Lincoln MKX
TLincoln MKX (pronounced
"Mark X") is a crossover SUV made
by Ford's Lincoln marque. It's expected to
replace the Explorer-based Aviator in 2007.
The MKX will be built alongside the related
Ford Edge at Oakville Assembly in Oakville,
Ontario, Canada, the first Lincoln built in
Canada since 1936.
It
is the first vehicle to use Lincoln's new
naming convention, which eliminates names
in favor of the European-inspired sets of
letters and/or numbers. The MKX was originally
named "Aviator", but the name
was changed shortly before the 2006 North
American International Auto Show [1]. In
2004 Lincoln had previously shown another
"Mark X" concept vehicle, based
on the Ford Thunderbird with a retractable
roof
MKX's main competitors
will be Cadillac SRX, Acura MDX, Lexus RX
and BMW X5.
The Lincoln MKX (codename
U388) is expected for 2007. It will use
the CD3 platform, shared with the Ford Edge
and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ. It will be produced
at Ford's Oakville Assembly plant in Oakville,
Ontario, Canada along with the similar Ford
Edge. The new MKX is a unibody construction
crossover SUV rather than a truck-based
body-on-frame SUV like its predecessor,
the Lincoln Aviator.
The
Edge and MKX will be the first vehicles
to use Ford's 3.5 L Duratec 35 V6 engine.
This new engine produces 250 hp (186 kW)
and 240 ft·lbf (325 N·m) and
is mated to the new 6F six-speed automatic
transmission co-developed with General Motors.
