AP News, January 14th, 2008
Parts of its body are made of discarded soft-drink bottles and other waste, but you'd never know it by looking at the sleek new Lincoln MKT concept sport utility vehicle.
Ford Motor Co. was to unveil the futuristic four-seat MKT Monday at the North American International Auto Show, complete with seats borrowed from the first-class section of jetliners, a windshield that extends to the back of the roof and an electrically operated hatch instead of a trunk.
Ford calls the vehicle a "premium utility," but it's built on car underpinnings. The company says it will be light and efficient, equipped with the company's new EcoBoost turbocharged V-6 engine that has the power of a V-8 but is more efficient.
Peter Horbury, Ford's executive director of design for the Americas, stopped short of saying the concept would become a production model, but added that the Ford Flex large crossover was shown at the Detroit auto show two years ago and now is scheduled to go into production as a 2009 model.
"It's not a fantasy," Horbury said of the MKT. "It's as realistic as any production car."
Horbury, who calls the MKT the "Learjet of the road," said a third row of seats may be added if it can be done without compromising the vehicle's looks.
Currently the second-row seats have footrests that come from the bottom, and they fully recline.
The sculpted MKT is so aerodynamic it has no door handles, just buttons on the trim that open the doors.
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On the Net:
Ford Motor Co.: http://www.ford.com
