Lincoln Promises 'Elegant' EVs, but Will They Be Visible?

Numerous observers walked away from the North American Auto Show, and more specifically Cadillac’s NAIAS Eve unveiling event, wondering whether electric crossovers are even more homogenous looking than their internal combustion brethren.

So, when Ford’s North American president, Kumar Galhotra, claims a Lincoln vehicle born of the Ford Mach E (or some similar name) will carry on the brand’s tradition of “quiet luxury,” one wonders how a vehicle without the need for a traditional grille will avoid getting lost in a sea of anonymity.

Galhotra’s comments came during his appearance at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit on Wednesday. While the unnamed Lincoln, which borrows the electric platform used by Ford’s 2020 crossover, doesn’t have a launch date, there’s no doubt it’s on the way. The exec claims it won’t resemble its Mustang-inspired Blue Oval sibling.

“You can make beautiful vehicles in different ways,” Galhotra said. “The BEV technology gives us so much freedom to sculpt that vehicle exactly how we want it. We’re going to create elegant Lincoln BEVs.”

Expect a vehicle that echoes the brand’s ethos of “understated, quiet luxury,” he added.

Why all the concern on the part of this writer? Take a gander of what we’ve seen emerge from the industry over the past couple of years. Here’s Cadillac’s vision of its upcoming EV:

Meanwhile, Chinese startup Byton hopes to get this EV to the U.S. market at some point in the near future:

While not a crossover, Lucid wants its Air to capture luxury customers, too:

Infiniti’s QX Inspiration concept heralds a production crossover in the brand’s electrified future:

Further down the price ladder, EV crossovers (both planned and in production) from Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Kia also took an eraser to their front ends.

While Hyundai and Kia’s EVs get a pass due to the existence of pre-existing ICE Konas and Niros, ground-up creations — with some exceptions — prefer to trumpet their greenness with deleted grilles. And what’s Lincoln’s most prominent design cue?

It’s even harder to make a crossover stand out from its competition when there’s no need to fill front-end real estate with a massive portal, meaning Lincoln’s designers will have their work cut out for them. Too quiet, and Lincoln won’t be heard.

[Images: Ford, Nissan, Byton, Lucid, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, General Motors]