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Lincoln picks China over U.S. to show new MKX SUV

Chris Woodyard
USA TODAY
Lincoln today unveiled the MKX Concept in China

In another sign of China's growing influence on the auto industry, Ford's Lincoln luxury brand took the unveiling of its new MKX midsize crossover direct to Beijing, skipping the New York Auto Show last week for the reveal.

Ford officials say it is the first time that a concept has been revealed in a market other than the U.S.

The MKX concept displayed at the Auto China 2014 show in Beijing, is a nice update to the current version of the midsize SUV, but nothing radical.

The new MKX concept, which gives the general direction of the production version, has a sloping roofline, big 21-inch wheels, LED headlights and the latest version of the Lincoln split grille, indicating the brand isn't ready to go into a different design direction with this vehicle.

It's the third of four new Lincolns coming to market by 2016. Most recently, Lincoln's focus has been on its smaller MKC crossover based on the Ford Escape platform. The current MKX is a version of the Ford Edge

With 245,000 sales last year, China's midsize SUV market has grown 9,650% in the past five years while it only grew 13% in the U.S., Lincoln says.

"Great emphasis was put on the proportions of this concept vehicle," said Andrea Di Buduo, exterior design manager of the Lincoln MKX Concept, in a statement. "It's a very emotional, athletic design."

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