There’s a great chance we’ll all be seeing the first every luxury hybrid in the Lincoln line-up, the Lincoln MKZ hybrid. The said model is said to be unveiled at the coming 2010 New York Auto Show.

As of now, here are some of the numbers: 2.5-liter, 156-horsepower 4-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor; 191 total horsepower and 136 lb-ft of torque; and fuel economy at 41 mpg in city driving and 26 mpg in highway driving.

According to reports, the said hybrid model will have the same platform as the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Mercury Milan Hybrid.

[Sources: egmCarTech]

[Photo: Jalopnik]

Automobile Magazine reported Ford’s plan to devote one of the 10 slots for its compact car architecture to Mercury. The automaker is said to be planning to manufacture 10 models out of its C-car platform, but the list of the 10 models is not yet complete. There’s one thing for sure, though: one of the models would be a Mercury.

This report has already been confirmed by Ford’s President of the Americas Mark Fields and by Lincoln-Mercury spokesman Mark Schirmer. The expected debut of the new model will be on the Los Angeles Auto Show later this year, and its sale will be by early next year.

Hopefully, this move will help the Mercury brand spring back to life after quite a long time of inactivity.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

[Photo: PickupTrucks.com]

If you don’t want it, well we do!—or so say the Mexicans about Lincoln’s Mark LT. Despite being a failure here in U.S., the reason it had been removed from Lincoln’s line-up, the said high-end truck has been witnessing great sales in Mexico. Lincoln spokesperson Mark Schirmer told PickupTrucks.com that the said model has already sold more than 6,000 units since it was introduced there way back in 2005.

With all these developments, the brand is set to offer the 2010 Mark LT to the Mexican market next month.

The Lincoln Mark LT features the following:

• 310-horsepower, 5.4-liter V8 engine
• Towing capacity of 10,000 lbs
• Hauling capacity of up to 1,695 lbs
• Choice between 5.5 and 6.5 feet truck bed

In the interior, one of the most interesting features of the Mark LT is the lighting in its cupholders. This is on top of other luxurious features like its leather seats.

Ford just can’t get enough with its Lincoln MKZ. Not satisfied with the car’s already luxurious features, it now packs more luxury in the said model with the new Lincoln MKZ Executive Appearance Package. This package highlights genuine walnut wood appointments (in dark charcoal or cashmere color) like its Genuine Swirl Walnut wood instrument panel accents and Genuine Swirl Walnut wood console.

Other features are the following:

• Luxury leather-trimmed seats
• Unique door trim with stitching
• Unique console armrest insert
• Premium front and rear floor mats with the Lincoln star
• Five exterior color choices: Tuxedo Black, White Platinum, Brilliant Silver, Sterling Gray, and Sangria Red

The Lincoln MKZ Executive Appearance Package will be available in the late summer.

Click here for the complete Press Release from Ford.

Now that the fuss about bankruptcy, bailout, and building more hybrid vehicles is intensifying, more and more brilliant and unique ideas are emerging to offer solutions to the industry’s problems. One of the boldest, I must say, is that of Neil Young (yup, the singer).

Young has produced an electric car out of an old 1959 Lincoln Mark IV Continental Convertible with the help of H-Line Conversions, Jonathan Goodwin, and the rest of the Lincvolt Team. The singer aims to prove that it is possible to convert any gas vehicle to hybrid auto using existing resources. Neil Young has even spoken of a solution that’s supposed to solve the two biggest problems that the auto industry is facing today—the industry crisis and the global warming problem. And the solution? To offer bailout to the Big Three—GM, Ford, and Chrysler—ONLY IF they agree “to create automobiles that do not contribute to global warming.”¹

And how would that be done? Young proposes building what he calls Transitions Rollers, vehicles without engine and automobiles which uses re-power kits to turn them into self charging electric vehicles (SCEV) with up to 100 mpg capability. Nice? Great! Who wouldn’t love a vehicle like this?

• No more fuel needed to run a car, which means no more expenses on gas
• No more global warming and pollution, which means cleaner air and better health

But the very big question remains—is this possible? And even more, is 100 mpg even attainable, considering the various factors that affect driving and power consumption like vehicle size, drag, load, etc?

Young believes it is possible, and he even entered the Lincvolt in the Progressive Automotive X-Price competition, a competition devoted to finding the perfect car that “balances ultra-high gas mileage, performance, and affordability.”² The competition will begin in 2009, and I’m one of those greatly hoping that this will pave the way to greener vehicles.

And the Lincvolt? Will it save the crisis and begin the new era of hybrid autos? I hope that Neil Young and the Lincvolt team will find the technology that will support their 100 mpg SCEV. We are all in dire need of that right now.

NOTE: Photos and descriptions courtesy of Lincvolt.Com