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Lincoln may add suicide doors to future Continental

There's been plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Lincoln Continental, a nameplate revived only 18 months ago but struggling to move units as sedans submit subduction-style to the techtonic boom in crossovers. We recently shared a report that the Continental won't live to see another generation after selling just 18,846 units in its year-and-a-half back on the market. Now comes a report from Automotive News saying that Lincoln at the 2018 NADA convention in Las Vegas showed a photo of the Continental with rear-hinged doors and said it plans to manufacture it. The publication cited several dealers who were in the room but didn't want to be identified. Lincoln, of course, isn't saying anything about rear-hinged suicide doors except to say that "Continental is an important part of the Lincoln family." The announcement at NADA was reportedly meant to convey a commitment to cars by Lincoln, which has been buoyed by crossovers like the MKC and its red-hot Navigator large SUV. There was no word on timing or other details about the suicide door-equipped Continental. Lincoln sold just 1,573 units of the sedan through February, down about 25 percent on the annualized monthly rate. Still, if Lincoln wants to plant its flag in the car segment, then its flagship is probably a good place to start. The Continental nameplate, which was revived in New York in 2015 as a concept, enjoys a long design lineage, of course, and boasted production suicide doors on the 1961 Continental Mk V. The luxury sedan also inspired one artist to reimagine the Continental as a two-door coupe, true to its original 1939 styling and demonstrating the car's versatility. And the car already has some concept-style futuristic touches, including hidden electric door handles and 30-way adjustable front seats. But suicide doors have mostly been relegated these days to concept vehicles, one-offs like this Rolls-Royca Sweptail and the Tesla Semi truck. So should we see this as a way for Lincoln to draw some attention to a struggling nameplate? Related Video:

Lincoln prepping MKZ re-launch?

Launching an all-new car is no easy task. Case in point is the 2013 Lincoln MKZ, introduced with the fanfare of a major nationwide marketing campaign, including expensive Super Bowl ads, just as Ford was curbing production over potential quality issues. The resulting mess was nothing short of a nightmare for any automaker - customers visiting dealerships looking for cars that hadn't been delivered yet. Disappointed buyers walked out of Lincoln retailers without new keys in their hands, or switched to a competing brand to fill empty spaces in their driveways.
The impact was painful, as Lincoln's sales in January and February of this year were among the lowest it has recorded in more than a quarter century. Even though March looked a bit brighter, with the supply crisis reportedly over (there are 3,000 units in transit and production is approaching 200 units per day) the automaker is reportedly studying the feasibility of giving its pivotal MKZ the launch it originally deserved.
According to TheDetroitBureau.com, putting the MKZ back on consumer's radar could cost Ford tens of millions of dollars, but that kind of investment may be warranted if potential buyers have forgotten about the new model... or worse, if they have forgotten about Lincoln.

Lincoln reveals the posh and powerful 2018 Navigator

If you were a fan of the Navigator concept from last year's New York show, we've got good news. The production Navigator looks just like it. Sure there are subtle changes. The gullwing doors are gone, but no one should be surprised by that. A side effect is that it has conventional chrome door handles, too. The lower grille in the front bumper is a tad different, and the rear taillights are a bit thicker, but the overall look has stayed the same. That includes the tall, regal grille with a mesh consisting of Lincoln badge outlines, the side vents on the fenders, and those beautiful, intricate turbine wheels. On the top-of-the-line Black Label models, the Navigator gets an illuminated badge that lights up with the puddle lights when the driver approaches. View 15 Photos Since the Navigator is based on the Ford Expedition, it's unsurprising that they're very similar mechanically. The Navigator has aluminum construction, and it's propelled by a version of the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 found in so many Ford products. However, the Navigator's engine makes an impressive 450 horsepower compared with the expected 375 horsepower from the Expedition. Those plush ponies goes through a 10-speed automatic transmission. Inside, the Navigator stays true to the concept, and most important, shares essentially nothing with the plebeian Expedition. Like in the concept, the dashboard is low and wide and features plenty of wood and leather. The instrument panel is a configurable 12-inch display, and to its right is an upright, floating touch screen for infotainment. The buttons for shifting hang off the trailing edge of the dashboard, where a gap opens between it and the center console. The console houses the climate control buttons, and rises to meet the dash. Aside from the luxurious dash, occupants are treated to the Continental's 30-way adjustable front seats, which are heated and cooled. The interior should be whisper quiet as well, thanks to laminated front and side glass. This should allow passengers to better enjoy the available 20-speaker Revel II sound system even more. Plenty of gizmos and tech are at the fingertips of Navigator drivers, too. One of the more unique tidbits of technology are the adaptive headlights. At low speeds, the headlight beam is very wide to illuminate objects or pedestrians on the sides of the road. However, at high speeds, the beam narrows to reduce glare from street signs.