Lincoln Is Importing The 2027 Corsair From China, And It's Now Hybrid-Only And More Expensive

Ford evicted Lincoln's smallest crossover, the Corsair, from its space in the company's Louisville factory last year, where it was built alongside the Bronco Sport and the also-discontinued Escape (that factory will soon pump out the Fathom). We've been wondering what would fill the entry spot in Lincoln's lineup, but it turns out the answer is the Corsair again — it just won't be built in the United States. For 2027, we're getting a facelifted Corsair that's built in China, and it's a pricier but more environmentally-friendly replacement for the American-made model. 

The updated 2027 Corsair car gets a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 engine with a new hybrid system that Ford claims is good for 305 horsepower, which it sends to all four wheels through a continuously variable automatic. The previously available plug-in-hybrid powertrain has been dropped, and while that model had a 27-mile electric range, it only had 266 combined horsepower; the old nonhybrid turbo-four made 250 hp. There's no word yet on what sort of fuel economy it will get.

Lincoln

Updates beyond the powertrain include new bumpers, a larger grille, restyled headlights and taillights, new wheel designs, and a light reworking of trim levels across the range. The interior has also been upgraded, with newly available 24-way seats that have a massage function, and materials that are meant to make Lincoln's cheapest car a bit cozier. Still, none of the changes are that major. Lincoln is largely giving its buyers more of the same, perhaps to ease them into owning a Chinese-built car. 

The highest trim of the old Corsair, the PHEV-only Grand Touring, is gone for 2027. In its place, the base Premiere and upper Reserve trims increase in price by $7,310 and $6,655 respectively, partly thanks to the destination charge growing by $800 to a whopping $2,295. That means the cheapest Corsair on dealer lots will come in at $48,790. And that's only if you get it in black, as every other color is a cost-added option. At least the other colors are actually good, particularly the Tinted Copper and Manhattan Green.

The updated Corsair makes hands-free BlueCruise standard across the range, including the newly-added automatic lane-change feature. This certainly seems like an upgrade over the old Corsair, refining its looks and interior into something truly better, but we'll have to wait until early next year to see if buyers find those updates to be worth the extra cost. That'll likely make more of a difference to the average consumer than any made-in-China label, unless that nation of origin suddenly costs them even more at the dealer thanks to new trade war salvos.