• Detroit Free Press, Wednesday, November 29, 2006 11:45 AM

As the company moves through its painful restructuring, Ford revealed 17 new and freshened Ford and Lincoln models to employees at Cobo arena in Detroit yesterday as part of an effort to boost morale. A makeover for the luxury Lincoln brand is among the reported improvements. Employees wouldn't say what the new Lincoln looks like, but they said it gave them comfort about the future.

The Lincoln brand will also get a full-size crossover based on the Ford Fairlane concept. The production version of that vehicle, which is expected to be displayed at the Detroit auto show in January, was shown at the event. Employees also saw two new versions of the F-Series pickup and freshened versions of the Focus, Five Hundred and Mustang.

In addition, Ford executives told participants that the next Ford Explorer would be based on a car platform. Up until now, the popular SUV has been built as a body-on-frame vehicle like a pickup.

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