Four concept cars, four teams
The Lincoln Zephyr Concept was used by the premium brand to show off a production model, which will debut in China later this year. The beautiful show car was displayed at Auto Shanghai 2021 and offers a glimpse into the future of the automaker. Lincoln is currently working with the Art Center College of Design, Southern California to create a vision of what its cars could look like by 2040. But that’s just part of the story.
Lincoln global designer Kemal Curic asked four teams of artists from the Art Center to imagine not only the cars that the manufacturer will make 20 years hence but also the world where they would live and the lives for the people who would be driving them. The work involved more than drawing four vehicles. It also included the creation of a short film.
Jordan Meadows, who is a Lincoln and Art Center employee, explains that “Art Center has a reputation for great vehicle design and it’s in Hollywood.” We were searching for great narrative development, rich storytelling, and more than just vehicles. It is crucial to understand the future ecosystem where a concept vehicle will be placed.
All four designs had to be compatible with Lincoln’s Quiet Flight promise of a “beautiful, gliding human sanctuary”. However, they also had to adhere to CASE, which is an acronym for Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric. Each team was required to design a different type vehicle: a two-passenger car, a four-passenger car, and a high-riding vehicle for four or six passengers. You can see the gallery to see some of the impressive results.
Lincoln points out that the four concepts could have been presented to Ford and Lincoln executives in more traditional times. However, due to coronavirus-related limitations, the teams were forced to meet online with instructors and execs. Jim Farley, Joy Falotico and Hau Thai-Tang joined the conversation as did other execs like Moray Callum, Michael Sprague and Moray Callum.