Lincoln touts its advanced head-up display on 2018 models

(December 22, 2017) DEARBORN, Mich.— With the winter solstice — the shortest and darkest day of the year on Dec. 21 — Lincoln’s all-new head-up display provides superior visibility for drivers of its all-new Lincoln Navigator and Lincoln Continental.

The advanced technology underpinning what Lincoln calls the clearest and brightest head-up display from any automaker not only allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel, it works to ensure each and every journey is effortless.


Ingenuity in design makes for a customizable display that complements the digital cluster incorporating the same groundbreaking digital light processing technology used in movie theaters.

Right from the start, creating a harmonious driving environment was a blended effort by Ford’s user experience, design studio and engineering groups. The teams worked to design a state-of-the-art system that puts information drivers want and need most front and center — from navigation prompts to incoming call alerts. It serves to assist rather than distract, offering information in an immediate yet unobtrusive manner.



“There’s a lot of physics involved in this system,” said Anthony King, development lead on Lincoln’s all-new head-up display. “But for our clients, it just comes down to the most client-focused usability.”

This means an incredibly sharp and clear head-up display, visible even in the harshest sunlight and through polarized sunglasses. The technology works on a tiny chip that contains 400,000 sturdy mirrors, each with a pixel refresh rate of up to 5,000 hertz operating in synchronized movement to control the system’s optics. In full color, this cutting-edge display appears to actually float just above the vehicle’s hood.



“A typical head-up display duplicates information displayed on the cluster,” said King. “But this display makes for a unique and easy-to-use experience for our clients. This eminently visible head-up display and the instrument cluster serve to complement each other to ensure Lincoln clients look forward to every time behind the wheel.”

Designers emphasized a reduction of screen clutter and focused on the timing and size of the information displayed. Chosen information is displayed only when it’s relevant, and as its importance increases, the physical placement and size of the information presented becomes more prominent. So while current speed and speed limit, as well as time and range are displayed consistently at the lower edge of the screen, should the driver receive a call or a navigation prompt is needed, this information is displayed clearly and brightly with greater prominence.

“What we’ve developed is a leap in the quality and design of head-up display systems,” said King. “You won’t really appreciate all it can do until you get behind the wheel to experience it.”