Lincoln MKT Earns 'Top Safety Pick,' Pushes New Frontier of Crash-Avoidance Technologies

Lincoln MKT Earns 'Top Safety Pick,' Pushes New Frontier of Crash-Avoidance
Technologies

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

SUMMARY:

-- The all-new 2010 Lincoln MKT three-row luxury crossover received a
"Top Safety Pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS)
-- MKT offers a high level of crash protection - including
state-of-the-art
side air bags that are designed to deploy up to 30 percent earlier
than
traditional air bag systems - while offering a segment-first, forward
collision warning system as part of Lincoln's push into new
crash-avoidance technologies
-- MKT offers an array of standard driver-awareness features - including
a
first-in-class Blind Spot Information System (BLIS(R)) with Cross
Traffic Alert (CTA)

-- Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) has more IIHS Top Safety Pick ratings
than
any other automaker and more U.S. government five-star ratings than
any
brand

CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:

The all-new 2010 Lincoln MKT three-row crossover - arriving in dealerships now
- is raising the bar not only on luxury, but also on safety after earning a
"Top Safety Pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS). To earn this designation, a vehicle must receive a rating of "good"
in offset frontal-, side- and rear-impact evaluations and offer electronic
stability control. The new MKT offers an array of standard crash-protection,
crash-avoidance and driver-awareness features, and further solidifies Ford
Motor Company's industry-leading number of Top Safety Picks.

IMAGES: Available at www.media.ford.com

DETAILS:

Lincoln is offering luxury crossover customers a fresh new choice with the
2010 Lincoln MKT, a three-row crossover that delivers the optimal blend of
distinctive design, interior spaciousness and craftsmanship, fuel economy, and
advanced driver aid and safety technologies.

The Lincoln MKT joins the two-row Lincoln MKX midsize premium crossover, the
sporty Lincoln MKS luxury sedan launched in 2008 and the midsize Lincoln MKZ
in earning coveted IIHS Top Safety Pick ratings, building on Ford Motor
Company's safety leadership.

Technology under the skin
The Lincoln MKT features an advanced structural safety system that combines
octagonal front frame rails, tunnel rails and support members that are
designed to absorb and redirect crash forces away from the passenger
compartment.

Lincoln MKT also includes Side Protection And Cabin Enhancement Architecture
(SPACE(R)) to optimize side-impact occupant protection. The SPACE system
integrates a hydroformed high-strength steel tube in the floor that runs the
width of the vehicle from B-pillar to B-pillar and reinforcements along the
rocker panels to help protect passengers in side-impact incidents.

Lincoln MKT also features Ford's enhanced Personal Safety System(TM),
combining multiple technologies to tailor the air bag package and safety belt
functions to the individual passenger and the accident circumstances. The
system can identify variables, such as severity of the crash, weight of the
individual passenger and safety belt usage to adjust air bag deployment force.

Additional Lincoln MKT safety technologies include:

-- Safety Canopy(R) is Ford's exclusive side-impact protection system
employing side curtain air bags to help protect front and outboard
rear
passengers in both rollover and side-impact crashes.
-- Belt-Minder(R), a reminder technology for driver and front seat
passenger, takes over after the initial federally required safety belt
reminder stops chiming to encourage usage of safety belts, the No. 1
life-saving device in automobiles.
-- SOS Post-Crash Alert System(TM) unlocks the vehicle doors and
activates
the horn and emergency flashers in the event air bags are deployed.

-- MyKey(TM) allows parents or other concerned owners to restrict certain
Lincoln MKT features when in the hands of a MyKey driver. MyKey
encourages safety belt usage, provides earlier low-fuel warnings,
engages applicable driver aid systems, and sounds speed chimes at
preset
levels while limiting audio system volume and top vehicle speed.

Lincoln MKT also delivers abundant driver-awareness and security technologies
including:

-- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) uses radar to detect moving vehicles
immediately ahead and modify cruising speed if necessary.
-- Collision Warning with Brake Support, enabled by ACC, provides the
driver with a "heads-up" display that flashes on the
windshield when the system senses slower moving traffic ahead. If the
driver doesn't respond, the system will pre-charge the brakes to
prepare the vehicle for a more aggressive stop to help avoid some of
the
most common rear-end accidents.
-- SecuriCode(TM) Keyless Entry Keypad uses a touch-sensitive surface
allowing the driver to enter a five-digit code to unlock the doors.
-- Adaptive Headlamps with standard High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamps
enhance nighttime visibility. Sensors monitor Lincoln MKT speed and
steering wheel input to engage headlamp movement to increase the
driver's field of vision.
-- Auto High Beams coupled with Adaptive Headlamps enhance nighttime
visibility by switching to high intensity when no other vehicles are
in
range.
-- Rain-Sensing Wipers use an optical sensing system to gauge
precipitation
and automatically activate and adjust the wipers.
-- Blind Spot Information System (BLIS(R)) with Cross Traffic Alert uses
two multiple-beam radars in the rear quarter panels (one per side) for
two different - but important - purposes. BLIS checks the defined
blind
spot zone, which is about 10 feet from the back of the bumper to the
outside mirrors. When a vehicle is detected, an amber light, in the
outside mirror of whichever side that vehicle is on, lights up. CTA
notifies the driver of impending traffic when backing out of a parking
spot and warns the driver when a vehicle is detected within three car
widths of either side of the vehicle. As with BLIS, the driver is
warned with a beep and light in the outside mirror on the side of the
traffic.
-- Rear View Camera System uses the center stack-mounted touch/navigation
screen for projection and activates upon reverse gear engagement.

-- Lincoln SYNC(R) is an award-winning voice-activated communications and
entertainment system developed by Ford and Microsoft that fully
integrates Bluetooth(R)-enabled mobile phones and digital media
players
into the vehicle. SYNC incorporates 911 Assist(TM), which can notify
a
local 911 emergency operator in the event of an air bag deployment
when
a cell phone is properly paired, turned on and connected to SYNC, and
when the vehicle has battery power.

QUOTES:

"Earning a Top Safety Pick rating is great news because the Insurance
Institute's tests are some of the most demanding conducted outside of our own
laboratories, and customers increasingly rely on them when choosing a new
vehicle."

- Sue Cischke
Group vice president of Ford Sustainability, Environment and Safety
Engineering

"The MKT's array of advanced safety technologies raises the bar for luxury
vehicles and pushes the new frontier of 'active' crash-avoidance features that
help drivers avoid or reduce the severity of accidents. In the unfortunate
event of an accident, the MKT offers a high level of crash protection,
including leading crash-safety ratings such as the IIHS Top Safety Pick."

- Steve Kozak
Chief engineer, Ford Safety Systems

"Not only is the all-new Lincoln MKT Top Safety-rated, it is packed with
standard luxury features and an array of state-of-the-art technologies, and is
unsurpassed in its segment for highway fuel economy."

- Kate Pearce
Lincoln MKT marketing manager

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn,
Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With
about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's
automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company
provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more
information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company

Wes Sherwood, +1-313-390-5660, wsherwoo@ford.com