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Lincoln MKC configurator comes alive

Lincoln has already announced most of the trim level and option pricing for its upcoming 2015 MKC due out this summer, and now it has launched a configurator allowing prospective buyers to get a better idea of how this new model will stack up against other compact luxury crossovers. We already knew that the MKC will have a starting price of $33,995, but now we know that its price includes a destination charge of $895.
Models equipped with the base 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine come standard with the Premiere package - $33,100 for front-wheel drive and $35,595 for all-wheel drive. Both models offer equipment upgrades from the Select and Reserve packages. The $3,230 Select package adds features like leather seats, power passenger seat, folding and heated door mirrors and painted 18-inch wheels, while the pricier $6,935 Reserve package adds in heated and cooled front seats, panoramic roof, hands-free liftgate, two-tone wheels and an embedded modem (providing features such as remote lock and unlock, vehicle finder and pre-conditioning).
Opting for the new 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four raises the base price to $39,965, and it comes standard with all-wheel drive and all of the equipment in the Select package; the Reserve package is still optional. All models can be further optioned up with the $2,235 Technology Package (adding adaptive cruise, active park assist and lane keeping system) and the $580 Climate Package (heated rear seats and steering wheel, auto high beams and rain-sensing wipers). Checking all the options, a fully loaded 2015 MKC with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost will have a total MSRP of $47,715.

Did Neil Young just spill the beans on a 2016 Lincoln Continental? [w/video]

Neil Young may be better known as a singer-songwriter and rock n' roll icon than he is for his involvement with cars, but the Canadian-born musician is not without his automotive credentials. His latest book, after all, is titled "Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars," and one of his most famous songs, "Long May You Run," was written about his old station wagon. But does that mean he's got an inside line on new cars coming out? In an appearance on CNBC's Mad Money with Matt Cramer this week, the Y in CSNY was plugging Pono, a portable music player and service he developed. During the segment, which you can watch in the video clip below, Young mentioned that his company was working on a new in-car audio integration with Harman, which as we know just signed a deal with Lincoln. Here's where it gets interesting: The Godfather of Grunge mentioned that Pono and Harman were preparing to put the system in the 2016 Lincoln Continental. The thing is, Lincoln hasn't made a Continental for a dozen years now. Does Neil know something we don't, or did he simply misspeak? He is, after all, working on an electric-converted '59 Continental he calls the LincVolt, so it wouldn't be hard to imagine he got mixed up. But maybe, just maybe, it was the first bit of leaked info that Ford's luxury division is planning on shifting away from its MK-based naming scheme and reviving at least one iconic nameplate. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Car subscription services: A slow, expensive start — but the potential is huge

Americans are used to paying for subscriptions — to magazines and cable television, for instance — but experience shows they'll cancel when the price of admission gets too high, or there are more tempting alternatives. Cord cutters ditched nearly 1.5 million pay-TV subscriptions in 2017, according to a survey by Leichtman Research Group. Cable TV started out cheap with basic offerings, and then got expensive. The auto industry's subscription offerings are new, but they're starting out costly, and not price-competitive with traditional leasing. The upside is that they take the hassle out of car ownership for busy people by letting the service take care of maintenance, insurance, licensing and taxes. And they give consumers choice, often allowing relatively painless switches between different cars in the automakers' lineup. Subscription services also point the way toward an ownership-free auto experience, and offer an easy transition to a potential world where ride- and car-sharing will be dominant. Subscriptions are here to stay, but consumers may take a while to "get" them. Lincoln's subscription service for lightly used 2015 to 2017 models, offered through the Ford-owned Canvas beginning this year, got off to a slow start. Many early subscribers canceled. Last month, Cadillac announced it would " temporarily pause" its $1,800-per-month Book subscription service for "adjustments" as of December 1. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Snags with the back-end technology used to support the service made some customer-service functions tedious and time-consuming, adding costs for the company." The challenge for automakers is to come up with a strategy that offers consumers a compelling, affordable option to regular ownership, and one that can also make a profit. I think they'll find that sweet spot, but they're not there yet. Jack Nerad, former executive editorial director at Kelley Blue Book and author of " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car," points out that "A lot of people expected that subscriptions would be very valuable for people who wanted inexpensive transportation, but the reality is quite the opposite. Subscriptions are offering more choices for the wealthy.