2010 Lincoln Mkt Ecoboost Sport Utility 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 2004 Lincoln Navigator Ultimate 4x4

Things in the American SUV world got a lot more interesting during the late 1990s, when Ford and GM realized that the best way to print bales of money did not involve bringing over their European-market sedans for sale here. Instead, they would take their big sport utility vehicles, pry off the badges of their proletariat-grade marques, and slather them in luxury materials and the latest gadgetry. Ford was first with the Ford Expedition-based Lincoln Navigator in the 1998 model year, with The General transforming the GMC Yukon Denali into the Cadillac Escalade a year later. Today's Junkyard Gem is an early second-generation Navigator, found in a Denver-area car graveyard. The second-generation Navigator was built for the 2003 through 2006 model years. It didn't look much different from its predecessor, but it (and its Expedition sibling) had a brand-new independent rear suspension that gave it a lower rear floor and a somewhat less truck-ish ride. This generation of Navigator was the first luxury SUV to offer powered retractable running boards. This truck, being a top-trim-level Ultimate, has them. With an MSRP of $56,140 (about $93,069 in 2023 dollars), the Navigator Ultimate 4x4 was the most expensive new production car or light truck offered by the Ford Motor company in the United States as a 2004 model. The introduction of the $149,995 Ford GT the following year stole that crown from the Navigator, of course. That's genuine walnut trim, not the phony wood that went into Malaise Era Lincolns. The dash layout was inspired by that of the 1961 Continental, according to Lincoln PR. Power came from a 5.4-liter DOHC V8 rated at 300 horsepower and 355 pound-feet. Curb weight approached three tons. This one looks to have been in good cosmetic condition when it got here. A quick VIN check shows that it was for sale at a Denver used-car joint a few months back, with just under 140,000 miles on the odometer and a price tag of $4,900 (which is about $3,104 in 2004 dollars, or a depreciation of nearly 95% in 19 years). Perhaps the engine or transmission failed soon after that, leading to this grim fate. That wood-and-leather steering wheel felt … just like a football? You could operate its power features in time to music, if you so chose. The 2004 Navigator was forced to share this commercial with the smaller Explorer-based Aviator.

Biden's tariffs likely won't impact Americans already driving Chinese-built cars

A 2024 Buick Envision Sport TouringGM-DESIGN Chinese car brands are missing from the US market, but Chinese-made cars are still sold in the US.  Americans bought more than 104,000 Chinese-made cars in 2023 and nearly 28,000 in Q1 2024. Buick, Lincoln, Polestar, and Volvo all sell cars in the US that are made in China.  Of the more than 15 million cars sold in the US last year, none wore the badge of a Chinese car brand. Chinese EV heavy hitters like BYD and SAIC are conspicuously missing from US showrooms. With the government's existing 27.5% tariffs on Chinese-made cars and Tuesday's new 100% tariffs on Chinese-made EVs imported to the US, the situation isn't likely to change anytime soon. What some people might not realize, however, is that tens of thousands of cars manufactured in China are sold in the US every year. Volvo's S60L sedan was one of the first Chinese-made cars to be sold in the US starting in 2016, followed by Buick's Envision SUV and Cadillac's CT6 Hybrid. According to Automotive News data, US consumers purchased more than 104,000 Chinese-made vehicles in 2023, up 45% from 2022. Americans bought another 28,000 Chinese-made cars during the first quarter of 2024. Currently, Buick, Lincoln, Polestar, and Volvo sell Chinese-made vehicles in the US. Of those, the only Chinese-made EVs come from Polestar, a brand co-owned by Volvo and its parent company, Geely Automotive. The EV brand imported just 2,217 cars in the first three months of 2024. It is unclear how the new tariffs will affect Polestar's future production plans. The company eventually plans to move some of its car production to South Carolina in 2024. In a statement to Business Insider, a Polestar spokesperson said the company is evaluating the Biden Administration's announcement. Here's a closer look at the Chinese-made cars on sale in the US. Buick Envision A 2024 Buick Envision AvenirGM When it launched in 2016, the Buick Envision compact SUV was one of the first Chinese-made vehicles sold in the US. The second generation Envision, which arrived in 2021, continues to be made in China at one of the plants GM operates in a joint venture with SAIC. The Envision was Buick's second-best-selling model in 2023, with more than 44,000 vehicles sold. Last year, Buick sold 167,000 vehicles across its entire lineup in the US, an impressive 61% increase over the previous year. However, this number pales in comparison to Buick's sales in China, which totaled 517,000 units last year.

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.