Just like sailors of old times used either the North Star or various constellations to guide them towards their destination, so most long-term plans need an idea, a spark, or in Lincoln’s case, a concept car.

Earlier this year, Lincoln promised that it will provide three new EVs in its lineup by 2025, with plans to go fully electric as soon as 2030. The Lincoln Star Concept is the first peek at the direction Lincoln wants to follow in the future.

The Lincoln Star Concept isn’t advertising a particular EV the Michigan-based luxury automaker will build in the future. Instead, it exists as a guiding lighting, a beautiful idea from which inspiration will be drawn for years and many kilowatts-hour to come. That’s the fun part of a proper concept vehicle. It exists as a research exercise, fully open to feedback and put out in the open to spark clients’ interest towards particular features, be it design or technology.

Silhouette-wise, the Star Concepts takes cues from the Corsair or the Nautilus crossovers but with a longer and lower body. According to Lincoln, the concept sits right between a 2-row and a 3-row SUV, being able to mold into either version.

With the accelerated demise of internal combustion engines, the front radiator grille is prone to become obsolete once electric motors take over. With various existing EV models providing a heavily downsized grille or simply wiping it off the fascia, lighting will become the next best thing in brand identifying.

For this reason, the Star Concept boasts a full-width LED matrix to replace the obsolete grille, being interrupted only by Lincoln’s star emblem. The frunk (front trunk) provides a diamond-shaped lattice fading into black and a clear center. The clear center glass is electro-chromatic, meaning it can be turned opaque with the press of a button (or screen).

Since EVs offer more interior space than their ICE counterparts, designers can juggle between splurging on bodywork or, in the case of Star Concept, put in as much glass as possible. For instance, the lack of B-pillars and center-opening doors (reminiscent of the old Lincoln Continental) make for an impressive unobstructed view. Not enough? Find out that A and D pillars are constructed of glass and feature a 3D-printed metal diamond lattice support structure set beneath the pillars.

Overall, the body of the Star Concept shows the path towards simplicity. The body hints at minimalism, with little to no protruding edges, sharp aggressive lines or tricky bumper detailing. Besides blowing a fresh design air, the simplified, streamlined body aids aerodynamics for maximum EV range.

Plenty of screen to relax

Just like Mercedes’ EQS, the Lincoln Star Concept brings a full-width, coast to coast dashboard curved screen. You’re not left alone to navigate the sea of pixels – a virtual assistant is there to serve your needs. Within the infotainment system, Lincoln integrated three rejuvenation modes: Coastal Morning, evening Chill, Mindful Vitality. A mixture of audio, lighting and scenting is used to relax the passengers, depending on the chosen mode.

Interested in more luxurious rejuvenation? Find out that the rear seats feature integrated footrests that slide out and come with a custom storage for slippers. By comparison, the rather classic glass beverage chiller may seem antiquated; it is however saved by the intricate fold-out outdoor seating mechanism.

As the coach doors automatically open to greet the driver and passengers, the steering wheel slowly folds out from beneath the dashboard. Once the passengers are guided towards the lounge-like rear seats, individual screens show themselves from inside the front seat backs. The whole process is synchronized with the exterior lighting for the perfect “Lincoln Embrace” welcoming sequence.

All around the cabin, finishes are luxurious without endangering the environment. Everywhere, leather and chrome have been replaced by alternate materials that retain both the look and feeling, but with minimal carbon footprint.

Wish to chat along with passengers from the rear seats? Both the driver’s and passenger’s seat can swivel 180-degrees for a proper tete-a-tete conversation.

What’s the point of the Star Concept?

Overall, most of the futuristic concepts found on the Lincoln Star Concept have a good chance of becoming reality in the following years. Don’t expect the streamlined minimalistic design to find its way on a Lincoln ICE car though. Overall, the plethora of bold design choices, novel materials and smile-inducing technology gimmicks keep on to the pure purpose of a concept car: attract attention, critics, develop ideas, allowing the future to take shape.