"It all starts with the customer." That matter-of-fact

statement is from LS chief designer Helmuth Interior

Schrader as he explains how his team approached of 2000

the challenge of blending American and European Lincoln

design themes. In the luxury sport sedan LS

segment, customer tastes are simple &endash; they Click

simply want the best of everything. In the LS, for more

the classic form of the car has been shaped by images.

its functional attributes.

Schrader, a German-born designer who led the creative

team responsible for the LS's interior and exterior

design, joined the Ford Motor Company in 1974 after

graduating from the University of Essen (Germany) with a

degree in Industrial Design.

"From a design standpoint, the LS is truly the

opportunity of a lifetime because it's so rare in the

auto industry to start totally from scratch. It's much

more common to simply modify or expand on existing

platforms," Schrader says. But in this case, the need was

obvious for an all-new car to reach a new group of

Lincoln customers.

The all-new DEW platform provided Schrader and his team

the opportunity to design a type of car never before seen

in the company line-up. It was clear from the start that

LS had to meet international standards inside and out.

"Starting from the ground up was the only way to create

the right blend of performance and comfort, packaged in

an efficient and appealing design," Schrader says. The

key ingredients to making LS a design success are classic

body lines and proportions, a wide track, and an engine

compartment capable of packaging V-6 and V-8 powertrains.

According to Schrader, LS's external view is elegantly

understated. It features classic proportions with

relatively short front and rear overhangs. The roof line

is an elegant arch over the greenhouse, conveying comfort

and spaciousness inside. The body is athletic and

well-balanced with an expressive surface language. The

taut body-side sculpturing that stretches out over the

wheel openings, combined with tailored door surfaces,

make the LS a distinctly American automotive design

statement.

"The measure of a good design is the feedback you get

from customers when they see your work for the first

time," Schrader says. "Customers should immediately see

whether the goal is a luxury or a performance car or, as

in LS, a combination of both. The Navigator sport utility

vehicle has already attracted new customers to Lincoln

showrooms and, with LS, they'll have yet another fresh

face to see when they step into a Lincoln dealership."

After considering some early design concepts for the LS,

Schrader and his team very quickly settled on a car with

classic lines and proportions that will stay fresh over

time. "These are the basic elements that customers expect

in a luxury sport sedan," says Schrader. "Value, quality,

and performance are key attributes. Customers want a

modern design but &endash; here's the challenge &endash; one that

doesn't try too hard to make a fashion statement," he

adds.

"Once you've analyzed customer input, our job as

designers is to visually express their desires for

safety, quality, security and prestige," Schrader says.

LS's solid C-pillar gives a look of security and safety

at the rear of the car. The front end is purposely

upright to follow the visual theme of the Lincoln marque,

particularly Navigator. Detail elements such as the door

handles, the round headlamps, and the grille all stress

functionality.

The wheels and pronounced wheel openings play an

important role in the car's strong, athletic external

appearance. The combination of a long wheelbase with a

very short front overhang gives LS a dynamic

performance-oriented flair to its overall appearance.

"The long wheelbase allows us to design in what I call

"quiet time" between the wheels," Schrader explains. "The

customer sees this area of the car as his or her space &endash;

it gives the interior a sense of openness. Another design

element that supports this impression is the long

sweeping arch that runs from the A-pillar to the

C-pillar."

To appeal to traditional American customers with a new

entry like LS, the first step is acknowledging that their

values and perceptions aren't necessarily the same as

import buyers. As a result, the standard version of LS

will have chrome accents on the bumper fascias. When

built with the optional Sport Package (standard equipment

on the V-6 manual), the chrome is replaced with

monochromatic front and rear bumpers. Except for wheel

design, there are no external design cues or

ornamentation to distinguish the V-6 from the V-8.

Schrader believes that LS's mission is an important one &endash;

to attract younger customers to the Lincoln marque, and

to deliver the Lincoln marque to new buyers in

international markets. "I believe that the blend of

American and European aesthetics we've given the car fits

that role perfectly," he said.

THE INSIDE STORY: LUXURY APPOINTMENTS AND MODERN COMFORT

Ron Swick is a Detroit-born designer who has spent his

career designing cars and trucks. So, when asked to

detail the interior design process for the most important

development in recent American luxury car history, Swick

is not at a loss for words &endash; "The starting point in the

search for an interior theme for LS was benchmarking the

competition. We focused on the world leaders in interior

design because they're already successful in the luxury

sport segment."

This benchmarking of the "best" led to the LS interior

design philosophy: to provide a comfortable, spacious

interior with a strong emphasis on serving the driver's

needs. Swick and his interior design team wanted the

interior to match the exterior's strong and functional

visual language &endash; a car for people who like to drive.

"We asked potential customers what they were particularly

fond of in their cars' interiors," says Swick. This

convinced the team early on of the need for a

businesslike and accommodating environment. Quality of

the materials and the execution of details are important

to potential customers.

From the driver's vantage point, the visually dynamic

instrument cluster binnacle emphasizes the performance

orientation of LS, including prominent placement of the

speedometer and tachometer. Key functional gauges and

other driver information displays are logically placed

and in clear view for "at a glance" review.

The instrument panel flows seamlessly into the center

console stack where key controls, such as the audio and

heating/ventilation/air conditioning, are convenient for

both the driver and front seat passenger.

Strong horizontal themes lend an impression of width and

distinguish decorative areas of the interior from the

highly functional zone in the center of the instrument

panel. One horizontal band flows across the instrument

panel and into all four doors. That band provides a

logical location for door handles, lock switches, and

rear-view-mirror controls.

A color tone called "Newport" was selected for the burled

walnut-look trim panels. A burled walnut look was chosen

because it's a traditional American luxury cue and it

blends well with all the interior hues. Matching wood for

the shift knob and portions of the steering wheel rim

enhance LS's luxury interior. Leather seating surfaces

are the only available material.

Ergonomics played a major role in designing the function,

comfort and convenience found inside LS. For example,

because they are accessed more often, audio system

controls are placed above the climate controls on the

center stack. In addition, for ease and convenience, both

systems can be readily controlled from the steering

wheel.

The climate control system offers dual controls to fine

tune the temperature to the individual taste of the

driver and passenger. Rear passengers have their own

registers, placed in the rear of the center console,

providing personalized control of the direction and

volume of air.

In another break with Lincoln tradition, LS's tachometer

displays an RPM redline &endash; an important driver's aid with

both a manual transmission and a SelectShiftä automatic

in the lineup.

The rear seat back splits and folds to permit stretching

the trunk space into the interior on those occasions when

something bulky, like skis, needs to be carried along.

Almost every interior surface is finished with a material

that's soft to the touch. Inside door handles are

brightly finished for two reasons: it provides a pleasant

accent and it makes them easier to find at night.

Seats were engineered for driving comfort and

appropriately styled for a driver's car. Sew patterns in

the leather are linear and the bottom and seat backs are

stitched with a technique called "shearing" that results

in the look and comfort of a favorite leather jacket.

To create a seat that meets Lincoln's standards for

comfort, seat designers and engineers called on the

leading edge technology available at Ford's Scientific

Research Lab. Since 1995, researchers have been testing

seats in the Ford Vehicle Vibration Simulator.

This exclusive patented simulator allows researchers to

conduct extensive and accurate tests on any type of

automobile seat, under any road condition.

"The design team is proud of the LS interior," Swick

says. "We're convinced our customers will enjoy the

balance of comfortable luxury and functional utility that

are the hallmarks of Lincoln and LS," he adds.