Lincoln Nautilus

The Lincoln MKX is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV marketed and sold by the Lincoln brand of Ford Motor Company. Introduced in late 2006, the MKX ("X" stands for "crossover") is the first crossover SUV offered by the Lincoln brand. Initially the smallest Lincoln SUV, it has been slotted between the Lincoln Corsair and the Lincoln Aviator. It is the Lincoln counterpart of the Ford Edge crossover across both generations. The first-generation MKX was produced from 2007 to 2015, based upon the CD3 platform. The second generation is based on the CD4 platform. Both generations of the MKX were manufactured at Oakville Assembly in Oakville, Ontario, Canada alongside the Ford Edge, Ford Flex, and Lincoln MKT. As Lincoln phased out its use of "MK" model names, the MKX adopted the Lincoln Nautilus nameplate as part of a mid-cycle update in 2018 for the 2019 model year. Development The Lincoln MKX made its first appearance as the Lincoln Aviator concept vehicle at the 2004 North American International Auto Show as a successor to the first generation Aviator. The concept vehicle was smaller and more car-like with a V6 that was rated at and . The Aviator Concept also differed from the production model stylistically and with its panoramic sunroof. The production model received the MKX nameplate, with Lincoln management suggesting a "mark ex" pronunciation during the 2006 auto show circuit, which was then changed to the phonetic M-K-X. Due to the similarity of the MKX name to the MDX name used by Acura for their competing luxury crossover, Honda, Acura's parent company, filed a lawsuit against Ford in January 2006, eventually settling the case out of court.