Detroit Auto Show: Spotlight on Lincoln, Audi and Nissan

Lincoln MKX: The Inside Story

Okay, Ford has obviously been on a big-time roll lately: Sales are surging, the Ford Fusion hybrid and Ford Transit Connect were named North American Car and Truck of the Year, and the Ford Focus was just launched to much fanfare at the North American International Auto Show here in Detroit.

But as impressive as the company's recent results have been, another Detroit debut — that of the 2011 Lincoln MKX — was an unfortunate indication of a crucial Ford weakness that still remains a problem.

Not that there's anything wrong with the MKX on its own. In fact, just the opposite. For example, the refreshed version of Ford's midsize luxury crossover gets the kind of sophisticated, cutting-edge interior people used to expect only from Audi. It features all the usual sorts of creature comforts, then takes a breakthrough approach to interior functionality.

Leveraging a vastly upgraded SYNC system with the new MyLincoln Touch technology, the MKX almost completely eliminates the knobs and switches usually used for adjusting the climate, changing radio stations, etc. Instead, the driver controls all this and more with touchscreens, voice commands and a few steering-wheel-mounted controllers. I mean, there are literally no buttons at all on the MKX's centerstack.

The MKX also gets an improved V6 that, per Ford, "provides unsurpassed highway fuel economy of 25 mpg" when compared to six-cylinder competitors and "best-in-class power and torque": specifically, 305 hp and 280 lb-ft of twist.

The MKX receives subtle exterior enhancements, too, along with one that's not so subtle: The same huge grille that defaces the Lincoln MKT gets grafted onto the MKX, to the same ungainly effect. But that's not the problem I mentioned above.

Where the Lincoln — and Ford as a company — shows its weakness is in an overall exterior design that simply cannot hide its Ford Edge origins.

Far more than the new GM, Ford has had difficulty moving beyond badge-engineering for its Lincoln (and Mercury) products. The Lincoln MKS sedan and MKT do a fine job at standing out from their Ford division brethren, but the MKX and the Lincoln MKZ most assuredly do not. It's especially problematic with the MKX because its exterior dimensions — and those of the Edge — are so unique.

Compared to a rival like the Cadillac SRX, the Lincoln is about 4.5 inches shorter, but it's also a whopping two feet wider. These Pacer-esque proportions certainly differentiate the MKX from the Caddy, but they have the opposite effect when comparing it to the Edge.

Audi A3 Sedan: For America Only

Volkswagen's luxury division, Audi, had its usual assortment of precision-engineered German toys on display at the show, including the new Audi A8 and a pair of sharp Audi R8 FSI models. But the more interesting Detroit news from the automaker had to do with the more mundane segments of the industry.

In a tactic that comes right from VW's American playbook, Audi is developing a U.S.-only sedan version of its entry-level A3 hatch. With Volkswagen mulishly set on developing its own U.S.-specific compact and mid-size models, as opposed to fielding one integrated global lineup both here and overseas, the move by Audi is unsurprising.

After all, the A3 shares a platform with the VW Golf, which shares a platform with the VW Jetta. And since Volkswagen is designing a new American platform for its U.S. Jetta replacement, I suppose it makes some economic sense to share the new platform in the same way the old one was shared. Which brings us to the A3 sedan — and a bit of a dilemma for the Golf, but that's a story for another day.

Nissan: Under the Radar, Under $10,000

Okay, including Nissan news here is a bit of a stretch, as the automaker didn't happen to have an official presence at the Detroit show. (Frankly, this was a good reminder of how guarded the guarded optimism found at the rest of the show was.)

But Nissan's chairman for the Americas was there, and he's claiming the company will introduce two sub-$10,000 vehicles for the U.S. market in the near future.

The trend toward ultra-low-cost transportation is one I've mentioned in the past. And while most of the OEMs working on these kinds of cars are aiming them at developing countries, they also recognize a market for them likely exists here in the U.S. — and I, of course, agree.

In my humble opinion, the relatively high price for small cars in this country is a significant stumbling block to increased sales. A lot of people have a hard time understanding how the sticker price for something like a Honda Fit can easily approach the $20,000 mark. Maybe the Fit is "worth" that much, but, for certain potential customers, its small size would seem to require that it have an equally small MSRP.

As to what a low-cost Nissan would look like, just take a look at the current Nissan Versa: The company offers a base model that stickers at $9,990, albeit without features like A/C or a radio. Now, I'm not saying the lower price point is the only reason the Versa handily outsold the Fit in 2009, but I don't think it hurt any.