2010 Lincoln Mkx on 2040-cars

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Lincoln trumpets $129M investment, 300 new jobs in Louisville for MKC

Remember when we used to talk about how close Lincoln was to being axed and how it seemed any day now the Grim Reaper would use it as a car service back to the grave? Last time we did it was, oh, not even a month ago. What a difference 27 days makes: Ford and Lincoln are trumpeting a $129M investment in the Louisville Assembly Plant that builds the MKC.
In July the MKC was the third-best-selling Lincoln of the brand's six offerings, beat by the MKZ and - by a much smaller margin - the MKX. It has sold 2,895 units in the two months it's been on sale, which is more than half the year-to-date sales of the MKS, MKT and Navigator. It's already important, is what we're trying to say, and this is before the Chinese market gets a crack at it later this year.
The money headed to Kentucky will be joined by 300 new workers, another marker in Ford's march to create 12,000 hourly jobs in the US by next year. You can read more about it in the press release below.

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:

2016 Lincoln MKX packs plenty of power, MKC-inspired looks

Following on the heels of Ford's unveiling of its new Edge a few months back, Lincoln officially introduced the new MKX counterpart on Tuesday at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Unlike its Ford counterpart, the MKX does away with any notion of a four-cylinder, opting for the buyer's choice of a pair of V6 engines. At its base is FoMoCo's familiar 3.7-liter V6, generating a projected 300 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, although the real exciting powertrain news focuses on Lincoln's optional engine. Like the Edge, the top-end engine is a 2.7-liter, EcoBoost V6 that promises "more than" 330 hp and 370 lb-ft of torque. We'd love to tell you about the performance impact this new engine has on the MKX, but as Lincoln probably hasn't published a 0-60 time since 1967, that simply isn't possible. Suffice it to say, we expect the most potent engine should offer pretty brisk acceleration. Aside from the power increase provided by the MKX's new engine lineup, Lincoln has thoroughly refitted the crossover's exterior, using its handsome MKC kid brother as its inspiration. It's a good look, to be honest, allowing the new CUV to maintain its styling edge over its Blue Ovaled platform mate. See what we mean in our gallery of live images, right from the Lincoln stage at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.