Lincoln is out testing its upcoming Corsair, a compact crossover intended to replace the current Lincoln MKC and now expected to debut in 2020.

The Corsair is expected to share many parts with the Ford Escape, but its styling will be closer to that of the newly introduced Lincoln Aviator.

We're fairly confident there will be a plug-in-hybrid version, and so is website The Truth About Cars, which claims to have uncovered a Ford document saying so.

Behold the latest spy photos of the soon to be released Lincoln Corsair compact crossover. It was spied earlier this year wearing more concealing camouflage, but this latest round of photos reveals the Corsair's sleek roofline and fully finished fascia highlighted with an unmistakable Lincoln latticework grille. Combined with the trademark Lincoln badge—amusingly isolated and emphasized by a telling form-fitting wrap—we are confident that the Lincoln Corsair program is right on track and possibly ahead of schedule. In fact, word leaking out of the Blue Oval camp suggests that with the crossover segment's continued growth, resources have been diverted to speed up the Corsair program, and we might see it in 2020 rather than 2021, which until now was the expected launch date.

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Slated to replace the nearly new Lincoln MKC, the new Corsair will likely share many of its underpinnings and subsystems with the Ford Escape, although it will, as did the MKC, get a unique rear fascia and clamshell rear hatch and additional exclusive styling tweaks. To the surprise of exactly no one, the exterior styling echoes that of recently unveiled and warmly received Lincoln Aviator.

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What is surprising, however, is a recent report at the website The Truth About Cars claiming it has uncovered a 2020-model-year VIN decoder document sent from Ford to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that details the Corsair's powertrain options. According to the report, in addition to a pair of carryover engines, the 2020 Corsair will offer a hybrid option: "Ford’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder will mate with an electric motor beneath the Corsair’s hood, generating a power figure that remains TBD." While range and fuel economy are to be determined, the 2019 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid is rated for 25 miles of EV range.

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A a plug-in charging port is not visible on the Corsair captured in these latest images, which were taken in Colorado earlier this week, but a hybrid or plug-in hybrid version is still a good bet. A plug-in-hybrid Aviator is already confirmed, and Ford indicates that a hybrid version of the next Escape is a given.

Inquiries to Lincoln for comments have gone unanswered.

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