Lincoln’s new Aviator SUV lands despite the outbreak

Lincoln Korea’s new Aviator SUV. [LINCOLN KOREA]

Lincoln Korea introduced the new Aviator large-size SUV to increase its presence in the local market and overcome sluggish sales from last year.

The Korean unit of the Ford Motor luxury brand announced Tuesday that it is now offering the new Aviator, a 6-to-7-seat luxury SUV equipped with latest high-tech convenience and safety features and powerful performance.

The model competes with the Ford Explorer, the Cadillac XT6 and the Genesis GV80.

“While the luxury SUV market is expanding rapidly in Korea, the Aviator will be a model that offers great value,” Lincoln Korea CEO David Jeffery said, adding, “It already exceeded a thousand preorders.”

Jeffrey added that the local unit will work to fill the orders for the new Aviator even though production has been disrupted in North America as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, Lincoln Korea sold a total of 2,702 vehicles in 2019, down 8.6 percent from 2,956 units posted a year earlier.

The Aviator is inspired by aircraft design, with elegant curves that give it an aerodynamic feel, a floating roof, sleek lines and tail lamps that stick to the plane theme.

Aviator’s bold, elegant front features a Lincoln Star emblem that harmonizes with the exterior.

The newest release is 5.07 meters (16.6 feet) in length, 2.02 meters in width and 1.76 meters in height.

The luxury crossover SUV, which comes with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine and 10-speed automatic transmission, is rated at 405 horsepower and 57.7 kilogram-meters (417 pound-feet) in torque.

Designed to provide a quiet and relaxed ride, the aviator has 30-position leather seats, wireless smartphone charging and a 28-speaker audio system. The aviator offers five drive modes, including Conserve, Normal, Slippery and Deep Conditions.

The new Aviator has high-tech safety features, an adaptive cruise control system and air glide suspension.

BY KIM YEON-AH [kim.yeonah@joongang.co.kr]