1965 Lincoln Continentals (3 Cars, 1 Convertible & 2 Sedans) on 2040-cars

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Ford to add Android Auto and CarPlay to 2016 SYNC 3 cars via update

Ford is updating a large number of 2016 model year cars equipped with SYNC 3 infotainment software, adding Android Auto and CarPlay to the vehicles with a free, over-the-air update via Wi-Fi, or using either USB or going through their dealer. The upgrade will be available for around 800,000 vehicles in total, giving a huge number of Ford car owners the chance to get big infotainment improvements without having to buy a newer model car. The OTA update option is also a big step for Ford – it's the company's first for software ever, and it's one of the major reasons that Ford recently hired around 400 new mobile smartphone engineers, the company tells me. For CarPlay, users will still also need to upgrade their vehicle's USB hub to make this work (which will also incur a dealer visit and a cost), but for those on Android, all that's required is a simple software installation. The USB install method is also faster, but the Wi-Fi update option is the start of the company's efforts to really increase its OTA update program, which will be used for security improvements as well as infotainment bumps. Even with a dealer visit and hardware upgrade for CarPlay, this sounds like a worthwhile thing for 2016 vehicle owners to do. CarPlay and Android Auto are huge upgrades vs. most in-car software, offering navigation and entertainment options that follow you from your phone to your car. Retroactively offering this kind of thing to car owners is a definite change in tone for carmakers, since they typically use these kinds of things as incentives to get people interested in vehicle model updates. But as data becomes increasingly important to automakers as a business, it makes sense to encourage greater in-car use of devices.Written by Darrell Etherington for TechCrunchRelated Video: Auto News Ford Lincoln Technology Infotainment android

2017 Lincoln MKZ is a 400-hp hot rod

There are mid-cycle product updates, and then there's the 2017 MKZ. Instead of just a nip-and-tuck styling refresh, the entry-level Lincoln gets an all-new engine with a whopping 400 horsepower and an optional torque-vectoring rear differential. And that powerplant is exclusive to the Lincoln, at least for the time being. It's a sign that Ford is getting serious about elevating its luxury brand above the recent history of rebadged Blue Oval models. The engine is a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, based on the current 2.7-liter that serves across the Ford and Lincoln lineup. With 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, it's the most powerful Lincoln ever. That big number will only be available in all-wheel-drive versions of the MKZ. With front-wheel drive the engine will be detuned to an estimated 350 horsepower to retain some level of driving refinement. A further option on the AWD model will be the Driver's Pack, which adds the same torque-vectoring rear differential as on the forthcoming Focus RS. With the promise of rear-wheel-drive handling characteristics, the MKZ could be the most fun-to-drive Lincoln ever. In addition to the V6, a 245-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four and a hybrid model will be available. When the 2017 model goes on sale next spring it will be the first Lincoln in showrooms with the new signature grille, first previewed in the Continental Concept at this year's New York Auto Show. Adaptive LED headlights are available options, and a Lincoln logo "welcome mat" projects down from the side mirrors when unlocking the car at night. The view from behind is nearly unchanged, with a revised bumper giving the car a slightly wider appearance. Inside things are all new as well, with a completely revised center console. The capacitive-touch sliding controls are gone, replaced by buttons and knobs. In the press release, Lincoln mentions that engineers gave special attention to the sounds and feel of the switches, but the switches on the pre-production model at our product briefing felt cheap and loose. The large climate control knob clicked like it was grinding sand. We hope the production version will show more refinement. The good news, if you're rooting for Lincoln, is that the rest of the interior is impressive, at least in the top-of-the-line Black Label trim we saw. The front seats are comfortable, and the center console is trimmed in real aluminum.

How the demise of Lincoln's Town Car has kick-started a limo revolution

The deaths of the Ford Crown Victoria and the Lincoln Town Car have meant overhauls of three high-profile American fleets: police, taxi and livery car. Just as police fleets are more open to considering other options and a Nissan van is the new face of the NYC taxi, livery car companies are looking at replacements for the Town Car beyond The Blue Oval. Ford, via Lincoln, has made an MKT Town Car (pictured), but an article in the Detroit News claims "it has failed to win over most of the big limousine companies." The upstarts trying to move in include livery and limo editions of the Cadillac XTS, and livery specifications of the Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300.
Each of those challengers, however, faces challenges. The Town Car was a workhorse, American, rear-wheel-drive sedan with plenty of rear legroom. Cadillac has been in the livery space before but with decontented models that were about selling the brand, not its luxury. It is taking the opposite approach with the XTS, pointing out that its livery edition is "contented in the upper half of the XTS range." Still, the CEO of Michigan's largest livery company says "it's quite a bit smaller than what we're used to," and he also prefers rear-wheel drive.
The Chrysler 300 is rear-wheel drive, and American, which matters to some companies, but Chrysler hasn't yet revealed the livery package for it. The livery Avalon marks Toyota's first time getting into that business in the US, a natural step after having done so well with taxi clients and with the Town Car out of the way. Still, the livery client is a different to taxi buyers, so the Avalon could face other soft-touch hurdles.