The Lincoln Blackwood gets my vote as best of show at the North American International Auto Show.
Not because the hardware is particularly creative by itself - it is simply the front of a Lincoln Navigator glued to a pickup bed, albeit a fancy one.
No, the Blackwood wins for what it says about Lincoln. The brand strategists at Lincoln hit a hole in one with their definition of Lincoln's brand mission: American luxury.
Rather than go head-to-head with the international luxury kingpins - Mercedes, BMW and Lexus - Lincoln decided to give its mission a distinctly American spin.
Witness the Navigator: big, outrageous, distinctly American, with its rugged, I'm-in-charge-here attitude.
Compare that with Cadillac, which has decided to take on the big boys. A noble mission, indeed, but it is now going up against the toughest competition in the world.
Lincoln, on the other hand, has room to maneuver with 'American luxury.' This is why the Blackwood makes so much sense.
Indeed, applause at the Los Angeles and Detroit shows persuaded Ford Motor Co. to produce it.
The Blackwood boldly combines the quintessential American vehicle, the pickup, with such luxury touches as rare African hardwood.
By comparison, the Seville seems like another me-too luxury car. The Escalade is a wholly me-too vehicle, rushed to market to match the Navigator.
The difference between Lincoln and Cadillac is that Cadillac is playing by the competition's rules, trying to match a standard set by others.
Lincoln is making up its own rules, a much surer way to win.
