Car Throttle

FINALLY.  The friggin' Buick Encore is here.  All my dreams and prayers have been answered, I'm so excited I can hardly...

...oh, sorry, got caught up in Auto Show mode there.  I'm just glad we don't have to deal with teaser images of a small SUV any more.  Look, I love auto show season.  Even after years of this, it still gets my blood going - who doesn't like seeing new stuff for the first time?  But not everything that comes out at the auto shows are worth an entire article.  Thus, Car Throttle News Bites: Detroit Auto Show Edition.  If you missed the earlier coverage, you can find it under the Detroit 2012 Category.

Speaking of that

In Part 1 of this article, I covered 5 recent sales failures of the automotive world.  This time we dive into some more odd, idiotic, or just misjudged cars.  Onto the list... 5) Lincoln Blackwood

Luxury Pickup Truck.  That should be a contradictory term.  Pickup trucks are made to haul things, do work, go off-road: these are not luxurious attributes.  A Luxury Pickup Truck is a fairly stupid idea.  Yet, ask Cadillac: people buy stupid.  In their case, Escalade EXT's: an Escalade with a pickup bed.  Considering this is just a Chevrolet Avalanche (admittedly a pretty clever, if ugly, pickup truck) with some Cadillac trim glued on and a larger price tag, they sell quite a lot of them.  Sales were their highest in

We are a big fan of Ford's EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6 engine here at CarThrottle. It does duty in a variety of cars, and ones that we've tested like the Ford Flex EcoBoost, Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKT. We thought the MKT was an impressive and appealing entry into the luxury crossover segment for Lincoln. For the 2012 model year, the MKT is about to get even more appealing, thanks to a reduction in price. For 2012, the all-wheel drive EcoBoost MKT starts at just $46,295. That is the same price as last year's all-wheel drive 3.7-liter V-6 model. Apparently, the take rate on the 3.7-liter with AWD was quite low. For 2012, that model has been discontinued in favor of the

Whilst sister brand Ford has been enjoying a renaissance in the marketplace recently, Lincoln has repositioned itself and tried to project a new image. There is no doubt that the brand has struggled to find an identity - its last real hit product was the LS. Ford left that car to stagnate without any new development. There never seemed to be a concerted effort by Ford to give the brand the resources it needed to truly compete. In recent times, the lack of resources behind Lincoln has had less to do with will and more to do with ability - the cash crunch caused Ford Motor Company to focus resources on the Ford brand. For Lincoln, the lineup recently moved to a different naming scheme and vehicles based off of Ford models.

Ford has had quite a past few months for product and overall progress. Ford Fusion has received the Car of the Year award from Motor Trend, the production Fiesta was introduced as well as other new things like the return of the 5.0-liter Mustang. Now at the North American International Auto Show, fresh of Car and Truck of the Year wins with the Fusion and Transit Connect, Ford turns its attention to the Lincoln brand with the new 2011 Lincoln MKX. This is update is what is known as a Mid-Cycle Refresh (MCE). The MKX is getting updated significantly, with a new look to match the brand's recent direction. The MKS, MKT and MKZ show this new design philosophy from Lincoln. The look is characterized by the large

You never quite know what to expect at SEMA - there is a variety of concepts at the show that span the different segments. Lincoln in particular has a big presence at the show for a luxury automaker, with special models for the MKS, MKZ and MKT. The MKT is perhaps the most interesting of the trifecta. The MKT Crossover recently had its week stay at CarThrottle for evaluation and the results came back quite good. The Lincoln MKT Panache concept has been created by Rick Bottom, owner of Rick Bottom Designs. He fell in love with the stunning MKT Concept and decided to customize the production version after seeing it at the Chicago International Auto Show. Unlike some SEMA concepts, the modifications really work on

After the breathtaking series of events that have taken place in the economy and particularly the auto industry over the past year, it is good to get a break from it all. In particular though, the new Fiat-Chrysler partnership has been staying out of the news for the most part until recently. And, the recent news has been bad news. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said he was "surprised" at Chrysler's condition and about "how little had been done in the past 24 months." Well, no surprise - Chrysler's operations were basically shut down due to lack of cash. That puts Chrysler in a bad position while competitors Ford and General Motors release a slew of new product. As such, Marchionne is working on a new business plan

Well, while we're on the subject of crash tests - there have also been some new Top Safety Picks announced, one of which includes the 2010 Lincoln MKT. We've been covering the MKT with our CarThrottle review, and now it has one more thing to add to the list of things in it's favor - an IIHS Top Safety Pick. Unfortunately there is no IIHS images or video of the MKT test though. To get a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the IIHS, a vehicle must receive a rating of "good" in offset frontal-, side- and rear-impact evaluations as well as offering offer electronic stability control. The MKT has received the rating even after the IIHS's more stringent crash testing standards were implemented, which are supposed

Lincoln has shown signs of promise in its recent concepts and products. Certain products have come along that have proven to be hits for the brand, like the original RWD LS sedan. After meeting success with that model though, development stagnated and the car was left to wither in the marketplace. Now comes a new period for Lincoln as it refocuses its direction. The MKT is an example of that new era for Lincoln, but is it everything a Lincoln should be? Let's find out! As Executive Design Director for Ford's American brands, Peter Horbury created Lincoln's new design language and was responsible for the original MKS, MKR and MKT concepts. He also oversaw the adaptation of it to production vehicles like the MKS, updated

"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression" says the oft-quoted adage. This week, CarThrottle is spending some time with Lincoln's latest, the Lincoln MKT. First impressions are important - how does the Lincoln MKT fare? For an automotive journalist, nothing quite compares to the experience of stepping into a vehicle, turning the key (or in this case, pressing a button!) and experiencing it for yourself. There is a particular excitement in testing a new model. As such, taking delivery of the Steel Blue Lincoln MKT tester is a unique experience. Most of the vehicle tests I have conducted have been on a new entrant into the marketplace, but with the chance to see in person first. The Lincoln MKT is not