Lincoln, the luxury automotive brand of Ford Motor Company in the US, has unveiled its Lincoln Model L100 Concept electric vehicle (EV). This is said to reveal Lincoln’s vision for mobility in the future. It was debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where Lincoln is the featured marque as part of the brand’s 100th anniversary.
According to Lincoln, the fully-electric Model L100 Concept pushes the boundaries of Lincoln’s Quiet Flight design to create connected experiences that reimagine the ultimate vehicle sanctuary of tomorrow.
Bill Ford, Ford Motor Company executive chair, said: “Lincoln has been one of the most enduring and stylish automotive brands in the world and in many ways, it is perfectly positioned for a second century defined by great design, zero-emissions and technology-led experiences.
“Lincoln has always been special to me and my family, especially my father and my grandfather. If there is one secret to Lincoln’s longevity, it is the brand’s ability to balance its core values with a desire to innovate and create the future.”
The sleek design is aerodynamic and efficient, with a transformable space that allows the Model L100 to create a human connection in a sanctuary that is truly Lincoln. It certainly looks like a spaceship for the roads of tomorrow. This can be seen in the video below:
Joy Falotico, Lincoln president, said: “We are at a special moment in our history. Over the last 100 years, Lincoln has pioneered multiple innovations and pushed the boundaries of design that have come to define our brand as we know and love it today.
“With the Model L100 Concept, we reimagine what the Lincoln sanctuary might look like for our clients of tomorrow moving us forward to define the next chapter of the Lincoln story.”
Technology of the Future
Created as an autonomous vehicle with an intelligent driving experience, connectivity and software-driven innovations, the Model L100 Concept advances Lincoln’s vision and paves the way for the brand to rethink mobility in the future.
The Model L100 Concept uses next-generation battery cell and pack technologies, which will deliver game-changing energy density and enable efficient, structural integration by treating the entire vehicle as a system. No battery size or range have been revealed as yet.
The advanced approach will not only help deliver elegant design but also maximise the interior cabin space, giving designers new flexibility to create the signature Lincoln experience of the future.
Anthony Lo, Ford Motor Company chief design officer, said: “Concept vehicles allow us to reimagine and illustrate how new experiences can come to life with the help of advanced technologies and allow our designers more creative freedom than ever before.
“With the Model L100, we were able to push the boundaries in ways that evolve our Quiet Flight brand DNA and change the way we think about Lincoln designs of tomorrow.”
An interactive, centre console chessboard features a jewel-inspired chess piece controller that captures light and depth by redefining the vehicle controls inside the cabin. The controller replaces the traditional steering wheel in this autonomous concept vehicle, making the vehicle experience intuitive and effortless.
Driver-centric and social seating configurations allow for passenger engagement that can be tailored for the occasion. Shaping the space in ways that allow connection, the front row seats can be flipped forward to create a social setting, in which front passengers can sit across from rear passengers. The transformable environment creates a more accommodating setting, giving the feeling of a third space.
Transcending Space and Time
Tail-down, relaxed and sleek, the aero-shaped design is low to the ground, seamless and flush in its details with a K-tail execution efficient in guiding the air over the vehicle.
The elegant-looking glass roof and reverse-hinged doors are futuristic and lift giving a sense of ceremony and welcome. It also features wheel covers that help to utilise lighting and sensors to communicate motion, battery life and human presence in the vehicle.
The advanced, intuitive lighting is said to create an orchestrated symphony of lights both inside and out. These are augmented to the senses in ways that create a personalised experience for passengers.
Welcoming in a more human way, the Model L100 senses the client upon approach and enables the light symphony to follow the client around the vehicle by leveraging an advanced, artificial intelligence system and GPS sensors to curate the experience.
With accents of amethyst in recycled suede fabric, designers created the Model L100 cabin with animal-free materials and luxury alternatives. On the exterior, designers used metallic paint and frosted acrylic instead of chrome with a satin digital ceramic tricoat, highlighting a warm, soft white that transitions into cool, open-air blue.
The entire interior has been designed to create an immersive environment. The digital floor, canopy and ambient lighting all harmonise to create a personalised experience that can enhance your mood. Orchestrated like a fine-tuned symphony along with interior lighting that harmonises with sound, scent and touch, the digital floor transports passengers to the sanctuary of tomorrow.
It all sounds idyllic and looks like something most kids, both old and young, will love. Lincoln doesn’t offer any time scale as to when this might become part of its future but we don’t imagine it will be for a long time. That said, it’s good to see them pushing the envelope in the right direction.
Earlier this year, Lincoln released pictures of its Lincoln Star Concept electric vehicle. By mid-decade, Lincoln plans to deliver three new fully electric vehicles, meaning that more than half of its global volume will be zero emissions vehicles and it will add a fourth by the end of 2026.
This forms part of the company’s Ford+ programme and Ford’s investment of more than $29 billion in electrification by 2025. As part of this, Ford recently launched the all-electric F-150 Lightningto the US market.