2020 Corsair To Become First Lincoln Model Made In China

The all-new Lincoln Corsair compact luxury SUV has all it takes to become the brand’s best-selling model.

The company’s smallest crossover benefits from an all-new platform, attractive design, and latest tech. It will obviously be Lincoln’s most affordable SUV, allowing it to compete not only with luxury models but mainstream rivals as well.

While all these things will no doubt play in its favor, the Corsair won’t reach its full potential unless it becomes big in China, where its predecessor, the MKC, is Lincoln’s best-seller. That’s something the automaker is well aware of, and it’s, according to Autonews, starting late this year the 2020 Corsair will become the first-ever Lincoln to be built in the People’s Republic.

Only the Chinese market model will be manufactured locally, as the US-spec one will be built in Louisville, Kentucky. Lincoln is hoping the all-new Corsair will appeal to younger buyers as well as lure customers from other brands.

“It’s unapologetically Lincoln,” Joy Falotico, Lincoln’s president, said. “Corsair’s addition to the portfolio means Lincoln now has a full family of SUVs to exceed the needs of our luxury clients.”

Lower, wider, and longer than the model it replaces, the Corsair uses the same front-wheel-drive platform as the redesigned 2020 Ford Escape, with the exception of a rear integral bush suspension that’s unique to the Lincoln.

When it launches in the United States this fall, the 2020 Corsair will be available withgtwo four-cylinder gasoline engines: a standard 2.0-liter with 250 hp and 275 lb-ft (372 Nm) of torque, and an optional 2.3-liter with 280 hp and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque. Both powertrains are mated to a new eight-speed automatic transmission and are available with all-wheel drive, while later on, the Corsair will also get a plug-in hybrid variant.