USA
Lincoln has revealed the 2027 Nautilus, a facelift of its best-selling model that leaves the mechanical package alone and concentrates on the front end. The updated car reaches US dealers in early 2027.
The grille is wider and more heavily detailed, with an illuminated Lincoln emblem, sitting under a redesigned hood and between sculpted fenders. Reserve and Black Label are now styled apart rather than sharing a face: Premiere and Black Label get a black rectangular lower panel, Reserve a sweeping black trim piece. At the back, a horizontal bar runs across the tailgate between slimmer LED tail lights. Five wheel designs are offered, from 19 to 22 inches, and two colours are new: Nocturnal Blue across the range and Frosted Fig, a plum shade reserved for Black Label.
What carries over
The powertrains are unchanged. The 2.0-litre turbocharged four makes 250 hp and 380 Nm through an eight-speed automatic, and the hybrid version of the same engine adds a 100 kW motor and a CVT for a combined 285 hp. All-wheel drive is standard on both. Lincoln does not publish a combined torque figure for the hybrid.
The cabin is largely carried over too, which in the Nautilus means the 48-inch panoramic display across the base of the windscreen and an 11.1-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard. Front seats adjust 24 ways with memory and massage, and BlueCruise 1.5 is standard with four years of service included. New for 2027 are three interior themes: Elysian Light, pale upholstery with blue accents; Eminent Hour, in desert-sunset tones; and Afterglow.
Pricing is not out yet
Lincoln has not announced 2027 prices. The 2026 Nautilus starts at $53,995 for the Premiere trim, before a $2,295 destination charge, and outlets expect the 2027 car to land somewhere around $55,000 to $56,500 delivered. Treat that as an estimate until Lincoln publishes a sheet.
The plant is the part with a deadline
The Nautilus is the only Lincoln built in China, assembled by the Changan Ford joint venture in Hangzhou since Ford moved it off its Oakville, Ontario line to make room for electric vehicles. Cars shipped from there into the United States face a 52.5% duty, the 2.5% baseline passenger-car tariff plus layered Section 301 levies.
On 12 August 2026 Ford said it will end China-built Lincoln imports for the US and expand Lincoln production at American plants from 2030. It has not said which plant takes the Nautilus. A new Ford site in Tennessee is due to start production in 2029 and has been reported as a candidate, though Ford has not confirmed it. The next-generation Nautilus is expected around the 2028 model year, which puts the facelift revealed this month roughly at the midpoint of the current car’s remaining run.
The Nautilus is worth this attention to Lincoln because it sells: 10,370 in the United States in the second quarter of 2026, the nameplate’s best-ever second quarter, with nearly 65% of buyers arriving from other premium brands.
The China-market Ford Explorer is a gasoline SUV built by the Changan Ford joint venture, unrelated to the US or European Explorer. The updated version starts from ¥309,800 (about $45,650), topping out at ¥399,800 (about $58,890) for the off-road Kunlun Pinnacle trim.
