A number of transportation design students from the ArtCenter College of Design in Southern California were recently given the task of designing a handful of Lincoln models for the year 2040.
Lincoln and the ArtCenter College of Design have a long-standing relationship and four teams of transportation design students were joined by the likes of film students, entertainment designers, illustrators, and animators to also imagine the world in which 2040 Lincoln models will live.
They ultimately came up with four different vehicles featured in this video. The first is known as the Lincoln Glider and takes inspiration from classic Lincoln Zephyr and Continental models. It is an innovative two-seater and has been imagined as fully-autonomous with pedals that can disappear into the firewall. It was also designed around the idea of being able to carry a wheelchair for those with disabilities.
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The second vehicle is featured in a short clip dubbed ‘Anniversary’ and is a four-passenger vehicle that “leverages its digital technology to enable its passengers to connect the present and the past.” One particularly interesting vehicle designed is featured in the ‘Amongst the Stars’ video and takes the form of a family SUV that features touchscreen windows that you can draw on while as well as a moonroof that maps out different constellations in the sky.
The final vehicle is a luxurious six-seat cruiser “that more closely resembles a well-appointed living room” than a normal car.
The students behind the designs would have presented the films to Ford and Lincoln executives in person but due to the pandemic, they were shown to executives including Ford chief executive Jim Farley through a Zoom call.
“ArtCenter is known for great vehicle design, and it’s in the heart of Hollywood,” global strategic design specialist for Lincoln and assistant professor at ArtCenter, Jordan Meadows, said in a statement. “More than just the vehicles themselves, we were looking for that great narrative development, that rich storytelling. It’s so important to understand the future ecosystem in which a concept vehicle will live.”