincoln swoopy coupe' production costs; it's no "easier' and just as expensive to build. The issue isn't motive power, it's the on-life-support coupe market.

[daves87rs]

Very interesting…….

[smk4565]

3 hours ago, balthazar said:

How do you figure? IC or BE can go into multiple vehicles... the body construction and all the unique parts is what makes the bulk of a 'Lincoln swoopy coupe' production costs; it's no "easier' and just as expensive to build. The issue isn't motive power, it's the on-life-support coupe market.

Yep.  I am thinking of a convertible as my next car since I don’t use my back seat and if not now, when, because  by 2030 there won’t be any 2 door cars left.  Which will also raise prices of used convertibles.  

[G. David Felt]

14 hours ago, smk4565 said:

Coupes won’t make money though, unless it has Porsche 911 pricing scheme.  
 

If the Zephyr works really well then maybe and that’s a big maybe.  I think Zypher will go about as well as Continental did.  Also the Mustang was the worst selling Ford last quarter not counting discontinued stuff like Fusion or Focus.  Coupes are a hard business unless you have global footprint for volume and/or share the cost like Supra and Z4.

Wrong, as a skateboard platform, it is much easier to build a coupe off the same skateboard platform and still make money on a limited production version.

14 hours ago, balthazar said:

How do you figure? IC or BE can go into multiple vehicles... the body construction and all the unique parts is what makes the bulk of a 'Lincoln swoopy coupe' production costs; it's no "easier' and just as expensive to build. The issue isn't motive power, it's the on-life-support coupe market.

Ford is using a skateboard platform and with them also in partnership with VW using the MEB global skateboard platform they should be able to build a luxury coupe or 4 door sedan on the same skateboard.

As we have all discussed, ATP on a limited production version that appeals to a limited market I can see as being very successful for Lincoln once their 4 door Zephyr sedan and SUV portfolio is out.

[balthazar]

4 hours ago, David said:

it is much easier to build a coupe off the same skateboard platform

Cost comparison data?

[G. David Felt]

53 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Cost comparison data?

Have no ide on actual cost at this time, but common sense of an engineering skateboard platform is that the auto bolting onto the skateboard is easier to have various body options than today's ICE design. That is the benefit of skateboard platform that has motors, battery pack and basic connectors is the ability to bolt on different carriages to the skateboard for more options.

[balthazar]

So; you're assuming.  

That assumption flies in the face of the mass movement away from BOF to unibody construction, which was done industry-wide to save on manufacturing costs.

There's still going to be differences in the platform for a coupe vs. a 3-row SUV, etc. Suspension, width, length, strength... it's not like the old days when they'd bolt a 2-dr sedan / 2-dr hardtop, 4-dr sedan, 4-dr hardtop, convertible and wagon to the same frame ('platform'); OEMs don't hardly build multiple bodies on the same platform anymore (sadly).

Like I alluded to; the skateboard MAY be amortized over more than one model, spreading out its costs. I get that. But the coupe body, interior, electronics (a chunk of), glass, etc would all be unique. With the super low sales of coupes, I would not be sure the skateboards amortization would support the cost of the coupe body dies, material costs, R&D, certification, etc etc vs. it's likely super low production. 

[G. David Felt]

21 minutes ago, balthazar said:

So; you're assuming.  

That assumption flies in the face of the mass movement away from BOF to unibody construction, which was done industry-wide to save on manufacturing costs.

There's still going to be differences in the platform for a coupe vs. a 3-row SUV, etc. Suspension, width, length, strength... it's not like the old days when they'd bolt a 2-dr sedan / 2-dr hardtop, 4-dr sedan, 4-dr hardtop, convertible and wagon to the same frame ('platform'); OEMs don't hardly build multiple bodies on the same platform anymore (sadly).

Like I alluded to; the skateboard MAY be amortized over more than one model, spreading out its costs. I get that. But the coupe body, interior, electronics (a chunk of), glass, etc would all be unique. With the super low sales of coupes, I would not be sure the skateboards amortization would support the cost of the coupe body dies, material costs, R&D, certification, etc etc vs. it's likely super low production. 

I am thinking that with the long hood and sloping rear deck, it would be the same skateboard as the Zephyr and so you would have that lovely long coupe auto.

[balthazar]

Re-read my post.

[smk4565]

Still have to stamp all the metal for a coupe body, have unique parts for lights, bumpers, grill, seats and interior probably won’t come from another vehicle so need to develop that too.  Hard to make money on a low volume car that isn’t expensive.  
 

Could be possible that Lincoln will build a coupe even if they lose money on it just to have a halo product.

[G. David Felt]

30 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

Still have to stamp all the metal for a coupe body, have unique parts for lights, bumpers, grill, seats and interior probably won’t come from another vehicle so need to develop that too.  Hard to make money on a low volume car that isn’t expensive.  
 

Could be possible that Lincoln will build a coupe even if they lose money on it just to have a halo product.

So then you are admitting that MB looses money on all their coupes since they are all low volume auto's with non-standard parts. Got it!

[smk4565]

12 hours ago, David said:

So then you are admitting that MB looses money on all their coupes since they are all low volume auto's with non-standard parts. Got it!

Mercedes volume is way higher than Lincoln, Mercedes coupes are mostly high dollar or something like a C-class that is a re-bodied high volume sedan.  Also Mercedes dropped SLC, S-class coupe/convertible and the C and E class coupe and convertible ate going to get merged into a CLE I assume similar to how the CLK was.  They will have CLE, SL and GT as their 2-door offerings because the market just doesn’t support more than that.