Day 2 at NAIAS: The NEW Lincoln MKX Reveal, Gaming Innovation & 2015 Trends w/ Sheryl Connelly & Mario Armstrong. #FordNAIAS

The New Lincoln MKX Reveal.

It was spectacular.

I will get into it below but first let me tell you, Day 2 at the NAIAS was extremely eventful and in the best possible way! If you missed Day 1 at the North American International Auto Show and the Ford New Car Reveal, you can see it, here.

Well, we headed off bright and early after a delicious breakfast at the Westin. We arrived at the Ford display and Behind the Blue Oval and awaited the reveal of Lincoln’s new luxury vehicle. I was super excited because there was a lot to choose from on the agenda and plenty of opportunity to learn. 

Love Games?

In the blogger’s area, there was a meet and greet with President and CEO of Ford, Mark Fields. It was nice to see him up close and personal. We had the opportunity to see him at the Lincoln reveal as well. It is refreshing to see a leader that is committed to improving, enhancing and making an object we use everyday–better.

Afterwards, we listened to Dan Greenwalt of Turn 10 Studios, Jeff Nowak of Studio 2000x and Ford Exterior Design Manager Garen Nicoghosian and heard them discuss, “The Art of Performance in Gaming.” It was very interesting and of course, if you love Forza, you’ll love seeing Ford’s vehicles in the new game. Not just seeing them, but, the chance to get behind the wheel of every car in the Ford performance vehicle lineup.

We learned that the gaming industry has inspired and pioneered technology that is used in your favorite Ford vehicles today. How awesome is that? It has helped Ford make prototypes and even aided in printing 3D parts. I find that amazing, you?

The Lincoln Motor Company Reveal.

Tailored to you.

Lincoln, to me, has always personified the word luxury. We were greeted by a full house and veiled vehicles at the Lincoln display. There was a live mini symphony playing classical music while we waited and soon enough, Mark Fields joined us along with President of Lincoln, Kumar Galohtra. The only one missing was Matthew McConaughey.

The Lincoln MKX was revealed and it is beautiful! The 5-seat SUV crossover fits perfectly between the MKZ and MKC. Lincoln truly found their voice with this gorgeous all-wheel drive SUV. It will be the first Lincoln vehicle to offer adaptive steering since it has electric power-assist steering.

Pure luxury with features that allow the seats to deflate and make entering and leaving the vehicle easier. It will say “Hello” when you approach and “Good-bye” when you walk away. If you need help parking, it will take over for you. It will pull a standard 305 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque. It has Adaptive Cruise Control and Forward Collision Warning among a few. 

Acting on Tomorrow Today.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sheryl Connelly at Piquette Plant on our first night in Detroit. She is very sweet and extremely knowledgable. She, along with NBC TODAY Show Digital Lifestyle Expert Mario Armstrong, spoke about trends in 2015. 

The trends discussed were Rally for Renegades and Rebels, Flaunting Failure, The Carryless Movement, No Strings Attached, Expanding Next to Kin, Give and Take of Privacy, Elusive Health, Escape Artists and The Many Faces of Mobility. 

I learned that over 80% of Millennials have expressed a need for online privacy and that younger people are driving more Fords. The idea of ownership has changed immensely and different priorities are placed on possessions in comparison to what baby boomers valued. These are just but a few things that I learned, they were a wealth of information.

After the talk with Sheryl and Mario, we had a delicious and healthy lunch and headed to The Rouge Factory for a full plant tour. You can see a sneak peek inside (since they don’t allow cameras) and walk the plant with me, here.

What do you think about the new Lincoln MKX?

Let me know, til then–cheers m’deres!

 
 
 
 

Note: Ford Motor Company paid for my travel and accommodations at the three-day NAIAS Digital Summit. It was not compensated in any other manner for my time. My opinions posted here are my own and have not been influenced in any way.