Lincoln MKC Revealed. It's NOT a titivated Ford Kuga/Escape, say Ford

The production version of the Lincoln MKC Compact SUV has been revealed, based on the same platform as the Ford Kuga and Escape.

The production version of the Lincoln MKC Compact SUV (pictured) has been revealed

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When Ford divested itself of its premier marques – Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover – it left it with little wriggle room to compete in anything but the mainstream car market.

Ford in Europe is trying to address that by launching ‘Vignale’ badged cars which promise to offer more ‘Premium quality’ than its mainstream models, and Ford in the US is doing the same thing by trying to reinvent the Lincoln badge as the answer to German premium models.

Step forward the new Lincoln MKC, the production version of the Lincoln MKC Concept we saw at the Detroit Auto Show in January..

The Lincoln MKC is a compact SUV based on the European Ford Kuga and North American Ford Escape which, say Ford, has been so extensively reworked it can’t be compared.

The Kuga/Escape platform has been altered for the MKC by widening the track and dropping the height to make it look more purposeful.

There’s also a new 2.3 litre EcoBoost engine, Lincoln’s push-button gear shift system, different suspension and brakes, different interior, the Lincoln statement grill and a wraparound tailgate.

Whether that is enough for Lincoln to charge premium prices and take sales from cars like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 remains to be seen.

The Lincoln MKC goes in to production in the second quarter of 2014, but it seems unlikely Ford will be offering it in the UK or Europe.