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Lincoln trumpets $129M investment, 300 new jobs in Louisville for MKC

Remember when we used to talk about how close Lincoln was to being axed and how it seemed any day now the Grim Reaper would use it as a car service back to the grave? Last time we did it was, oh, not even a month ago. What a difference 27 days makes: Ford and Lincoln are trumpeting a $129M investment in the Louisville Assembly Plant that builds the MKC.
In July the MKC was the third-best-selling Lincoln of the brand's six offerings, beat by the MKZ and - by a much smaller margin - the MKX. It has sold 2,895 units in the two months it's been on sale, which is more than half the year-to-date sales of the MKS, MKT and Navigator. It's already important, is what we're trying to say, and this is before the Chinese market gets a crack at it later this year.
The money headed to Kentucky will be joined by 300 new workers, another marker in Ford's march to create 12,000 hourly jobs in the US by next year. You can read more about it in the press release below.

2024 Lincoln Nautilus debuts with big redesign, new hybrid option

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus is bigger, flashier and packs a new hybrid powertrain option. Take a look inside this two-row midsize SUV, and you’ll notice itÂ’s rocking a totally new tech interface not seen on any other Lincoln product, too. Starting with the new exterior, the Nautilus makes its entrance with a large grille — depending on the trim you select, four distinct patterns are available. No matter the trim, a new daytime running light runs horizontally through the grille and connects with the headlights. Lincoln played it safe with the sculpting along the sides, but the door handles are newly integrated and sit at the same level as the door trim itself. Electric buttons on the inside of the pulls activate them. The rear mimics the front with a full-width taillight. Hidden exhaust outlets give the rear end a clean and uninterrupted look. Both models seen in photos are rocking 22-inch wheels, but 20-inch and 21-inch wheels will also be available. A new powertrain lineup sees a change in direction toward the greener side of things. The NautilusÂ’ base engine is still a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, but Lincoln says itÂ’s a new design, the same that youÂ’d find on the updated Lincoln Corsair. It makes 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, and itÂ’s mated up with an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard across the lineup, even for the base model. As for the upgrade engine, Lincoln dropped the twin-turbo V6 in favor of a hybrid option. The hybrid pairs a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with an electric motor and CVT. Lincoln says the total system output is 310 horsepower, and while thatÂ’s less than the 335 horses from the outgoing V6, weÂ’re not exactly heartbroken over a slight dip in power for this SUV that has almost no sporting pretenses. Lincoln tells us the hybrid system is similar to that in the Ford Maverick and Ford Escape, but features a more powerful electric motor (134 horsepower) and enhanced transmission. The utility of the Nautilus is way up versus before. Lincoln says the new Nautilus is riding on a vehicle platform not currently shared with any other Ford or Lincoln model sold here, and the idea was to end up with a much larger vehicle. With another two inches of length and two inches of width added over the outgoing model, Lincoln expanded backseat space and cargo space substantially.  Lincoln made the interior a lot more tech-forward, too.

MyFord Touch getting buttons and knobs back to counter criticisms

Ford deserves credit for being a front-runner in offering advanced infotainment technology with its Sync and MyFord Touch systems, but continued consumer complaints over its confusing touchscreen interface and capacitive controls has made the automaker relent. The Wall Street Journal reports that physical buttons and knobs for controlling tuning and volume will be coming back to Ford vehicles equipped with the controversial infotainment system.
The 2013 F-150 with MyFord Touch gives us a glimpse of what the new layout with buttons and knobs might look like, as Ford says a similar balance of touch screen capability and buttons/knobs are what's being planned for future models. And, while capacitive controls have no fans in the halls of Autoblog, many of Ford's models with MyFord Touch do have a large physical knob for adjusting volume with integrated buttons for tuning and advancing tracks, though most of those are models with the optional upgraded Sony Audio system. Lincoln models with MyLincoln Touch, however, feature only capacitive controls for all stereo and climate functions.
Despite receiving enough complaints to throw buttons and knobs back into the mix (a move that reminds us of BMW's iDrive trajectory, among others), Ford reports that Sync and MyFord Touch have still been sold on 79 percent of its 2013 model year vehicles, a number it claims is double the rate that Honda and Toyota are getting for their infotainment systems. Ford also states that owners who do opt for the duo of technologies are more satisfied with overall vehicle quality than those who don't have it.