The future of Lincoln

Lincoln MK 9 exterior details include a chrome-accented upper shoulder line, an evolution of the Lincoln grille, twin xenon gas-discharge headlamps, and prominent air vents in the fenders that are part of the structure.

At the New York Auto Show in April, Lincoln unveiled its MK 9 coupe concept, which points to the design direction of future Lincoln vehicles. According to Lincoln Design Director Gerry McGovern, "During the next several years, Lincoln will build on the design direction evident in the MK 9 through new concept and production vehicles."

Though the MK 9 is a coupe, it is a large vehicle, measuring 5260 mm (207 in) long, 1950 mm (77 in) wide, and 1423 mm (56 in) high, and has a 3095-mm (122-in) wheelbase. One of the car's most prominent Lincoln identifiers is a chrome-accented upper shoulder line that runs its entire length. At the front of the concept is an evolution of the Lincoln grille flanked by twin xenon gas-discharge headlamps. The front fenders and hood have functional air vents, with the fender outlet on each side being part of the structural sill and door-ring frame, which also acts as a mounting surface for the machined aluminum door hinges. Aluminum is also used for the door handles, which present themselves to passengers via remote control, and for the 22-in, 10-spoke wheels that are fitted with Continental 275/45 front and 295/40 rear tires.

The MK 9's front seats are cantilevered off the center console and its dashboard has etched glass instruments.

Inside the MK 9, a combination of leathers with accents of polished metal is used to create a "luxurious lounge environment." The Eames-inspired lounge-chair front seats are cantilevered off the center console to improve passenger foot space. Visual connections between exterior and interior include body-colored seat shells and horizontal chrome finishers. Navigation/telematics information is displayed on a reconfigurable screen in the center console, while gear selection is by an electronic, column-mounted paddle shifter. Innovative lighting technology is used for the center and roof consoles, which have dimmable electroluminescent light panels behind translucent metallic surfaces, and for the fiber-optic spotlights mounted in the headliner.

The Lincoln design is taking its inspiration for the MK 9 and future production vehicles from two Lincoln coupes—the 1940 Continental and the 1956 Continental Mark II—and Continental sedans and convertibles of the 1960s. Its design philosophy will be led by an interesting partnership of design, engineering, purchasing, and manufacturing. Lincoln Design, as well as Lincoln Product Development and Manufacturing, will be based in Dearborn, MI, though there will also be designers and engineering teams based at Lincoln Mercury headquarters in Irvine, CA. Lincoln Product Development, headed by Al Kammerer since July 2000, manages core engineering, powertrain strategy, and quality for current and future Lincoln vehicles. Previously, Lincolns were developed by Ford Motor Co.'s Truck and Large and Luxury Vehicle Centers and were marketed by Lincoln Mercury. In early 2001, the Wixom, MI, Assembly Plant where the Lincoln LS, Town Car, and Continental are built was formally transferred from Ford Vehicle Operations to a new Lincoln Manufacturing Organization headed by Bill Asselin. The organizational changes, combined with the creation of a dedicated design team, effectively give Lincoln greater control over its own destiny, according to Kammerer and Asselin.

- Kevin Jost

All in the Mitsubishi small-car family

Mitsubishi's new small/compact platform was kicked off with this curiously styled tall box, the Dingo, which is powered by a 1.4-L GDI engine.

Mitsubishi's platform definition is broad, covering the large breadth of its compact-vehicle spectrum. The smallest of its compact vehicles is the first from the new platform: the tall and versatile Dingo hatchback. The largest vehicle will be a minivan based on the ASX concept vehicle revealed at the 2001 Motor Show in Detroit. According to a senior Mitsubishi engineering executive, it is the powertrain configuration and chassis that provide the possibility for the platform's widening, stretching, or shrinking.

The Dingo hatchback is only 3905 mm (154 in) long and has a short, 2440-mm (96-in) wheelbase and a width within the Japanese small car value of 1.7 m. It is a tall vehicle, standing at 1630 mm (64 in). Originally, the versatile five-seat car was powered by a modest 1.4-L GDI (gasoline direct-injection) engine, driving the front wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission. The company has since added more powertrain permutations, the mainstream package being the 1.5-L GDI combined with Mitsubishi's electronically controlled CVT. The top Dingo is powered by a 1.8-L version of the GDI engine.

Mitsubishi's small Dingo was followed by the Dion, which has three-row seating.

The second vehicle from the compact platform is the Dion minivan, which seats up to seven people in three rows of seats yet still conforms to Japanese small-vehicle requirements. The Dion has a 2705-mm (107-in) wheelbase and is 4450 mm (175 in) long. The minivan is offered in front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive configurations, each powered by one of two GDI 2.0-L inline four-cylinder engines. Both engines are dual-over-head-camshaft, 16-valve types, operating on the Mitsubishi GDI principle, yet they have different internal dimensions and displacements—though both fall just short of a full 2.0 L. They produce the same power and torque: 99 kW (135 hp) and 183 N•m (135 lb•ft). This curious duplicity is dictated by the different drivetrains for the FWD and AWD systems that come from the corporate parts bins. The chassis is similar in design to the smaller Dingo's, with MacPherson strut front and multilink rear suspensions.

Next came the sedate Lancer Cedia sedan, a middle-class five-seat car featuring pleasant interior appointments and a combination of comfortable ride and vice-free handling—at a competitive price. To impart the impression of newness, the name Lancer is in smaller characters, a strategy often practiced in Japan.

The Cedia station wagon version is sportier than the sedan.

The sportier Cedia wagon followed the sedan, and is powered by a GDI 1.834-L engine putting out 96 kW (130 hp) and 177 N•m (131 lb•ft). CVT offerings are a fully automatic INVECS-III or the same transmission with a sports-mode that allows manual selection of six forward ratios. The suspension is similar in design to the Dingo's and Dion's. Measuring 4415 mm (174 in) long on a 2600-mm (102-in) wheelbase, 1695 mm (67 in) wide, and 1465 mm (58 in) tall, the Cedia, with a 1.8-L engine, is still a "small" car.

From Cedia sedan beginnings emerged the all-wheel-drive Lancer Evolution VII.

From the gentle Cedia sedan emerged the Lancer Evolution VII, the fiercest road-and-gravel rocket in Mitsubishi's car lineup (and maybe Japan's). Priced just under 3.0 million yen ($25,000), including Recaro seats, HVAC, power steering, and power windows, the Lancer Evolution represents good performance value for the money. Tommi Makinen won the world rally championship four seasons in a row (1996 to 1999) in successive generations (III to VI) of the Evolution series. The hottest road version of the VI was named after the Flying Finn. Mitsubishi is now developing its next-generation World Rally Championship competitor for Makinen based on the new VII.

The Evolution VII may not look as wild as its VI predecessor, but it still visually conveys its serious intent. The Evo's rear wings have gone through some interesting evolutionary processes, the VI's biplane variety with the lower V-shaped "Wicker" wing being the most exotic. The VII's single wing is larger and thicker, adjustable to four attack angles, and exerts as much downforce without incurring much more drag, according to a Mitsubishi aerodynamist.

The Evolution VII interior has four seats that securely hold their occupants in place.

The sedan has grown half a size larger over its predecessor, with its exterior dimensions determined by function and exceeding the small-car limit. It is 4455 mm (175 in) long on a unique 2625-mm (103-in) wheelbase, 25 mm (1 in) longer than the Cedia sedan and 115 mm (4.5 in) longer than the VI. The width is 1770 mm (67 in), covering 1515-mm (60 in) front and rear tracks, and overall height is 1450 mm (57 in). Its full four-seat accommodation is intact, while a fifth passenger may ride in the rear seat for shorter trips. The unitary steel body shell is heavily reinforced for serious rally work, though its mass increase has been held to a minimum by the use of light alloy, including aluminum hood and front fenders. The road-going GSR has a mass of 1400 kg (3090 lb), while the stripped, meant-for-competition RS version (skinnier tires on steel wheels, which will be thrown away anyway, and no air) gets down to 1320 kg (2910 lb).

The Evolution VII is an amalgamation of tried, competition-proven, and refined components and the latest in drivetrain and chassis technologies. The former includes the 4G63 turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-L inline four-cylinder engine whose origin goes back to the Galant VR-4 all-wheel-drive sedan of the early '90s. Mitsubishi found the mid-size sedan a bit of handful and too heavy to stay competitive in the World Rally Championship series, so it switched to the new and smaller Lancer sedan, a twin to the Mirage. The 4G63 engine and all-wheel-drive system were transplanted into the Lancer sedan, giving birth to the Evolution I in 1992.

The Evolution VII has a turbocharged DOHC 16-valve 2.0-L engine with this large-volume intercooler.

The 4G63 engine has an 85.0-mm (3.35-in) bore and 88.0-mm (3.46-in) stroke, for a displacement of 1.997 L. The cylinder block is a sturdy cast iron design, an established practice for all Mitsubishi engines. (The sole exception is a GDI 4.5-L V8. However, its aluminum block is cast by Hyundai, Mitsubishi's partner in a large luxury sedan/limousine joint development and production venture. Mitsubishi's version, the Proudia, has been discontinued.) Twin contra-rotating balance shafts are housed within the block. The latest 4G63 has been given a number of refinements, freer intake and exhaust systems, and weight reduction measures, including a cast-magnesium cylinder head cover, hollow camshafts, and aluminum induction piping.

The powertrain of Mitsubishi's Evolution VII is mounted transversely, driving all wheels by the combination of two advanced, electronically controlled torque-split-and-transfer systems.

The turbocharger is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' TDO5HR-16GS6 with a reduced turbine nozzle area from 1.62 to 1.52 in² (10.5 to 9.8 cm²) to shift the torque band to the low- and mid-speed ranges. The engine produces more than 350 N•m (258 lb•ft) over the wide 2750-5500 rpm, peaking at 383 N•m (282 lb•ft) at 3500 rpm on an 8.8:1 compression ratio. The turbine for the road-going GSR is made of Inconel, while that of the RS competition model is of titanium-aluminum alloy. The turbocharger's maximum boost is raised from the Evolution VI's 104 to 107 kPa (15.1 to 15.5 psi).

The air-to-air intercooler is additionally cooled by water spray from triple nozzles that may be manually or automatically activated. In the latter mode, when coolant temperature exceeds 105°C (220°F) with vehicle speed over 100 km/h (62 mph), water is sprayed for 2 s at 0.5 s intervals. The Evolution VII's maximum power is quoted at 206 kW (280 hp) at 6500 rpm—by no means an indication of the engine's potential, but dictated by the Japanese industry's self-imposed constraint.

Advanced Evolution VII drivetrain components include an electronically active center differential and an active yaw control rear differential unit.

The transmission is a reinforced version of Mitsubishi's five-speed manual unit. The powertrain is mounted transversely, driving all wheels by the combination of two advanced, electronically controlled torque-split-and-transfer systems.

The active center differential (ACD) is an electronically controlled mechanical unit with a hydraulically actuated multi-plate mechanism; the previous center differential had a viscous-coupling limiter unit (VCU). The center differential's standard torque split ratio is 50/50. A multi-steel-plate clutch allows an increase in the limiting device's binding capacity to 1000 N•m (738 lb•ft) from the VCU's 300 N•m (221 lb•ft). On full acceleration, the ACD locks the center differential to almost direct 4WD, while the quick application of steering lock almost fully loosens up the differential. The driver may choose one of three ACD operating modes: Tarmac, Gravel, and Snow.

With active yaw control (AYC), torque application can be varied between left and right wheels. An electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated multi-plate AYC unit is built within the rear final drive unit. A computer centrally controls the ACD and AYC. At the front, a helical-gear limited-slip differential is employed.

Steering is by hydraulically assisted rack and pinion. Four large-diameter Brembo front four-pot and rear two-pot ventilated disc brakes that provide retardation are checked by the new Sports ABS, the ECU of which provides optimum ABS intervention according to wheel speed, steering wheel angle, fore/aft acceleration, and lateral acceleration sensor inputs. Aluminum alloy wheels are shod with Yokohama Advan 235/45ZR-17 tires.

The Evolution VII has MacPherson strut front and multilink rear suspensions.

In design, the suspension is similar to the bread-and-butter Cedia's with front MacPherson strut and rear multilink suspensions; however, its components and geometry are specific to the Evolution, with extensive use of mass-saving aluminum arms and links. The competition buyer can choose from various combinations of drivetrain and chassis options.

Between 7000 to 10,000 copies were offered for each generation of the Evolution. Mitsubishi plans to issue 10,000 of the Evolution VII, mostly to Japanese enthusiasts. The car is street-legal in Japan, meeting 2000 emissions standards, but it is unlikely to qualify for the latest American LEV and Euro IV standards.

Mitsubishi will expand the compact platform family to include an ASX-type minivan. The ASX, which stands for Active Sports Crossover, is designed "to meet the needs of tomorrow's all-purpose-vehicle buyer: smart and ergonomic packaging that allows for manageable exterior dimensions with maximized interior room." The vehicle is the largest in the compact family, measuring 4490 mm (177 in) long on a 2625-mm (103-in) wheelbase, 1780 mm (70 in) wide, and 1600 mm (63 in) tall. It is powered by a 2.4-L version of the GDI gasoline direct-injection inline four-cylinder engine, combined with the INVECS II smart four-speed automatic, and driving all wheels via a center differential fitted with a VCU.

- Jack Yamaguchi