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Lincoln Continental production likely to shift to Flat Rock

Lincoln production may be returning to Michigan, according to a new report from Automotive News. While the brand's current big sedan, the MKS, is built alongside the Ford Taurus, Ford Explorer, and their Police Interceptor counterparts at the Blue Oval's Chicago, IL factory, the production version of the Continental won't be screwed together in the Windy City. According to AN, "industry sources" claim the Continental will join the Ford Mustang and Ford Fusion – on which the big Lincoln is loosely based – at the company's Flat Rock, MI factory. The move isn't just based on convenience, though. Ford is selling a lot of Explorers, and shifting Lincoln production away from Chicago Assembly frees up production capacity for the popular SUV. "Chicago Assembly Plant is vital to our global manufacturing footprint and will continue to manufacture the Ford Taurus, Ford Explorer and Police Interceptor vehicles even after we phase out production of the MKS in 2016," Ford told Automotive News. "We will continue to match production to demand." Looking at the numbers further backs up the argument against Lincoln production in Chicago. Last year alone, Ford built nearly 285,000 Explorers and over 73,000 Taurus sedans, compared to just 8,300 Lincolns. Finally, as AN tells it, Ford is almost telegraphing the Continental's arrival in Flat Rock. The facility has a four-week shut down scheduled from June 15 through July 13, which is twice as long as the typical summer vacation, while there's another two weeks off slated for September. Related Video:

Weekly Recap: Revisting the BBC report that ended Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear run

Jeremy Clarkson's long run as a Top Gear host has come to an end, and the reason is clear: His physical assault on one of the show's producers crossed a line, and the government-owned BBC couldn't tolerate it. The incident between Clarkson and Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon was initially described as a "fracas," and Clarkson was suspended. But his popularity and widespread support – even British Prime Minister David Cameron weighed in – suggested that the controversial Clarkson might be given yet another chance. The BBC put this to rest Wednesday when it sacked Clarkson and revealed the findings of its investigation. The report spelled out how Clarkson struck Tymon on the patio of a North Yorkshire (UK) hotel, leaving him with a bloodied, swollen lip. It was severe enough that the producer sought medical treatment. During and after the attack, Clarkson shouted expletives at Tymon and threatened to fire him. The noise carried into the hotel's dining room and even to a bedroom. Local police investigated the incident, but Tymon isn't pressing charges. The huge audience numbers, Clarkson's popularity and the high-octane excitement of Top Gear all melted away in the eyes of BBC director-general Tony Hall, who saw an attacker and a victim. "For me a line has been crossed," he said in a statement. "There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations." In that moment, Clarkson was the bad guy, though he was actually the one who reported it to the network and made repeated attempts to apologize to Tymon. He's also urged the media to leave the producer alone. Hall voiced regret in the statement that announced Clarkson's contract would not be renewed, but the BBC decided to move on. Rumors are swirling about possible replacements for Clarkson. The network says it wants to continue Top Gear in 2016 and is looking to air the rest of this season's episodes. Despite the controversy, the show has a global audience of 350 million viewers and is one of the BBC's most valuable properties. It's unclear what Clarkson's co-hosts, James May and Richard Hammond, will do, as their contracts were also reportedly up to be renewed. Other News & Notes 2016 Chevrolet Malibu hybrid charges up with Volt technology Chevrolet is taking some of the learnings and technologies from the 2016 Volt and dropping them into the reborn Malibu hybrid.

2020 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring First Drive | It's the plug-in hybrid one

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — While we've already declared that the 2020 Lincoln Aviator is the real deal, that earlier first drive only covered the gas-only base version. Not that a 400-horsepower anything is typically considered "base," but it certainly becomes that when there's another version available, the Aviator Grand Touring, that's good for a cool 494 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque.  Frankly, it seems a little odd to fixate on output figures when the Aviator goes out of its way to push its accelerative capability into the background and instead focus on an altogether luxurious and effortless driving experience. But 630 pound-feet is a whole heap of torque that fully eclipses even the mighty BMW X7 M50i. The BMW has a twin-turbo V8 engine fettled by M Division, however. The 2020 Aviator Grand Touring is a plug-in hybrid. Unlike other gasoline-electric variants, this version does not take a smaller engine and add electricity. Rather, it starts with the regular Aviator's whole hog 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 and sandwiches a 75-kW electric motor between it and the 10-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard, but it's a traditional system rather than one created by a rear-axle electric motor. With this approach, Lincoln is trying to create a range-topping model, not necessarily an eco-oriented one. The Grand Touring is the V12-powered Mercedes S600 to the regular Aviator's S500. It's best to think of it in those historic luxury terms, because despite the eye-popping output, this is still not a sport-tuned vehicle. Indeed, it's very possible that it's not actually that much quicker off the line than the regular version. Black Label - Chalet 3 View 30 Photos Lincoln didn't provide a 0-60 time, but the Grand Touring weighs 781 pounds more than a gas-only all-wheel-drive Aviator. Stuffing 96 lithium-ion battery cells under the second-row seat tends to do that. As a result, the hybrid's added electric wallop does in fact make it feel more powerful, but it's not the sort of face-flattening experience you might expect with that torque number. It's not that different. Well, in terms of acceleration, at least. There are actually some drivability issues. The throttle is difficult to modulate smoothly from a start, at least when driving in hybrid mode with the plug-in battery portion fully drained.