• New to the automotive market, ziricote wood is traditionally used in yachts, fine furniture and customized guitars

• Tropical hardwood is native to South America, southern Europe and northern Africa; color ranges from reddish to dark brown

• Ziricote wood part of the available Reserve Package for the 2015 Lincoln Navigator, on sale later this year

Fact Sheet: Lincoln Ziricote Wood

You’ll find it in luxury yachts. Fine furniture. Premium acoustic guitars, too. Now you’ll see it in the new 2015 Lincoln Navigator.

Lincoln is the first automobile manufacturer to use ziricote wood, an exotic hardwood found in South America, southern Europe and northern Africa.

“Luxury customers understand design and especially desire customized design,” said Barb Whalen, color and material design manager. “The beautiful, natural color and striking pattern of the ziricote wood allows customers who choose the Reserve Package on the new Navigator to experience that.

“You will see a family resemblance from vehicle to vehicle, but because this is a natural product, no two Navigators with the Reserve Package will look exactly the same.”

The ziricote wood accents the door panels, instrument panel, center console and steering wheel. Other than a thin protective coat, no stains or dyes are used, allowing the striking color and grain to shine through.

“Altering the ziricote wood would blemish its beauty,” said Whalen. “You can’t improve on nature.”

The attention to detail begins with how the wood is cut. The linearity of the grain is maintained throughout the pieces to ensure harmony. Click here for a video on ziricote wood.

“The ziricote wood is an excellent match for the Lincoln Navigator for two reasons,” said Whalen. “First, the natural pattern of the wood is in harmony with the lines of the interior. Second, the color of the ziricote wood complements the Coffee and Dune interior colors of the Reserve Package, helping the rich browns and reds really pop.”

The ziricote wood is a key element of the new Reserve Package offered on the next Navigator, which also includes:

• Updated cabin that extends ultra-luxurious leather to all three rows of seats, armrests, center console and transmission shifter
• Hand-wrapped leather instrument panel with contrast stitching and leather glove box door
• 22-inch polished aluminum wheels
• Available chrome-accented running boards

Production of the 2015 Navigator is scheduled to begin late this summer at Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Ky., with vehicles arriving in Lincoln showrooms in early fall.