Ford and Lincoln are putting EVs on the back burner (all over again), and they will focus on hybrids and ensure the in-car digital experience includes great stuff like gaming and streaming. Unfortunately, they are also not bringing back defunct nameplates to aid with the new strategic shift.
Well, if they don’t do it, the parallel universes of vehicular CGI have no issue with asking the imaginative realm of digital car content creators to do it for them. Ford is currently busy showcasing the updated 2025 Maverick unibody compact pickup truck, which is making it even more attractive than before. It now has AWD in combination with the hybrid powertrain, a larger central screen, and even a Lobo version to pay homage to the performance street truck culture.

So, that leaves the rumor mill with Lincoln, which only builds crossover and SUV models for the homeland – Corsair, Nautilus, Aviator, and Navigator. The Chinese market also gets sedans, and for sure, there are many Americans who wouldn’t mind seeing a four-door Lincoln ducking it out with the popular Cadillac CT5 mid-size sedan series. As such, here’s a completely unofficial, hypothetical idea for a Lincoln rival.

Vince Burlapp (aka vburlapp on social media) is a prolific virtual artist who loves to dream of all the latest models across the wide-ranging automotive realm, and he’s passionate about Cadillac and Lincoln without favoring any of these beloved American brands. As such, his design projects touch various subjects from both – this time around, we’re getting a forgotten nameplate resurrection.

To be more precise, the pixel master has imagined the revival of the Lincoln Versailles mid-size luxury four-door sedan – a model produced for a short period between 1977 and 1980 with a clear target: Cadillac’s Seville. Knowing that Cadillac is currently working on two brand-new sedans based on the Ultium concept, he thinks that Lincoln could also start working on a competing all-electric sedan – which could be sold in China if they don’t think it would have success in America.

So, the illustration reveals the CGI expert’s vision for a new generation of the Lincoln Versailles, now with an all-electric powertrain. The reason he dusted off the long-forgotten nameplate is that “such an old-fashioned and cheesy name on a very modern Lincoln EV sedan would be a lot of fun. And since they will probably produce at least one new EV sedan, why not use it?” So, what do you think? Could Lincoln accelerate EV development to try and catch Cadillac, which already has on sale, or planned models like the Lyriq, Celestiq, Optiq, Vistiq, and Escalade IQ? Or is it too late already, and should Ford just focus on making a Lincoln Navigator EV flagship?