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Lincoln opens the doors again to the Continental Coach Door Edition

Last year, Lincoln did a limited — just 80 — run of stretched Continentals with '60s-style suicide doors to mark the nameplateÂ’s 80th anniversary. (The Continental launched in 1939 as a special project of Edsel FordÂ’s.) Those cars, officially the 80th Anniversary Coach Door Edition, quickly sold out. That enthusiastic reaction prompted Lincoln to commit to a return engagement. As promised, Lincoln is back with a Coach Door Edition of the 2020 Lincoln Continental. The essential elements are the same as last time. The sedans are based on the top-spec all-wheel-drive Black Label trim level and powered by the 400-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. TheyÂ’re stretched six inches between the axles, and the longer rear doors are rear-hinged. The work again is being done by Cabot Coach Builders in Massachusetts. The rear-hinged doors retain the ContinentalÂ’s signature exterior door handles that are integrated into the beltline molding with electronic releases. Inside, a full-length center console divides the rear seats and incorporates a table, wireless device charging, audio and climate controls, and tablet/notebook computer holders. The doors each house a Lincoln-branded umbrella, and the door sills are illuminated. Three exterior colors are offered: Chroma Crystal Blue, Infiniti Black and Pristine White Metallic, with the latter two available in a monochrome treatment. Inside, buyers have their choice of two themes: Alpine / Chalet or Jet Black / Thoroughbred. A standard all-wheel-drive Black Label starts at $75,470 (before options), but the 2020 Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition will start at $115,470 (plus destination fee). This yearÂ’s production run will be approximately 150 cars, and order books open today (Friday, Oct. 4) with deliveries scheduled for spring 2021.

Lincoln's $5B revival bid hinges upon new D6 chassis

It's no secret that Lincoln has received short shrift from the Ford Motor Company for years, and former CEO Alan Mullay even wanted to kill the whole thing off when he ran things. Today, things appear to be trending in a different direction. Fresh investment has helped enable a sizable marketing push for its well-regarded MKC compact crossover, a couple of awards for the company and plant the seeds for a major expansion into China. While the situation is still in the early going, it looks like Lincoln is on a tentative (if long) path towards a turnaround. If new reports are accurate, the brand is poised to build on that momentum with its largest investment in new products in years thanks in large measure to a new modular platform codenamed D6.
According to four unnamed insiders speaking to Reuters, FoMoCo is investing over $5 billion over the next five years, partially to create a new modular platform to underpin multiple Lincoln vehicles - and possibly some Ford products, too. Development is reportedly being overseen by the division's new boss, Kumar Galhotra. At the moment, specific details about the D6 chassis aren't yet known, but it's rumored to have the flexibility to support front-, rear- and all-wheel drive vehicles. According to Reuters, the first model using the framework could be an MKZ replacement and seven-passenger MKT successor in 2019.
Until the D6-based models hit, expect to see continued expansion from Lincoln. Ford management isn't trying to turn around the division overnight and is planning "in terms of generations of products," according to current CEO Mark Fields. The strategy unsurprisingly includes a production version of Lincoln's recent MKX Concept, as well as an all-new Navigator using aluminum-intensive architecture. Reuters also claims the MKS is due for renewal in the meantime, including with a longer-wheelbase version to appeal to the brand's new Chinese buyers.

Lincoln Continental death looms with changes at Flat Rock Plant

Ford's Flat Rock Assembly plant just south of Detroit produces the Ford Mustang and the Lincoln Continental. Automotive News reports that the automaker plans to produce two battery-electric crossovers at the facility, the EVs scheduled for sale in the 2023 model year. The EVs were previously meant to be built in Ford's Cuautitlan Stamping and Assembly plant in Mexico, which builds the Fiesta. According to the AN piece, moving the EVs to Michigan means the end of Lincoln Continental production in the U.S. Sunset is expected in "late 2021" for a sedan that is just three years old, and that never got the momentum to assert itself and reassert the Continental nameplate. The Continental has been on death watch since at least March 2018, when Ford Authority reported that the luxury sedan wouldn't get more than one generation. The changing of several guards in the top ranks scotched a plan to move the Continental onto the CD6 platform for rear- and all-wheel-drive vehicles. In September 2018, Jalopnik put more meat on those crossbones, saying Flat Rock workers alleged the big Lincoln could bid adieu as soon as this year, and automaker insiders had seen production merely scheduled — not approved — for 2020, with nothing beyond that. Then, as now, Ford appears to be leaving open the possibility for Continental production to continue in China, and just maybe be exported here. The two twinned midsized EVs, using the codenames CDX746 and CDX747, would come in Ford and Lincoln flavors. Said to be roughly the size of the Ford Edge/Lincoln Nautilus platform siblings, the automaker has requested suppliers gear up for annual production of up to 65,000 units between the two models. When they arrive, they'll form part of the 16 EVs Ford plans to have on the market worldwide by 2022. The others we know of so far are the crossover that will channel the Mustang, an electric F-150 pickup, and an EV project with Rivian.