Automotive/Aerospace Website eMOTION! REPORTS.com Names Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ 2006 Car of The Year

Automotive/Aerospace Website eMOTION! REPORTS.com Names Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ 2006 Car of The Year
Fourth Annual Award presented at Chicago Auto Show February 8. 2006
Chicago. – eMOTION! REPORTS.com (www.emotionreports.com) an automotive/aerospace industries research and analysis web site targeting professionals within the academic, media, corporate and government sectors, has named Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ recipient of its fourth annual 2006 Car of The Year Award.

“Once again, the Chicago Auto Show, now approaching a century of existence, is the backdrop for our award, first presented here in 2002,” says Publisher Myron Stokes, an award-winning former Newsweek, Newsweek Japan and Newsweek International correspondent. “This is the fourth year for these awards, and it is our expectation that they will garner a level of notoriety for the winners similar to that evident last year.”

Stokes notes that in this same setting, Ford received Car of the Year accolades for 2002 Thunderbird, while SUV of The Year 2003 honors went to Land Rover’s all new Range Rover, a special award for brand continuity and legacy perpetuation acknowledged as the “first in the world” and followed by the BBC’s Top Gear Magazine and Television Show, induced worldwide acknowledgement in multiple languages. “In 2005, Ford Motor Company saw fit to include our Truck of The Decade Award to 2004 F-150 on the back cover of the Ford 2005 dealer brochure; sharing this with Car and Driver, Popular Science, USA Today, AAA, Kelley Blue Book and NHTSA.

“In other arenas, we announced our first Aerospace Technological Achievement Award in 2003 and Bombardier produced a clear winner for Business Jet of The Decade in its crafting of the superlative Global Express business jet; while Boeing took top honors for the C-17 Globemaster III as Airlifter of The Decade. http://www.emotionreports.com/SUV_Award/suv_award.html
An Engineering/Design Accomplishment
Stokes says that days of discussion following assessment yielded a consensus from their team: The Lincoln Zephyr developmental group was to be congratulated for this engineering/design accomplishment.

“Their ultimate conclusions,” he further notes, “ are unmistakable in providing the following conclusions:” ‘ Although we believe that the Zephyr would have been better served as a rear wheel drive platform based vehicle -- thus rendering the vehicle closer to its namesake roots -- it is nevertheless well executed in the multiple disciplines of design, powertrain, quality and vehicular systems integration.

"We believe that balance and symmetry were the overarching concerns of the Zephyr development team, and the results are manifested in an undeniable way via the driving experience. Capable of character changes in the extreme, Zephyr reminds us of the quiet, unassuming, soft-spoken but utterly competent manservant: The loyal employee who springs into action with atypical skill and daring should circumstances warrant. In an instant, this machine segues from embracing its passengers in luxury, elegance and ride comfort, to a product built to perform, and perform well.

"No, it won’t achieve high velocities as quickly as similarly priced and targeted competitive makes, but one won’t be embarrassed, either. Besides, there are readily available performance enhancement methodologies easily applied along with forthcoming all-wheel-drive, should Lincoln decide to raise the power bar. (Note: The latter supposition, of course, has become reality; the 2007 vehicle, to be designated simply as MKZ, will raise horsepower by 29 via the new Cyclone 3.5 V-6)
“We live in a time when advanced engineering and design aesthetics designed to stir one’s emotions are a given, if not the minimum price of entry, in an extraordinarily competitive vehicle class.
‘However, Lincoln has effortlessly reached into its glorious past of providing elegant transportation to the upper crust and rock solid, V-12 motivated performance, to meld these early twentieth-century bedrock engineering design disciplines with industry shaping twenty-first century automotive and aerospace technologies. The result is a purposeful, yet unobtrusive, driving experience punctuated by a perception of symbiotic interaction amongst 3.0L VCT (variable cam timing) engine, suspension and drive train mechanicals. Moreover, it proves that luxury, robustness and pure functionality are not mutually exclusive terminologies or states of being. Suffice it to say that fragility is not to be found in the Zephyr playbook, while competence, strength, character and beauty are there with profundity.
‘We are impressed by Zephyr amidst clear evidence that every one involved in this initiative, from project lead executive to lead assembler, viewed it as a labor of love and a validation of the Lincoln Motor Car legacy, both on and off the track. And regarding the latter, we feel it important that management recognize the historical and inextricable linkage between Lincoln and motorsports by “returning” (Sydney Herbert Allard fielded a Lincoln V12-powered Allard at various races just prior to WWII) to Le Mans in 2007. And as most are aware, Cadillac, utilizing this venue, rode its high profile motorsports return to the success story it currently is.
‘Indeed, if Lincoln’s quest is to appeal to the “blue jean luxury” crowd which most certainly encompasses stellar nameplates like BMW, Audi, Porsche and Bentley, it cannot be accomplished in any meaningful way without acknowledging the power of motorsports; politely ignoring, if necessary, internal concerns of ‘concentrating on our core competency’ and other oft- repeated catch phrases.
‘To be sure, the company has done the legacy of the Zephyr proud, 70 years after its introduction based on an aerodynamically themed concept by John Tjaarda of the BBC (Briggs Body Corp) although the resurgence of the name will be short lived – its name modified to reflect the non-nomenclature brand designation strategy for 2007 as MKZ. We acknowledge this change by presenting the award as Zephyr/MKZ, an appropriate transitional name. Nevertheless, we look forward to ‘raising a glass’ to the first MKZ victory in the ultimate proving grounds of southern France…’
“I guess that pretty much says it all,” Stokes concludes. “We are pleased to present Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ with an award not only as a design and engineering accomplishment, but also as an excellent example of a revivified and revitalized spirit at Lincoln Motor Car. Also, we’d like to thank Jim Shereda, Jr. and the great folks at QMI Group of Troy, Michigan for design and provision of this award which they have done throughout the history of the program.”

Accepting the award for the Zephyr/MKZ development team and the people of Ford Motor Company was Cisco Codina, Group Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Service.
“We greatly appreciate this honor from eMOTION! REPORTS.com,” said Codina. “The 2006 Lincoln Zephyr has brought new energy and new customers into our showroom. Recognition of the engineering work that has gone into the Zephyr and the reaction from customers by this popular web site is significant to us.”
Another element of the award program is continued evaluation of the recipient vehicle on a long-term basis. “Our awards team is looking forward to spending more time with Zephyr/MKZ,” said Stokes.
Evaluation of Product

Contenders are typically reviewed by eMOTION! REPORTS.com committee consisting of engineers, designers and members of the academic and scientific community without fanfare or notification, followed by announcement of the winner. In the true spirit of “winner takes all”, there are no second places, no runners-up.

eMOTION! REPORTS.com (www.emotionreports.com) is an automotive/aerospace industries research and analysis site that targets professionals within the academic, media, corporate and government sectors. First launched in 2001 subsequent to an earlier print version, eMOTION! Magazine, it has also created an environment wherein white papers and other scholarly works such as “Super-Globalism: Strategies For Maintaining a Robust Industrial Base Through Technological, Policy and Process Improvement”; “Crisis On Asimov: A Vision of 2085” and “Quantum Parallel: The Saint-Hilaire Quasiturbine as The Basis For a Simultaneous Paradigm Shift in Vehicle Propulsion Systems”, can be presented to a broadened, yet still defined, audience. ER utilizes a dedicated server provided and maintained by Seneca Communications (www.senecacom.net) a full-service provider of advanced VoIP telecommunications solutions. John T. Chuhran: Associate Publisher; Matt Siporin, Web Editor
Copyright 2006 eMOTION! REPORTS.com/GHH, LLC

Contact Information

Myron D. Stokes

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