Well, folks, there it is. With the demise of the Continental (an impressive luxury-sedan that, although some of the engine-noise could be improved, IMO never got the credit it deserved), and the end of the MKZ as well, it will now join Buick's American-market in complete 100% worship at the altar of SUVs and Crossovers.

And, to think....these were two of my favorite brands that I grew up with. We can't say this is terribly surprising.....most of us saw it coming. Still, IMO a sad event.

https://www.autonews.com/cars-concep...-all-utilities


July 01, 2020 04:12 PM

Lincoln kills Continental, goes all-in on utilities

MICHAEL MARTINEZ

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REUTERSThe 2017 Lincoln Continental was unveiled at the Detroit auto show in January 2016.

DETROIT — Lincoln Motor Co. confirmed Wednesday it will end production of the Continental at the end of 2020 as the luxury brand abandons sedans.

U.S. sales of the Continental, reintroduced in 2016, slowed in recent years as customers shifted to the brand's growing crossover lineup. Lincoln announced this year that it would end production of its other sedan, the MKZ, at the end of the year.

"Lincoln is investing in growth segments and the brand will feature a full portfolio of SUVs, including a fully electric vehicle in the future," the brand said in a statement. "Lincoln will continue to keep its newest SUVs fresh and we will have more news to share later this year; however, as the full-size premium sedan segment continues to decline in the U.S., we plan to end production of the Lincoln Continental at the end of this year."

Lincoln informed workers Wednesday at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant that Continental production would end.

“We build to customer demand and customer demands are changing,” John Savona, Ford vice president, North American Manufacturing, said in a letter. “Lincoln is important to Ford Motor Company and we know it has a bright future.”

Lincoln brought back the Continental in 2016 as the flagship vehicle for a rebounding brand. It was one of the first models to feature Lincoln’s new mesh grille and was the first product to include 30-way massaging seats, which have become popular options on more recent models.

Sales hit 12,012 in 2017 but fell steadily from there. Officials attempted to juice sales with a hyper-limited run of coach-door models in 2019.

A spokeswoman said the brand would offer a 2021 Continental in China.

Origins

The Continental is among Ford's most revered nameplates. It joined Lincoln's lineup in 1939, when it was developed as a one-off vehicle for then-Ford President Edsel Ford, who had fallen in love with the long hoods, short trunks and rear-mounted spare tires of European sports cars on a recent trip overseas.

In 1951, the Museum of Modern Art called it one of the eight most important cars before World War II. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright considered the original Continental "the most beautiful car in the world."

It gained cachet through the 1950s and '60s as it was used in movies and boasted celebrity drivers such as Clark Gable, Rita Hayworth and Mickey Rooney. It also served as the limousine of U.S. presidents, notably carrying John F. Kennedy the day he was assassinated.

In total, nine generations of Continentals were produced before the nameplate was shelved in 2002.

Resurrection

Designers were thrilled when Ford officials informed them they’d resurrect the vehicle for the 2017 model year.

Originally, they were told only that they were supposed to create a “large Lincoln.” When no standout designs emerged, the automaker’s leadership team told them they’d be crafting the next Continental.

“You could almost see an immediate change in the room,” then-Lincoln President Kumar Galhotra told Automotive News.“Right there was a very important lesson in the emotion behind the name.”

While the 10th generation vehicle failed to gain traction in a utility-heavy market, Lincoln's dealer council as recently as February was lobbying the brand to remain in the sedan segment.

"You only have to look at Tesla," Tom Lynch, chairman of the Lincoln National Dealer Council, told Automotive News. "If you have a strong product, people are going to want it, and they're going to want to buy it. What that looks like for Lincoln going forward, I'm not sure of."

 

Yeah, not remotely surprising. Rather than Buick, I would compare this loss to the Cadillac CT6. But at least the CT6 was based on a proper RWD architecture. For me, the Continental sits in that same awkward plane existence as the also dead Acura RLX.

 

I don't think you quite got what I was refering to. The comparison (now) of Lincoln to Buick is that neither one offers passenger cars anymore in the American market. Cadillac, in contrast, has done exactly the opposite...they have just introduced two new sedans.


Yes, I have heard that argued before.....that a RWD platform is necessary in the Continental's class. While I respect that view, I don't totally agree with it....in a number of ways, AWD is probably the best set-up, especially for bad weather, and both the Continental and CT6 offered AWD as an option.

 

The Continental never looked right with its FWD proportions.
The concept car was beautiful but Lincoln went the cheap route instead of developing a true luxury RWD platform.

The Lincoln LS was the last best sedan Lincoln made back in late 90s.

Cadillac CT4 and CT5 are a joke and will be killed off soon enough.

Definitely sad state of affairs for American sedans.

 

The Model 3 outsold it's entire segment combined and it's an American sedan. So America is doing something right. Go America

 

Depends on what you mean by "Cheap". The interior and bodywork of the Continental was anything BUT cheap. In fact, it started a revolution in Lincoln interior quality that we see today continued in Lincoln's new SUVs....Navigator, Aviator, and Corsair.

Yes, the LS was a nice-driving car, but IMO, it looked, both inside and out, more like a Ford than a Lincoln. Lincoln also made a marketing error....it was intended to compete with BMW's 5-series, but Lincoln only offered the 5-speed manual with the V6, and not with the V8 version as BMW did.

You can't say that.....it's too early. They have just been introduced. Now, if after two or three years, they don't sell, then, OK.

I don't blame the sedans. It's not their fault. The public is simply obsessed with SUVs, trucks, and crossovers. You can lead a horse to water, but..........

 

A good friend of mine just bought a used 17 Continental earlier this year. His isn't the loaded model but it's still a very nice ride. He got the N/A V6 which he's still pretty pleased with, though I would have gone with an ecoboost model(yes, I'm aware Lincoln doesn't use the Ecoboost name)

 

while unique and fast, it's not a luxury sedan. it's the new prius (without the dog slow part).

 

It's an American sedan though I could argue it's a premium brand same as Lincoln too.

 

That is sad. Lincoln was once a respected luxury brand with a respected name and now it is reduced to only selling fancy vehicles based on Ford pickups and SUV's, totally different from its foundation and tradition. Considering how mostly good the Continental was based on a FWD platform with only a 3.0tt V6 it could have been a dominant vehicle if not game changer if given a RWD platform and V8 options. While it was no run away success, it managed pretty decent sales for a Lincoln sedan. It is one of the few American sedans over the past 10 years that I like and would choose over several German and Japanese luxury sedans. Like many luxury products they got the pricing wrong, it was priced way too high for the ones people wanted, the 400hp loaded Black Label ones which were well above 70K in price which means people went to other brands when they saw that price.

Doug Demuro did a recent review of the Coach door edition and seemed impressed. 120K price is ridiculous though.

 

To me - the interior is very cheap also in addition to the FWD chassis.
The dash is straight out of Fusion/Taurus with a tiny screen and cheap plastics. The seats were the only unique high quality part.

The new Navigator and Aviator in Black Label trim do have very high quality interiors.

 

Materials and design, yes- but fit and finish on all Lincoln vehicles remains utterly appalling and unacceptable for any brand that wants to be seen as upmarket:

 

I saw both in person and they don’t stand a chance against competition especially at their asking price.
Honestly they don’t even look like premium cars let alone luxury. I have liked the CTS styling in previous generations but these new CT4 and CT5 don’t look good at all.

 

I agree completely - it’s evident especially at car shows when you sit and touch Lincoln / Cadillac products and then Lexus or Germans....Big difference. I wish they can just build a truly great car.

 

^^^ I'm not impressed at all with that video. First of all, it doesn't agree with my own experience while looking at and test-driving several of the newer Lincolns. Second, the guy, to me, sounds like a jerk.....he's deliberately trying to make fun of the vehicle, looking for things (or creating things) that may or may not actually exist. Third, I certainly would not choose a new vehicle based on his comments.