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Lincoln to get high-end Harman Revel audio in 2015

"They've never been in autos before, and this is going to be an absolute point of differentiation for us." – Matt VanDyke Lincoln executive Matt VanDyke admits he was "moderately interested" when he heard his brand was considering a partnership with a high-end speaker company. Then he listened to the silky sound they made. "I sat there and I was blown away," he said. That may be overselling the speakers, but they do sound good – we know, we've checked 'em out. Lincoln is betting subtle enhancements – like Harman's Revel audio systems – will help the historic automotive brand appeal to a new generation of buyers. The companies announced a 10-year deal on Wednesday to place Revel speakers in Lincoln cars and trucks beginning in 2015 models. Terms were not disclosed. Though Revel is a new name, Harman has long offered a wide array of car under other brands, including Harman Kardon, Infinity and Lexicon. The partnership launches with the next-generation MKX crossover (concept version shown above), which arrives in showrooms in 2015, and the speakers will be available on other Lincoln models, too. Revel is Harman's top-of-the-line brand that's marketed to audiophiles, and its home systems can easily cost several thousand dollars or more. In Lincolns, passengers will be able to tune their Revel system to three settings: normal stereo sound; "audience," which creates concert-like acoustics; and "on-stage," which is designed to make passengers feel like they're standing among the band. Revel and Lincoln designers also collaborated on the style of the speaker grilles to integrate them into the vehicles, and the uplevel Revel system, called Ultima, will use aluminum covers. "They've never been in autos before, and this is going to be an absolute point of differentiation for us," said VanDyke, Lincoln's global director. Though Revel is a new name to the auto sector, Harman has long offered a wide array of in-car audio and infotainment systems under other brands, including Harman Kardon, Infinity and Lexicon. The Revel partnership is part of Lincoln's efforts to elevate its image and make the brand more relevant to new and younger customers. Lincoln's Black Label line, a customization and service program, will launch at 32 dealerships in six states this year, before expanding nationwide in late 2015. Additionally, Lincoln signed Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey to star in its advertisements.

Junkyard Gem: 2006 Lincoln Zephyr

The Lincoln Motor Company went all-truck for its North American offerings in the 2021 model year, announcing the death sentence for the Continental and MKZ sedans in 2020. The MKZ was the sibling to the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan (the latter car discontinued in 2011 when the entire Mercury Division got the axe), but it wasn't called the MKZ for its first model year of 2006. For that one year, it was given a name with deep resonance in the Ford Empire: Zephyr. Here's one of those cars, found in a Denver boneyard recently. Ford's first use of the Zephyr name came when Edsel Ford spearheaded the creation of the futuristic-looking Lincoln-Zephyr for the 1936 model year. The Lincoln-Zephyr packed a flathead V12 engine under its hood, which is the same engine that turned a Model A Ford into a Cadillac-passing hot rod in the 1955 Charlie Ryan song "Hot Rod Lincoln" (the better-known 1971 cover version by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen inaccurately refers to the Lincoln engine as a V8; ex-Commander Cody frontman—and Iggy Pop's high school classmate—Bill Kirchen still makes the V8 claim but he's earned the right by now). The Zephyr name disappeared from the Lincoln lineup after 1942. In 1950, Ford of Britain revived the Zephyr name for use on a Dagenham-built saloon; British Zephyr production continued through 1972, and left-hand-drive versions of the Ford Zephyr were sold in the United States from the 1952 through 1964 model years. Mercury finally got the use of the Zephyr name, for the 1978 through 1983 model years, on the Mercury-badged sibling to the Ford Fairmont. A Chinese-market midsize luxury sedan built by Changan Ford was given the Zephyr Reflection name prior to launch, but it hit showrooms last year as the Lincoln Z. So much history in the junkyard! The saga of the name change from Zephyr to MKZ didn't end with the 2007 model year, though. Members of the Lincoln top brass spent some months insisting stubbornly that the new name should be pronounced "Mark Z" (apparently in reference to the great Lincoln Mark cars of the past or perhaps the brand-new Mark LT pickup), but finally acquiesced to the "Em-Kay-Zee" pronunciation used by everybody else in the United States and the "Em-Kay-Zedd" pronunciation used by the rest of the English-speaking world. The interior of the 2006 Zephyr was quite similar to what you got inside the Fusion and Milan, but with real wood (maple or ebony) trim and standard leather.

2023 Cadillac Lyriq driven, Celestiq coming | Autoblog Podcast #736

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. JBS is fresh off the first drive of the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq, and our hosts have some thoughts about the upcoming Cadillac Celestiq. Greg has been spending time with the Lincoln Navigator. The next-generation Ford Ranger is coming, and we've got some thoughts about it. We also discuss some of the electric pickups coming our way (and some that will almost certainly not come to fruition). Finally, in this week's "Spend My Money" segment, a reader selling a Tesla Model Y, and is looking to replace it with another EV and a hybrid, with a budget of $70,000. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #736 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Driving the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq Cadillac Celestiq is coming, could cost over $300,000 Driving the 2022 Lincoln Navigator Next-gen Ford Ranger spied Electric pickup trucks in the works Spend My Money: An EV and a hybrid for under $70,000 Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: