1956 Lincoln Mark Ii With Only 46,000 Original Miles Vintage,antique,collector on 2040-cars

Auto blog

How the Lincoln Continental Concept almost wasn't

That Lincoln Continental Concept that everyone is so excited about? It almost didn't happen. Speaking at the private reveal event for the concept yesterday, Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields revealed that when the design team started working on the vehicle that eventually became the Continental, the designers thought it was just another full-size luxury concept, and were turning in ideas to match. The problem, Fields said, is that this was an important vehicle to get right. "A full-size luxury sedan for a luxury brand is a very important marker that, I think, sets the beat for the brand and it creates a lot of awareness and favorability if you do it right," he said. "As we were designing this concept ... we reviewed with the designers the themes. The first couple of themes the team came with really didn't do it for us because we want to make sure that every vehicle that we bring out with Lincoln moves the brand forwards in a big way. So we went through the first couple of them and we really didn't get that kind of 'oomph' in the pit of our stomach." The team was stuck with an upcoming debut and nothing exciting to show for it, until the past was brought into the present. "In one of the design reviews, we were looking around at everyone and we mentioned, you know what, why don't we call this the Continental Concept? And I have to tell you, the body language was unbelievable in the design showroom. Everybody's head snapped up and you could see everybody's eyes widen and they started nodding and they said, 'now we get it.'" Aside from the Navigator, every vehicle Lincoln currently sells is simply named a trio of letters that start with M and K. Fields knew that the large luxury segment sedan is important for a company like Lincoln, with about 1.8 million units sold last year and an expected growth to around 2 million units by the end of the decade, he said. "When you think about where that growth is coming from, it's still a substantial segment here in the US, it's a very substantial segment and even more substantial segment in China. As a matter of fact, that segment grew by 17 percent last year and China is the largest market for full-size luxury sedans." Given the positive reaction to the Continental Concept thus far, bringing the name back from the dead might be just the thing Lincoln needed.

Auto Show Notebook: Legendary Continental name inspired Lincoln's designers

What's in a name? A lot for the Continental concept, and it gave Lincoln designers a sense of purpose as they styled the brand's upcoming flagship sedan. "The moment that we told them, it was amazing," Lincoln president Kumar Galhotra said. "They totally got it." "It" is cutting-edge technology wrapped in stately, large-sedan design. It's a nod to Lincoln's storied past, but a signpost for where the brand is heading. Though the Continental name dates to the late 1930s, Lincoln designers avoided making the concept overtly retro. "You can't let it pull yourself back too far in history, but you've got to design a car that lives up to the name," Galhotra said. Speaking to Autoblog on the floor of the New York Auto Show where the Continental formally debuted Wednesday, the Lincoln president reiterated that the car is on track to launch in 2016. It will compete against the Audi A6, Lexus GS, BMW 5 Series and other large luxury sedans. After its debut, the concept in New York will fly to China – another critical market for Lincoln – for display there. It will be replaced in New York by a prototype without an interior. The Continental is the latest high profile play by Lincoln to raise its image with consumers, who have either ignored or forgotten about it amid steep competition in the luxury sector from German and Japanese brands and a potentially resilient Cadillac. Lincoln sales are essentially flat compared with 2014 through the first quarter of this year, with total volume of 21,478 units. The middling start to 2015 comes on the heels of nearly 16-percent sales growth last year spurred by the launch of the MKC and the prominent signing of Matthew McConaughey to star in Lincoln advertisements. Other News, Notes & Quotes Speaking of names, Chevrolet did its homework before deciding to proceed with "Malibu" for its new generation of midsize cars. "We went out and researched it," said Alan Batey, president of General Motors North America. "People actually like the name 'Malibu,'" he said. Admittedly, the current Malibu has struggled in the marketplace against entrenched competitors, Batey said, but he's optimistic its awareness and historical value are assets to the dramatically redesigned sedan."The name's strong," he said. Meanwhile, in other Chevy news, the brand kicked off a new marketing campaign, "Real People, Not Actors" Wednesday. It will show consumers interacting with Chevys and their spontaneous reactions to the vehicles.

2025 Lincoln Aviator revealed with new face, more tech, no more PHEV

The 2025 Lincoln Aviator is here wearing the model’s first refresh since its launch for the 2020 model year. ThatÂ’s a long period of time to go without any significant changes, but luckily for Lincoln, the Aviator never really fell out of favor. This refresh follows the Ford ExplorerÂ’s update for 2025, its platform mate, and the scope of changes made to the Lincoln is similar. The exterior wears the new Lincoln family front fascia with a taller grille, new LED headlights that creep into the grille itself and an updated front bumper. Nothing changes out back, but Lincoln says both the LED daytime running lights and LED taillights now feature welcome and goodbye animations. Two new colors join the palette – Cenote Green (pictured first in the gallery at the top of this post) and Whisper Blue Metallic – and a couple of new wheel designs arrive for 2025, too. None of these updates drastically change the handsome Aviator, which weÂ’re fine with because this sleek Lincoln three-row SUV has always looked dashing. Only one engine option is available for the Aviator, which is the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that makes 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to either the rear wheels or to all wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission, which Lincoln says is re-calibrated this year for smoother performance. Unfortunately, the Grand Reserve PHEV trim that was dropped for the 2024 model year will not be returning in 2025. Lincoln tells us that its take rate of just 14% wasnÂ’t enough to justify continuing to build it, which is a real shame, because that was one quick plug-in hybrid SUV with 494 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque. The good news on the mechanical side of things is that the adaptive suspension is now standard instead of optional. The air suspension continues to be available as either an option on the Reserve trim or standard equipment on the Black Label. The biggest changes come inside the Aviator. A new dash design does away with climate control buttons, tucking them into the touchscreen. The start/stop button moves to sit next to the other “piano key” style shift buttons, and the center stack is simplified with more empty space for beautiful trim to sprawl across. The storage areas in the center console are slightly re-jiggered, with the one pocket on the left being the new wireless phone charger.