2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

Fresh from its roll out at this year's New York Auto Show, here we have the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. What's so special, you might ask? And yeah, I asked that too. If anything the most interesting thing about the MKZ Hybrid is that it's taking this long for FoMoCo to roll it out.

Ford has been quite plain in its admissions that it plans to offer a full line of electrified vehicles in the United States. And as such, that will apply to corporate luxury brad siblings, Lincoln. For example we have the Escape and Mariner hybrid SUVs as well as the Fusion and Milan hybrid sedans from both Ford and Lincoln.

Although there is no Lincoln counterpart, Ford also has new products such as the Transit Connect Electric and Focus Electric hitting the streets in the not-too-distant future. Building upon the success of its Fusion and Milan sister hybrids, the newest adjunct to the electrified lineup is the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.

The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid boasts fuel economy ratings of 41 miles per gallon in the city and 36 on the highway, highway efficiency being harder to get with an electric motor, hence the drop. By the time it hits the streets in around a year's time, the MKZ Hybrid will be the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in America. The MKZ Hybrid beats its nearest competitor, the Lexus HS250h, by six MPGs.

The MKZ will also cost less than the Lexus, meaning it will be a more affordable alternative for shoppers in that market segment, according to Ford. The hybrid version of the MKZ differs very little from the "standard" sedan, apart from the four-cylinder hybrid powertrain.

As one would expect, Ford is hopeful that the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid will bring more buyers into Lincoln showrooms when the car rolls onto dealer's lots this fall. But Ford strategy brings up another, almost obvious question: Why not have a hybrid option for most cars?

Think about what Ford has done (and also percolated into the Lincoln brand as well). A lot of their models, Escape, Fusion, the Transit Connect and Focus, not to mention the Lincoln Milan and Mariner, all come with either standard or hybrid drivetrains. At some point in the future, will getting a hybrid be a simple option choice, like getting a manual or automatic transmission?

Source: Autoblog