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2011 Lincoln MKX

• The 2011 Lincoln MKX features a wide suite of new convenience features and technologies, led by the new class-exclusive MyLincoln Touch™ driver connect technology (standard) and available HD Radio™ technology with iTunes® Tagging capability, a first for the industry
• Popular conveniences such as MyKey™, Intelligent Access with Push-Button Start and Easy Fuel® are now standard
• Additional technologies – including Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Warning with Brake Support and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with Cross Traffic Alert – deliver unparalleled luxury experience

DETROIT, Jan. 12, 2010 – In addition to the launch of MyLincoln Touch driver connect technology, the 2011 Lincoln MKX adds a suite of other convenience features and technologies, several of which are not available anywhere else in the midsize luxury crossover segment.

“The 2011 Lincoln MKX is the perfect vehicle to launch MyLincoln Touch driver connect technology simply because the original version of this luxury midsize crossover already is brimming with consumer-focused features,” said Jason Mase, crossover marketing manager. “The new model offers more of the conveniences and features our customers expect and demand, including ones our competitors can’t match at any price.”

Industry-first MyLincoln Touch comes standard on every 2011 Lincoln MKX. This intuitive solution addresses the infotainment evolution, taking vehicle interior design into the realm of popular personal electronics devices such as laptop computers, mobile phones and MP3 players.

MyLincoln Touch includes two 4.2-inch configurable LCD screens in the instrument cluster as well as an 8-inch LCD touch screen in the center stack, five-way controls on the steering wheel – plus a new Media Hub with two USB 2.0 ports, video input jacks and an SD card reader.

MyLincoln perfectly complements Lincoln SYNC®, the award-winning voice-activated communications and entertainment system developed by Ford and Microsoft that fully integrates Bluetooth®-enabled mobile phones and digital media players into the vehicle. The latest generation is SYNC with Traffic, Directions & Information, which provides simple hands-free access to personalized traffic reports, precise turn-by-turn driving directions and up-to-date information including business listings, news, sports and weather.

Like the song? You can tag it
Also new on the 2011 Lincoln MKX is the world’s first implementation of iTunes Tagging in a factory-installed HD Radio receiver. With a simple push of the “TAG” button on the radio display, the song information will be stored in the radio’s memory.

Once a song is tagged, customers will dock their iPod to the SYNC system and the “tagged” song information will transfer to that iPod. Up to 100 tags on SYNC can be stored until the iPod is connected. When the iPod is then synced to iTunes, a playlist of tagged songs will appear. Customers then can preview, purchase and download tagged songs from the iTunes Store.

One significant benefit of HD Radio technology is that the sound quality of the broadcast is dramatically better because of the digital transmission – FM sounds like a CD and AM sounds like today’s FM broadcasts. And unlike analog broadcasts, digital broadcasts aren’t susceptible to interference, fadeout and other issues.

Content not found in any other competitors
New to the Lincoln MKX lineup as standard equipment is the popular MyKey programmable vehicle key. MyKey allows parents or other concerned owners to restrict certain features when in the hands of a MyKey driver. MyKey encourages safety belt usage, provides earlier low fuel warnings, engages applicable driver aid systems and sounds chimes at preset speeds while limiting audio system volume and top vehicle speed.

Other new standard content on every 2011 Lincoln MKX are remote start, Easy Fuel® Capless Fuel-Filler and Intelligent Access with Push-Button Start, which unlocks the door automatically when the driver (with key) approaches, allowing for push-button start.

Also new for the 2011 model year is the six-speed SelectShift Automatic™ transmission, which provides customers the option of a fun-to-shift manual experience.

In SelectShift mode, the transmission doesn’t second-guess the driver, giving him or her total control over gear selection and performance feel. Upshifts, for instance, are not commanded at redline, and downshifts are allowed at the lowest gear possible as defined by the engine speed.

For instance, when a lower gear is selected while descending a long downhill grade, the Lincoln MKX in SelectShift mode will hold that gear until the driver manually upshifts or returns to the fully automatic setting. To ensure safe shifting, the transmission will downshift to the lowest acceptable gear, based on a calculated maximum speed. That means if a vehicle were traveling at highway speeds, the driver could not downshift to first gear in SelectShift mode.

The innovative Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Warning with Brake Support leads the long list of available technologies for the 2011 Lincoln MKX. Adaptive Cruise Control allows the driver to set the vehicle’s speed and maintain it without using the accelerator pedal and warns the driver of a collision risk.

Collision Warning with Brake Support uses radar to detect moving vehicles ahead and warns the driver of danger with an alarm and warning light. The system also automatically pre-charges brakes and engages an electronic brake assist system to help drivers stop more quickly.

Other available features and technologies on the 2011 Lincoln MKX include:

• Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert helps detect vehicles in blind spots during normal driving as well as traffic approaching from the sides when reversing out of parking spots.
• Available entertainment-related technology includes THX®-II Certified Car Audio System. THX-II Certified Car Audio System produces sound quality comparable to a THX Certified Home Theater, delivering digital sound to the system’s 14 strategically placed speakers.
• Available Gen II ambient lighting allows drivers to choose among seven colors with five intensity settings for interior accent lighting.

  The lighting highlights the interior details but also creates a sense of equilibrium and comfort at night by softly illuminating and defining the complete interior environment. Cupholders, front door map pockets, door release handle pockets, the media bin, console bin and footwells can be highlighted with ambient lighting, adjustable in intensity to reflect – or soothe – any mood or moment.

• Other available convenience features include rear camera; adaptive HID (high-intensity discharge) headlamps, which rotate according to speed and steering inputs to allow greater visibility around turns; rain-sensing wipers, which detect moisture on the windshield and activate automatically; a new power tilt-and-telescope steering column, which sets the location of the steering wheel based on memory selection and telescopes to aid ingress/egress when the door is actuated; and a new heated steering wheel.

“The 2011 Lincoln MKX is a technology showcase with convenience and entertainment features and technologies our customers want and our competitors can’t match,” Mase said.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 200,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.