The Lincoln LS is a four-door, five-passenger luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by Ford's Lincoln division over a single generation from 1999–2006. Introduced in June 1999 for model-year 2000, the LS featured rear-wheel drive and near 50/50 weight distribution and was available with a V8 or V6, the latter initially offered with a manual transmission. The LS shared the Ford DEW98 platform with the Jaguar S-Type and the Ford Thunderbird. Trim levels ranged from the base V6 model to the Special Edition V8 LSE trims in 2004, with revised front and rear fascia, taillights and foglights, and front grille. LS models were manufactured at Ford's Wixom Assembly Plant until production ended on April 3, 2006 and the plant was idled as part of Ford's The Way Forward. Approximately 262,900 were manufactured, including 2,331 with manual transmissions and 1,500 LSE editions. 2000–2002 In 1999, the LS debuted as Lincoln's first rear-wheel drive sport luxury sedan for the 2000 model year, under influence from the newly established Premier Automotive Group. Lincoln originally intended to market the sedan in two versions, the LS6 and the LS8, the names reflecting their respective engine layouts. Toyota's Lexus division noted concern about the potential name confusion with its Lexus LS and Lincoln ended up using only the name "LS". In designing the LS to be competitive in its segment, the LS' German-born chief designer, said of the car, "In a segment defined and dominated by BMW and Mercedes, the car had to have a functional, no-nonsense look. This redefines the Lincoln brand, but we still had to make sure it was recognizable as a member of the same family as the Town Car, Continental, Mark VIII, and the Navigator." The LS featured understated exterior and interior styling. Leather seating surfaces were standard, the steering wheel could be wood- and leather-wrapped, and the interior featured wood accents. Standard features included power windows, power door locks with keyless entry, power heated mirrors, automatic headlights, air conditioning with automatic climate control, cruise control, and an AM/FM cassette radio. Available options included a six-disc in-dash CD changer (only accessible through the glove box initially; changed on later models), power moonroof, and a universal garage door opener. The LS shared platforms and equipment with the Jaguar S-Type. The DEW98 platform used independent double wishbone (short-long arm; SLA) front and rear suspensions and a wheelbase. Four-wheel antilock disc brakes were standard along