sport utility vehicle, why not a luxury SUV-pickup?
That's the question answered by the Lincoln Blackwood, a concept hybrid
unveiled Tuesday at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show's press preview. A
production version could reach showrooms within the next two years.
The Blackwood mates a short, aluminum-lined pickup bed to the front end and
cab of a Lincoln Navigator. The Navigator is the high-profit SUV that has been
such a hit that Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln brand is all but guaranteed to
outsell General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac division this year for the first time
in 48 years.
Lincoln is not alone in promoting the SUV-pickup idea. At the North American
International Auto Show press preview next week, Nissan Motor Co. will unveil
its concept called the ''SUT,'' or sport utility truck, while Ford will show
what happens when you mix the Explorer SUV with the bed of a Ranger pickup.
The enclosed bed in the Blackwood is only 4 feet, 8 inches long. Lincoln
describes it as more like a big trunk than a conventional pickup bed. The
cover opens hydraulically to a 45-degree angle, or access can be gained
through two outward swinging doors that replace a conventional tailgate.
The Blackwood features African wood paneling along the sides of the bed, more
than 20 square feet of it. Each strip of wood is separated by a brushed
aluminum strip. The cab and front end are finished in high-gloss black paint.
The interior is similar to the Navigator's, with wood accents and leather
seating. A global positioning satellite system is built into the center
console.
''Blackwood is a vehicle that is as much at home hauling horses to an
equestrian event in Texas as it is carrying a party of four to a Broadway
play,'' said J Mays, Ford's vice president of design.
Ford's Lincoln-Mercury division, which moved its headquarters to Southern
California from the Detroit area this year, decided to unveil the Blackwood in
Los Angeles as part of its effort to overhaul its image as a builder of stodgy
luxury cars for old folks.
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