New Lincoln electric crossover 2026: what we know about the Louisville Assembly EV

© A. Krivonosov

Lincoln still doesn’t have a production EV, even though the brand first announced a major electric project back in 2020. That’s about to change: according to Automotive News, the brand will build a small electric crossover at Louisville Assembly in Kentucky in the coming years. It will ride on the Ford Universal EV Platform — the same architecture the plant is being retooled for at a cost of roughly $2 billion.

That takes a lot of the risk out of the equation compared with Lincoln’s earlier attempts. An electric SUV based on Rivian’s platform was cancelled shortly after it was announced, and an electric version of the Aviator never made it to production either. This time, the underlying hardware, battery approach and production system aren’t being developed specifically for a premium brand: the first vehicle to use it is the Ford Fathom, due to enter production in 2027. Ford has confirmed the UEV platform is designed to underpin a whole family of body styles, not just one pickup.

It’s the project’s economics that make the new Lincoln look more realistic than previous attempts. The base-battery Fathom starts at $28,350 in the US. Lincoln hasn’t named a price for its upcoming model yet, so it’s too early to say it will definitely become the brand’s cheapest car: even the last Corsairs still on dealer lots officially start at $39,985, while the Nautilus starts at $53,995.

Corsair production at Louisville ended back in December 2025, after which the plant began converting to the new electric assembly system. That means a small Lincoln could effectively bring the brand back into the more affordable end of the SUV segment, this time on a new technological base.

For now, though, this isn’t an official reveal. Lincoln hasn’t disclosed a name, design, battery, power output, range, price or launch date. The next thing to watch for is confirmation of the model itself from the automaker, and where it lands in Louisville’s schedule once Fathom production gets underway in 2027.