Lincoln is in the midst of phasing out its MK nomenclature in favor of more evocative nameplates. And according to the latest, the next to be renamed will be the MKC.
Automotive News reports that the compact premium crossover will be renamed as the Corsair when it’s replaced in 2020 as a 2021 model. Essentially a more luxurious version of the Ford Kuga/Escape, the MKC is built in Kentucky atop Ford’s Global C platform (which also underpins the outgoing Focus and Transit Connect) and offers a choice of 2.0 or 2.3-liter turbo fours, driving either the front wheels or all four.
The MKC was introduced in 2014 as a 2015 model, and currently stands as its top-selling nameplate in the vital Chinese market, with its seemingly insatiable appetite for American luxury vehicles. Lincoln typically sells about 25k of them in the US each year.
Ford’s luxury division recently revealed a refreshed version of the MKC, which it’s set to start shipping to dealers in the coming months as a 2019 model. It ditches the old “waterfall” grille in favor of a new mesh one (in keeping with the brand’s latest design direction) and brings with it a slew of new technologies.
Borrowed from a type of sailing ship and WWII fighter plane, the Corsair name would fit in well alongside nameplates like Navigator, Aviator, and Nautilus (as the MKX was recently, similarly renamed). However AN notes that the name, while presented recently to dealers, could be changed before the MKC’s replacement is actually launched.
Assuming the next-generation model does indeed ditch the MKC nameplate for whatever name, that’d leave only the MKZ carrying on the old nomenclature. So don’t be surprised to see that sedan getting a new handle in the near future, too.
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