Just before the New York auto show officially gets under way, Grammy award-winning rap artist Common makes an appearance at a special Sirius Satellite Radio party. Hosted by Lincoln at the Sirius studios in New York, the event showcases the new Travel Link navigation system that includes weather, traffic, ski conditions and a new interface for the radio functions. It will soon show up in Ford and Lincoln products. But this event is really just a party, so there's little talk of sales numbers or future products -- instead, a Common performance.

We saw the nav system in action at CES earlier this year and it looks fairly impressive. Look for it to show up first in the 2009 Lincoln MKS, Ford Flex and Ford F-150. -- Brian Moody, Road Test Editor

When the new 2009 F-150 debuts next fall, don't expect to see a Lincoln variant of it, as all indications suggest that the Lincoln LT will just quietly disappear.

The problem with the LT is that there is no Avalanche-like equivalent in the huge Ford truck portfolio in which to base it on, hard to believe as it may be. I think that's very important as the Cadillac Escalade EXT is based on the Chevy Avalanche—and there are some real advantages to the Avalanche that translate quite well into a luxury pickup. Not true for the F-150, which is.... well, just too blue collar and less black tie.

Full story here.

Cadillac has been tip-toeing in the European market for some time now, but Lincoln hasn't. In fact, outside of the USA and Canada Lincoln is a non-brand.

In recent years the argument was that if Lincoln went international, it would step on Jaguar's toes, that's assuming of course if Lincoln had a credible product. But that's about to change as Ford divests its self of Jaguar. So, in this now-new, smaller and more nimble FoMoCo; and with the world now becoming a smaller neighborhood; should Lincoln think about going global with their marketing?

"I see Lincoln as having the potential to be sold in markets that value the strengths of American products, so there may be opportunities outside the U.S.," states Lewis Booth, executive vice president-Ford of Europe and the Premier Automotive Group. "Do I think it will be everywhere? No."

Full story here.

Cobo Arena was strangely under capacity during the first-of-the-day press conference for the Lincoln MKT concept. Could this be backlash after yesterday's unofficial media lockout at the Ford F-150 debut?



Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, was first to speak. "Lincoln was the fastest growing luxury brand of 2007, " he said, but without seeing some hard statistics, that claim seems tenuous. The current MKS, MKX and MKZ, Fields added, "offer a blend of performance, luxury and value that all represent a quiet confidence." He even dropped his voice slightly to emphasize the "quiet."

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We already knew Ford would begin using Sirius Travel Link but here's a look at how the system will actually work. In addition to weather forcasts you can get sports scores, movie listing and gas prices. Seveal aftermarket nav systems already offer these features - as usual, this factory installed version is better looking and well integrated into the vehicle. In this case, it's a Ford Edge - Brian Moody, Road Test Editor.

The Microsoft/Ford Sync system just became a must have safety feature. Until now, Sync was a clever and useful point of connection for digital media players and Bluetooth enabled phones - mostly fun stuff. Now, they've taken the feature well  beyond fun. Some of the details were part of a CES keynote speech featuring Microsoft's Bill Gates. 

The first, and probably most important - Sync will dial 911 should your car be involved in an accident and the airbags deploy.  Sound familiar? OnStar has emergency crash notification too but there's a difference. The Sync system makes a local 911 call through your phone, OnStar's call goes to a call center first, then they call your local emergency services. The Ford version requires no monthly fee and does not cost extra when you buy a Sync equipped car. In fact, Sync will soon be standard on all Lincoln vehicles.

Another significant improvement to Sync is a new Vehicle Health Report service. It collects data from your car, sends it to Ford through your phone, then a tech looks at it and sends you an email highlighting areas that need attention. Just like OnStar, right? Kinda, but again,  the Ford/Sync service doesn't cost extra - it will be part of Sync and is included in the $395 purchase price. Ouch! Take that OnStar.

Current owners with Sync can get the system upgraded at their local dealership.

Why no extra cost or monthly fees? Derrick Kuzak, Ford Group Vice President in charge of Global Product Development said "Value is key to all Ford brands. It doesn't make sense to charge our customers extra for this kind of service." 

Considering the price and expanded features, Sync is shaping up to be the tech bargain of the decade - Brian Moody, Road Test Editor

Are the rumors true? Is Lincoln preparing its own version of the 2009 Ford Flex? This mule recently spotted in Detroit seems to indicate that a Lincoln crossover is in the works. Obviously none of the sheetmetal on this test mule is headed for production, but that big waterfall grille is all Lincoln. And as our spy photographer pointed out, the first test mules of the Ford Flex also used Freestyle sheetmetal. We’ll see if anything shows up at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show in a couple weeks.

Motor Authority, Winding Road and Car & Driver are reporting that Lincoln may get a version of the Ford Flex.

Now why am I not surprised? After all, that's a classic Ford modus operandi: Take a successful (or not successful) Ford product and then clone it for Lincoln and/or Mercury.

So expect at a chrome-laden Flex wagon bearing Lincoln badges sometime in the near future. Let's hope they do better with this than they did with the Lincoln Blackwood, Mark LT and Aviator.

Full story here and here.

Image: Winding Road

Ford's mullet-man, Mark Fields, strode onto the stage to introduce the 2009 Lincoln MKS... and promptly called it "MKX." Oooops.

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At almost 19 feet long, it's 15 inches longer than the regular Navigator. It seats 8, the 2nd and 3rd rows fold flat, and it can haul more than 8,000 pounds.

Do you think it can compete against the Escalade ESV?

Read the Navigator L Full Test on Inside Line.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor