Lincoln's Navigator Concept embodies 'quiet luxury' mantra

NEW YORK -- After spending four years overhauling the core of its lineup, Lincoln is reimagining its biggest vehicle, the Navigator, as an understated, serene alternative to the high-flying Cadillac Escalade.

Lincoln last week unveiled its yacht-inspired Navigator Concept, which executives described as a "very strong" indication of the SUV that will go into production in late 2017. However, the 2018 Navigator won't come with the concept's most prominent feature: a single, upward-opening door stretching almost from wheel to wheel on each side.

"The doors won't make it. We're being quite clear about that," David Woodhouse, Lincoln's chief designer, told Automotive News. "We did it to really show off the interior."

That interior, with three rows of wide, squared-off captain's chairs that complement the Storm Blue exterior paint, is a vast departure from today's Navigator.

The instrument panel has long, horizontal lines and is free of the button clutter that pervades many vehicles today. Instead, audio and climate controls are located on floating consoles between the first two rows of seats.

The shifter buttons, stacked vertically in current Lincolns, are arranged like large piano keys below a central touch screen.

"Some of our competitors' vehicles, they're bombarding the occupants with information," said Andrew Kernahan, the Navigator's chief engineer.

The Navigator Concept is powered by a twin-turbo, 3.5-liter V-6 engine that produces more than 400 hp. Specific details and additional powertrain options will be revealed with the production version, executives said. The current Navigator is rated at 380 hp.

In front of the engine is the first application of Lincoln's new grille design on an SUV. The grille, first seen on the Continental concept a year ago, will debut in a few months on the freshened MKZ sedan.

The redesigned Navigator and its sibling, the Ford Expedition, are expected to adopt a largely aluminum body to reduce weight and improve fuel economy. Lincoln executives wouldn't discuss what materials were used in the concept's body panels or are planned for the production version.

Under a 2015 labor deal with the UAW, production of the Navigator and Expedition will continue at Ford Motor Co.'s Kentucky truck plant in Louisville, where a "major investment" has been promised.

Even up against brash rivals such as the Escalade and Land Rover Range Rover, Lincoln is sticking to the "quiet luxury" philosophy that produced the recently redesigned MKX crossover and upcoming Continental sedan.

"It feels like our competitors are in the business of scaring people," Woodhouse said. "It's a very different business that we want to be in."

Catching up to the Escalade would be a tough task for Lincoln. U.S. sales of the Escalade and Escalade ESV totaled 35,921 in 2015, triple the Navigator's volume of 11,964.

But the concept shows that Lincoln is willing to take the risks necessary to thrive again, particularly in the SUV segments that are growing globally, said Karl Brauer, senior analyst with Kelley Blue Book.

"They need to do things like this that turn it up because this brand hasn't been turned up in a long time," Brauer said. "Everyone wants a big SUV across the planet, not just in the U.S."

As with the Continental, the tastes of Chinese consumers guided designers working on the Navigator significantly, Ford Motor Co. CEO Mark Fields said.

"It had a good amount of influence," Fields said. "In China, it's also a chauffer-driven vehicle. So we spent a lot of time and attention to the rear legroom the rear amenities, the controls that you can activate from the rear of the vehicle."

Fields declined to discuss pricing but said recent Lincoln models have come in at around the same price as the outgoing versions. The current Navigator starts at $64,390, including shipping, which is about $9,500 less than the base price of the Escalade.

Lincoln's president, Kumar Galhotra, said the Navigator has "very healthy margins" and is the most recognized name among Lincolns currently in production. Its buyers are an average of 54 years old, the youngest of its six nameplates. So while it's not among Lincoln's top sellers, it plays an important role in defining the image of the brand and broadening its customer base.