Lincoln Rolling Out Another New SUV in Tilt Toward Moneymakers

(Bloomberg) -- For the third year in a row, Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln luxury line will introduce a sport utility vehicle at the New York International Auto Show, as the brand continues to battle for relevancy by focusing on the big rigs American and Chinese customers increasingly covet.

Lincoln will reveal the new Corsair -- French for pirate ship -- on April 17, the company said Wednesday without providing further details. The new nameplate replaces the MKC and is the fourth new or redesigned SUV that Lincoln has introduced in the last two years, as passenger cars such as the slow-selling Continental struggle. Ford has said it’s exiting the sedan business in the U.S. to focus on higher-profit SUVs and trucks.

Lincoln’s big bet on SUVs is showing early promise. Sales of the bossy Navigator, introduced at the 2017 New York show, rose 70 percent last year, and Ford is boosting factory output. The mid-size Nautilus, which debuted at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, went on sale late last year. The three-row Aviator, unveiled at last year’s New York show, goes on sale this summer, while the Corsair is expected to be in showrooms by year’s end.

To contact the reporter on this story: Keith Naughton in Southfield, Michigan at knaughton3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Craig Trudell at ctrudell1@bloomberg.net

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