1990 Lincoln Bill Blass on 2040-cars

Auto blog

China-market Ford Edge spotted testing in Spain with a mystery wagon

There are a few threads to put together for this one. The U.S.-market Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus have been rumored to meet their ends during the 2023 model year; contract negotiations pointed to the Oakville Assembly Plant that that builds being converted to build five Ford electric vehicles in 2025. On top of that, we've heard years of rumors about a Ford Fusion Active wagon-esque product that would challenge the Subaru Outback and fill a perceived gap in the U.S. lineup. We're not sure what the Ford vehicles in the spy shots above are, nor were the spy photographers who caught them during hot weather testing in Spain. And we mean vehicles, plural, details like the side mirror attachment points, DRL signatures, rear bumpers and muffler orientations pointing to these being two products. Here are our guesses. One of them is almost certainly the new Ford Edge that will debut soon for the Chinese market (above and below). Motor1 saw that the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published photos of that country's newest Edge in two configurations, a lesser trim that can seat five or seven, and a top trim that seats seven only. The camouflaged car in the gallery above with the mirrors that mount on the door would be the same vehicle. The headlights on the China-market Edge feature the same central, stacked DRLs instead of the single lower and side DRLs of the other vehicle. The taillights are temporary units, but they match the squared vertical design of the new crossover. And the rear bumper of the Chinese Edge features the same slanted cutout in the middle, and beneath that, the same enormous muffler on the driver's side of the car. Look more closely, and one can also spot the way the sheetmetal flicks up at the C-pillar then descends to the D-pillar. Engineers tried to hide it with camo, but it's there. Ford Authority believes the other vehicle, the one with the side mirrors mounted at the base of the A-pillar, could be a new Lincoln Nautilus. Ford's Changan Hangzhou plant in China builds the Edge and its sister Lincoln product for that market. Although both are presumed to be headed for the grave here, one is clearly carrying on over there, so there's no reason to believe the other wouldn't as well.       The big mystery is whether one of these is the Ford Fusion Active. Well, a bigger mystery would be to figure out if the Fusion Active is even a thing anymore, or if we — including Ford — collectively imagined it.

NHTSA, IIHS, and 20 automakers to make auto braking standard by 2022

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and virtually every automaker in the US domestic market have announced a pact to make automatic emergency braking standard by 2022. Here's the full rundown of companies involved: BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo (not to mention the brands that fall under each automaker's respective umbrella). Like we reported yesterday, AEB will be as ubiquitous in the future as traction and stability control are today. But the thing to note here is that this is not a governmental mandate. It's truly an agreement between automakers and the government, a fact that NHTSA claims will lead to widespread adoption three years sooner than a formal rule. That fact in itself should prevent up to 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries. The agreement will come into effect in two waves. For the majority of vehicles on the road – those with gross vehicle weights below 8,500 pounds – AEB will need to be standard equipment by September 1, 2022. Vehicles between 8,501 and 10,000 pounds will have an extra three years to offer AEB. "It's an exciting time for vehicle safety. By proactively making emergency braking systems standard equipment on their vehicles, these 20 automakers will help prevent thousands of crashes and save lives," said Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said in an official statement. "It's a win for safety and a win for consumers." Read on for the official press release from NHTSA. Related Video: U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles McLEAN, Va. – The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced today a historic commitment by 20 automakers representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. auto market to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on virtually all new cars no later than NHTSA's 2022 reporting year, which begins Sept 1, 2022. Automakers making the commitment are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA.

2022 Lincoln Navigator First Drive Review | It's greener now. Literally.

Lincoln’s latest renaissance began with the Navigator, specifically the full redesign introduced four years ago. Offering far more power than the competition established a new, common concept of effortless performance throughout the Lincoln lineup, but it was the NavigatorÂ’s striking new interior design that really moved the needle and made people, including car reviewers like us, take notice. Subsequent Lincoln interiors evolved from that design and enjoyed similar praise, so it should come as no surprise that the updated 2022 Lincoln Navigator builds upon its trademark element. Frankly, itÂ’s unusual for interior design to so strongly embody a brandÂ’s identity, yet a senior Lincoln official confirmed thatÂ’s exactly what the company sought to do with the Navigator and others. The exterior would be tidy and handsome, but to really stand out in a crowded luxury field, the brand chose to instead focus on creating a bold, unique interior. Clearly inspired by LincolnÂ’s midcentury glory years, but not attempting to copy it in chintzy plastic as Lincolns of the 2000s did, the Navigator cabin continues to look nothing like those of its competitors. ItÂ’s classy, itÂ’s special and when done up in Black Label “themes,” it can be uniquely colorful as well. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. For 2022, the most colorful of themes — “Destination” and its stem-to-stern coating of oxblood red — is discontinued. Boo. Apparently, it was popular in LincolnÂ’s top market of China. Less so in the United States, so it gets ousted in favor of the new “Central Park” theme shown here. The primary element is the “Urban Green” hue with leather perforations that form the outlines of a New Yorkesque skyline. ItÂ’s exclusively paired with stunning open-pore wood embossed, in gold no less, with a map of ManhattanÂ’s grid and the titular Central Park. ItÂ’s a fitting alternative to the carryover themes of “Yacht Club” (the blue one) and “Chalet” (shades of brown and beige), plus the new “Invitation” theme that features black accented in a different gold-embossed wood for those who are less adventurous. The interiorÂ’s only noteworthy aesthetic change for 2022 is also a functional one: the 10-inch touchscreen has been replaced by a 13.2-inch widescreen unit.