Yahoo Autos Could Lincoln Revive the Zephyr Name for the MKZ Sedan's Replacement?
The replacement for the Lincoln MKZ sedan may adopt the Zephyr name, based on a trademark application that Lincoln has filed.
Lincoln has said that its entire lineup will eventually transition from alphanumerics to actual names.
We also suspect that this possible Lincoln Zephyr, which could arrive in 2021, may make a shift to rear-wheel-drive underpinnings along with its name change.
The debut of Lincoln's new Corsair compact SUV at the New York auto show leaves the company's MKZ sedan (pictured above) as the last car in its lineup that hasn't yet replaced its alphanumeric moniker with an actual name (well, other than the ancient Ford Flex–based MKT crossover, which is technically still part of the lineup). Based on a trademark we found, we think that the MKZ's eventual replacement may revive the Zephyr name, which has roots in both Lincoln's ancient and recent history.
While Lincoln representatives wouldn't comment on the future of the MKZ or the possibility of using the Zephyr name, the fact that this trademark was filed anew in 2016 rather than being renewed from the company's earlier trademark suggests to us that Lincoln plans to use it in the near future. Originally applied to Lincoln vehicles in the 1930s and 1940s, the Zephyr name was also briefly applied to a Ford Fusion–based Lincoln sedan in the mid-2000s before that model switched to its current MKZ nameplate.
It's possible that the new Zephyr will signify a philosophical shift along with its name change. Because the Ford Fusion on which the current MKZ is based will be ending production in the near future, we suspect (and hope) that Lincoln will forge its own path with the next generation of this sedan. We've heard rumors that it may even make the switch to Ford's rear-wheel-drive unibody architecture that's found underneath the current Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs and will likely underpin the next Ford Mustang. This would necessitate a manufacturing shift for the Lincoln sedan, which makes sense given that company has already announced that it will move production of the Transit Connect van, starting in 2021, to the Hermosillo, Mexico, plant that current builds the Fusion and MKZ. Lincoln currently builds the larger Continental sedan at its plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, which the company has also announced will build its next-generation Mustang.
The timing of these manufacturing moves may give us some indication of when we might hear more about the possible Lincoln Zephyr sedan. If we were to guess, we think Lincoln may show a concept version of the Zephyr at some point in 2020 before the production car arrives sometime in 2020. In the meantime, all we have to go on is our own wishful thinking.
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