​Lincoln Motor Company is undergoing a transformation to deliver luxury vehicles that outperform expectations in terms of design, technology, comfort, and quality. From the iconic Navigator, to the the to the MKX, to the MKZ – which we were first to preview last year.​ Now the company prepares to reintroduce a luxury sedan which was largely responsible for trademarking the brand’s quality reputation: the Lincoln Continental. The re-imagined sedan will surprise and impress you. It is beautiful in its design,  with a number of unique innovations that will one day become standard in luxury vehicles. For now, Lincoln leads the way. We had a chance to preview this latest vehicle, and meet with the team responsible for creating it from concept, to design, to realization. To get an overview of the brand we spoke exclusively with Kumar Galhotra, Lincoln Motor Company President and Ford Motor Company Vice President.

Ford President and CEO Mark Fields,with Lincoln President & Ford Vice President Kumar Galhotra

Galhotra​ ​has held the position since​ ​September​ ​2014. In this new dedicated role, Galhotra is in charge of accelerating Lincoln even further as a world-class luxury brand. Reporting to Ford President and CEO Mark Fields, Galhotra is the most senior leader overseeing all Lincoln operations globally, including product development; marketing, sales and service; and all team members supporting the Lincoln brand.

As the dedicated global Lincoln leader, Galhotra has guided the brand on the recent product and sales momentum – including its recent expansion into China. He oversees the development of the next generation of Lincoln vehicles as well as connects them with a new generation of Lincoln clients. His focus is to build on the appeal of Lincoln not only through its distinctive vehicles but also a world-class, luxury ownership experience.

Previously, Galhotra was vice president, Engineering, a position he assumed on Aug. 1, 2013. In this global role, Galhotra was responsible for the engineering of all cars, trucks, SUVs and crossover vehicles for Ford and Lincoln brands.

Since joining the company in 1988, he has served in various positions in product development and product strategy. Among the assignments, he led the introduction of the Ford Ranger into South American markets in 1998; was the chief engineer for the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner in the early 2000s; and was vehicle programs director for five vehicle lines in the mid-2000s. In addition, his team oversaw the development of the all-new global compact pickup truck, the Ford Ranger.

​HOMBRE: What can you tell us about Lincoln Motor Company and your direction for the brand?
Kumar Galhotra: The key word we focus in is the experience. Rather than design a particular feature, or component, or technology we are stepping back and designing how we want the customer to experience the vehicle and the brand in general, how they experience the dealerships, the car, the website, the app.

H: How do you go about creating that experience?
KG: To design that personalized experience you have to know the customer at a very visceral intimate level. We’ve been doing more one-on-one research, anthropological research, where we actually observe our customers in their daily life. By observing, the insights we’re getting are richer. For example, customers expressed how much they value the time in their car. They have responsibilities at home, responsibilities at work, but in between it’s their time. They’re looking for serenity, they’re looking to unwind, they’re looking to de-stress. And we feel fortunate that our product plays a part in that.

H: What role does that research play in the results?
KG: What’s important is the process itself. The process is to observe, see where the issues are, see where we can help the customer, see what kind of experience we want the customer to have and then design the technology or the feature, or whatever is necessary, all to deliver the experience. Not the other way around. Customer insight is very important for us.

H: What does ‘Quiet Luxury’ mean to you?
KG: We’re using an internal term called ‘Quiet Luxury.’ A lot of customers talked about wanting quietness in the experience, both literally a quieter car, but also a quieter experience. For instance, the cluster in any car has a ton of information, and a lot of information customers don’t need or don’t care about. So you can quiet down that experience by only presenting the information the customer needs. We map out the whole experience, what should the car do as you approach it, what should it do when you open the door, what should it do when you sit down, what should the seat itself do, what should the steering wheel feel like in your hand. There’s a lot of attention to detail in every part of the experience. All these experiences are mapped out and then delivered with very clever ideas and solutions. Part of that experience is delivered visually of what the car looks like, does it look quiet, does it look quietly luxurious. There is a subtle attention to detail. Overall our brand stands for elegant beauty.

H: When will the Lincoln Continental go on sale?
KG: We announced it in January and showed the production version in Detroit. It hits the market this fall.

HOMBRE Magazine’s Francisco Romeo with Lincoln Motor Company President Kumar Galhotra