Found this in Auto Week, personaly I like it. Bunch of pix attatched to post, gathered from several sources so be sure to check them out.
Click here to see the article on there site, or just read below
2004 New York: Zephyr will be entry-level Lincoln
By AMY WILSON | Automotive News
The Zephyr will be introduced with a 3.0-liter V6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Lincoln will add the Zephyr, an entry-level luxury sedan, to its lineup in late 2005.
The front-drive Lincoln, with a probable price of $30,000, will be the smallest and least expensive option in the Lincoln showroom. Executives say Lincoln will continue to sell the larger rear-drive LS, whose base price is $32,755, including the destination charge.
With the Zephyr, Lincoln marketers aim to capture younger buyers, especially those who haven't considered Lincoln in the past. Owners of vehicles such as the Acura TL, Cadillac CTS, Infiniti G35 and Lexus ES330 are target buyers.
"Success is new customers," Lincoln Mercury President Darryl Hazel said. "We have cars we can sell to the traditional customer."
Lincoln is revealing a concept version of the Zephyr on Thursday, April 8, at the New York auto show. The exterior styling of the concept vehicle is very close to the look of next year's production car, executives say.
The Zephyr will be introduced with a 3.0-liter V6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive will be available at some point after the vehicle launch. A 3.5-liter V6 engine now under development at Ford also is likely to be added after the launch.
Derived from Mazda6 underpinnings, the Zephyr is one of a trio of mid-sized sedans that Ford Motor Co. will introduce for the 2006 model year. Ford plans to produce up to 300,000 of the Ford, Mercury and Lincoln sedans annually at its plant in Hermosillo, Mexico. Officials wouldn't reveal volume targets for the Zephyr alone.
The Zephyr and its Ford and Mercury siblings are the first of up to 10 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles being developed from the Mazda6. Ford stretched the Mazda6 platform to create a roomier interior for the new sedans.
In addition to the sedans, Ford also will use the new platform, dubbed CD3, for a Ford sport wagon, the next-generation Lincoln Aviator sport wagon and for the company's next-generation minivans. About 800,000 annual units of volume are eventually planned for the CD3 platform. Ford is investing $1 billion in the CD3 program, far less than the traditional cost of bringing 10 new vehicles to market.
The Zephyr brings back a historic Lincoln nameplate. The original 1936 Zephyr was the least costly Lincoln of its time.
The company promises no naming gaffe with this sedan, a spokesman said; Ford Motor has secured the rights to use the Zephyr name.
The Zephyr's sister Ford sedan remains nameless after Ford was denied the use of the Futura name in a trademark dispute with the Pep Boys auto parts chain. Ford had announced a year ago that it would call the Ford sedan the Futura.
Click here to see the article on there site, or just read below
2004 New York: Zephyr will be entry-level Lincoln
By AMY WILSON | Automotive News
The Zephyr will be introduced with a 3.0-liter V6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Lincoln will add the Zephyr, an entry-level luxury sedan, to its lineup in late 2005.
The front-drive Lincoln, with a probable price of $30,000, will be the smallest and least expensive option in the Lincoln showroom. Executives say Lincoln will continue to sell the larger rear-drive LS, whose base price is $32,755, including the destination charge.
With the Zephyr, Lincoln marketers aim to capture younger buyers, especially those who haven't considered Lincoln in the past. Owners of vehicles such as the Acura TL, Cadillac CTS, Infiniti G35 and Lexus ES330 are target buyers.
"Success is new customers," Lincoln Mercury President Darryl Hazel said. "We have cars we can sell to the traditional customer."
Lincoln is revealing a concept version of the Zephyr on Thursday, April 8, at the New York auto show. The exterior styling of the concept vehicle is very close to the look of next year's production car, executives say.
The Zephyr will be introduced with a 3.0-liter V6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive will be available at some point after the vehicle launch. A 3.5-liter V6 engine now under development at Ford also is likely to be added after the launch.
Derived from Mazda6 underpinnings, the Zephyr is one of a trio of mid-sized sedans that Ford Motor Co. will introduce for the 2006 model year. Ford plans to produce up to 300,000 of the Ford, Mercury and Lincoln sedans annually at its plant in Hermosillo, Mexico. Officials wouldn't reveal volume targets for the Zephyr alone.
The Zephyr and its Ford and Mercury siblings are the first of up to 10 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles being developed from the Mazda6. Ford stretched the Mazda6 platform to create a roomier interior for the new sedans.
In addition to the sedans, Ford also will use the new platform, dubbed CD3, for a Ford sport wagon, the next-generation Lincoln Aviator sport wagon and for the company's next-generation minivans. About 800,000 annual units of volume are eventually planned for the CD3 platform. Ford is investing $1 billion in the CD3 program, far less than the traditional cost of bringing 10 new vehicles to market.
The Zephyr brings back a historic Lincoln nameplate. The original 1936 Zephyr was the least costly Lincoln of its time.
The company promises no naming gaffe with this sedan, a spokesman said; Ford Motor has secured the rights to use the Zephyr name.
The Zephyr's sister Ford sedan remains nameless after Ford was denied the use of the Futura name in a trademark dispute with the Pep Boys auto parts chain. Ford had announced a year ago that it would call the Ford sedan the Futura.
![[confused]](/images/smilies/confused.png "Confused [confused]")
