Lincoln took the wraps of their MKZ Concept to be shown tomorrow at the North American International Auto Show.

This is a styling exercise over top of what will eventually be the production version of the MKZ. At the time of this posting, no power train details have been released, but if you pick from any of Ford's larger EcoBoost 4 cylinders, the hybrid announced for the new Ford Fusion, and a V6, in front wheel and all wheel drive configurations, you'll see the general shape of things under the hood.

We'll have more for you from the Lincoln press conference tomorrow. In the meantime, dive in and dish on the press photos below.

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Love the profile, like the rear, kind of like the front. Headlight seem way to small for production. Doesn't look anything like the Fusion which is good.

Nice concept car stuff. Hope it doesn't get too diluted when it makes its way to production.

Fix the headlights! Nice other than that...

Looking closely at the photo taken from the middle of the back seat looking forward at the dash, I am shocked at how sloppily sewn the front seats are. The driver's side is especially bad, the leather cover doesn't even fit the darker backing panel, and there even appear to be spots of dirt on the piping on both front seats. How this got past the people in charge of photographing this important concept for the entire future of the Lincoln brand is beyond me. This is supposed to be hand-made to perfection, not a Friday assembly line special. Jaw-dropper.

I like the rear end of the concept. The little quarter glass is a near doppelganger for the XTS. The shoulder line recalls Lincoln strength in past designs.

Edited January 10, 201214 yr by ocnblu

That thing is really, really ugly. Especially the rear end. That is about as far away from a Lincoln as that XTS is a Cadillac.

Can't say I'm much of fan of this thing...

Interesting...I like how small the front and rear lights are, esp. the rear...the side glass profile reminds me of the 'small' Roller... one detail I don't like is the black area at the bottom of the rear window.. Lots of interesting surfaces..

The current MKZ is the entry-level model, but the article on Autoblog is claiming the wheelbase of the concept is 112... the MKS wheelbase is 112.9. Hard to tell in isolated photos, but it looks bigger than the Fusion.

Edited January 10, 201214 yr by Cubical-aka-Moltar

The rear is ugly from the side view. The headlights are going to end up much bigger in the production version which will ruin the look of the front end. I'm not a big fan of the horizontal surfaces running along the sides of the car. Its a step in the right direction but it doesn't go far enough.

oh and the rust channels on the hood remind me of the old sebring. ugly.

not feelin' it......ugh

I really like the side profile and the rear. From head on it's fine but the front 3/4 angle it screams Sonata. I hope that with it toned down (very slightly) the design will come together. The msot disapointing thing is that there are no powertrain details. I too am asuming the 2.0t will be the base, along with a hybrid option but the performance engine is the big question. Ford has a turbo v6 in the works that's in the 2.7-3.0 liter range. I was hopeing we'd see it revealed here.

The MKS is much better in person. Lincoln seems to have suffered a case of "GM Press Photos syndrome".

The MKZ Concept did, however, start smoking right in front of me.

I love it from bumper all the way through halfway between the B-Pillar and C-Pillar. Then it all falls apart in a bad way.

I think the front of the MKZ looks great. Its when you get to its bustled back the whole design starts to fall apart.

I don't see this being nearly as detailed as the concept. Sure, the styling will be different from the Ford Fusion, but once again I think once this hits production and becomes watered down it will be a case of "same old, same old."

It did, however, start smoking right in front of me.

I don't know if I should laugh or be appalled, given the sloppiness of build ocn pointed out.

The MKS is much better in person. Lincoln seems to have suffered a case of "GM Press Photos syndrome".

It did, however, start smoking right in front of me.

Hmm...don't see an ashtray or a cubby so it's probably not a case of someone dropping their ciggy...something electrical gone awry in the door?

Interesting design study. I find pieces I like about the car, but over all, I get this Jelly bean look and feel and it leaves me bland.

it was definitely electrical, the interior ambient lighting was flickering as it burned

Guess you can say this was being smoke tested for quality and failed.

Edited January 10, 201214 yr by dfelt

Press photos made the car looks bloated to me like they added a bit to much pressure to an MKZ shaped balloon, especially in the front

How many cars can I spot in this design? We have XTS rear quarter glasses with a hint of R-R, A7 roofline droop and ducktail (done infinitely better on the Audi), Volvo S80 decklid sides and top of rear quarters... jeez, this is no '61 Continental for originality.

It also shares the XTS' miniscule decklid length.

Reminds me of 1930's aerodynamic study cars updated. And the new Lincoln front... no aggression or authority whatsoever, it's like totally blah.

Fusion is more beautiful. I am even less hopeful for Lincoln after seeing this. Only thing I am rooting for is the strong, horizontal shoulder line that holds onto the '61 Continental for a familial connection. But even that droops at the tail end, it's not razor straight.

Edited January 10, 201214 yr by ocnblu

Ford seems to be really upset that they don't have Jaguar and Aston Martin and now wants every car to copy that styling. This reminds me of the XJ a lot from the side. They can style it anyway they want, it is still a Fusion, they are still dying.

The photo album is resizing the images and getting the aspect ratio screwed up. I don't think I care much for the car, but the photos make the car seem insignificant and the aspect ratio skew is really warping them.

the low-angle F3Q shot makes it look like a capsized boat. I have to say I like everything but the front.

The front end is all wrong on the car. The front end grille reminds of a 1982 Oldsmobile 88. The angle of the rear reminds me of the 1st generation Oldsmobile Aurora. I so want Lincoln to have a great turn around and compete with Cadillac and take on the world. The other issue is that quarter window in the c-pillar. Too many cars have that same window in the c-pillar theme. I never liked it, and it is over played. These cars listed below have that same theme in one variation or another. I wrote this elsewhere the other day:

Too many of these new cars have that six window design I cannot stand. Cadillac XTS has it as you know, now Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Lincoln MKZ( 2013), Nissan Altima( 2013), Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Azera, Volkswagen Passat, Buick Verano, Dodge Dart and all the Audi sedans and Chevrolet Impala have that design too. Too many of these cars are starting to look like each other and the globalization is all about saving money and appealing to the masses. What happened to style, character, distinction, and identity, looking American and history and heritage?

1982 Oldsmobile 88:

1995 Oldsmobile Aurora:

This car was already built, but MUCH slicker:

MK-R is still in my top 5 concept designs of the last decade.

That was a great concept...

If there's one car Lincoln must build, it's the MKR.

I prefer the vertical bars to the delicate, milquetoast horizontal situation they switched to. With less overall vertical height, I think the vertical motif could have stuck around. That concept is sexy, and maybe one day, One Ford will see fit to join the Falcon, Mustang and a Lincoln sport sedan on a new RWD platform.

One Ford will see fit to join the Falcon, Mustang and a Lincoln sport sedan on a new RWD platform.

Lincoln Capri? ;-)