Mar 31st, 2010 by Ross Edwards
Ford announced this week that it will build a luxury hybrid to compete with the Lexus HS250h. For the 2011 model year, the Lincoln MKZ will be available with the four-cylinder hybrid powertrain currently available on the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, according to Autoblog.
The Lincoln MKZ hybrid will get 41 miles per gallon in the city, which is six mpg more than the Lexus HS250h. The HS250h, which is based on the Prius, is at the center of Toyota’s unintended acceleration scandal, so introducing a competitor in the entry level luxury hybrid segment isn’t a bad idea. The Lincoln MKZ outdoes the Lexus HS250h in gas mileage, and is larger than the Prius-based Lexus.
Lincoln looks poised to take over the luxury hybrid segment. Ford is the only of the American car companies with its reputation intact, and the only competition the MKZ hybrid will face is struggling with quality control issues. The only variable is price. The Lincoln MKZ will still need to undercut the Lexus’ sale price in order to convince most luxury buyers to give it a serious look.
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