Lincoln adds to plug-in offerings with Corsair GT

LOS ANGELES — Lincoln Motor Co. is trying to jolt sales with the addition of the Corsair Grand Touring, which it says is the first plug-in hybrid in the luxury compact crossover segment.

The Corsair GT, on sale next summer as a 2021 model, will feature a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with two electric motors. It's expected to get 266 hp and have an all-electric range of more than 25 miles and a Lincoln-first electric all-wheel-drive system.

Lincoln unveiled the vehicle Wednesday as part of the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The Grand Touring's power specs beat the estimated 250 hp and 280 pound-feet of torque for the Corsair's standard 2.0-liter engine, but they come in short of the upgraded 2.3-liter engine with a targeted 295 hp and 310 pound-feet of torque.

By positioning the Grand Touring in the middle of its Corsair lineup from a power standpoint, Lincoln is taking a different route from its other plug-in hybrid, the Aviator Grand Touring, which is that nameplate's most powerful variant. Brand officials say they're targeting a different customer with Corsair, one that skews younger and more female.

"Corsair Grand Touring taps into Lincoln's growing momentum and builds on our commitment to electrification," Joy Falotico, Lincoln's president, said in a statement. "With the addition of Corsair Grand Touring, we now have a family of SUVs that is distinctly Lincoln for every client."

Like the Aviator GT, the Corsair GT will include two new drive modes: Preserve EV and Pure EV. Preserve EV allows customers to drive only with the gasoline engine, while Pure EV mode uses only the electric motors.

The vehicle is identified as a plug-in hybrid with a blue badge in the grille and a blue nameplate on the side.

The gasoline variant of the Corsair, which replaced the MKC this year, is launching in a hyper-competitive segment that grew 30 percent in the U.S. last year, according to the Automotive News Data Center. MKC sales, in contrast, fell 3 percent.

Through the first three quarters of 2019, MKC/Corsair sales were down 5.2 percent.

All variants of the Corsair for the U.S. will be built at Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant. It also will be built in China for that market.

Lincoln declined to discuss pricing, although officials said it would likely be around $50,000.