The Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] is working on a highly modular platform to underpin most of Lincoln’s next-generation lineup as well as a few Ford-badged models, and according to a new report one of the models could be an SUV reviving the Aviator nameplate. The last Lincoln Aviator bowed out of the market in 2005.
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The Truth About Cars, citing an anonymous source, is reporting that Lincoln plans to drop its unloved MKT and replace it with a new model twinned with the next Explorer, and that the new model is being referred to internally as the “Aviator”. The source also said the MKT’s Ford twin, the Flex, will also be dropped.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard about the potential new Aviator. Late last year we reported that the next Explorer and a Lincoln twin would be based on a new rear-wheel-drive platform being developed by Ford, helping to further differentiate them from the front-wheel-drive-based Edge and MKX. It was later revealed that the new platform will be a highly modular design capable of front-, rear- and all-wheel-drive applications, and that the development is being spearheaded by Lincoln’s chief Kumar Galhotra.
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Lincoln has previously confirmed that two all-new models will be added to its lineup before the end of the decade, but has been coy on what they might be. Perhaps one will be a new Aviator SUV replacing the MKT. The other is likely to be a compact model positioned below the MKZ. Sadly, the oft-rumored Mustang-based model appears to be off the table.
If accurate, we should see the new Aviator towards the end of the decade as the MKT it’s set to replace was only introduced for the 2010 model year. In the meantime, Lincoln will be busy with the launch of the new MKX, MKS-replacing Continental and an aluminum-bodied, next-generation Navigator.
