1999 Lincoln Navigator - Red on 2040-cars

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Lincoln confirms the MKZ only has a few months left to live

Lincoln confirmed it will put the MKZ out to pasture in 2020. The sedan is based on the Ford Fusion, which is also scheduled to retire in the coming months as the company pivots towards high-riding models. Introduced at the 2012 New York Auto Show, the MKZ is the oldest member of the Lincoln portfolio by a wide margin, so its demise hardly comes as a surprise. The firm quietly broke the news as it announced plans to release an electric SUV built using technology borrowed from Rivian. The 2020 model is already out, and Lincoln tells Autoblog production will end in mid-2020, with sales continuing through the rest of the year. There will be no 2021 model.   Though never a home run, the MKZ will be remembered as a significant car because it ushered in the design language that characterizes every model Lincoln sells in 2020 when it received a mid-cycle update for the 2017 model year. And, with up to 400 horsepower on tap, it also stood out as the most powerful production Lincoln ever released. Power and an elegant design weren't enough to give the nameplate a significant boost, and annual sales dropped to 17,725 units in 2019 from a peak of 34,009 cars in 2014. Even the Navigator outsold it. In recent years, the MKZ perplexingly became the autonomous car world's darling. Faraday Future, Didi Chuxing, Aurora, and Qualcomm are among the companies that tested their technology with MKZ-based prototypes. Lincoln explained the Hermosillo, Mexico, factory that makes the MKZ and the Fusion will "prepare for production of new Ford vehicles," but it didn't specify which ones. There's absolutely no evidence the company is developing a direct replacement for its entry-level sedan, so the Continental will carry the torch on its own. Its days might be numbered, too, because several unverified reports claim Lincoln will again consign the nameplate to the attic in the coming years to free up the production capacity it needs to build electric cars in Flat Rock, Michigan. Once it goes, Lincoln's range will be entirely sedan-free for the first time since the company was created in 1917. Some automakers still believe in the sedan, like Audi, but Lincoln seems to be a student of Ford's philosophy. Related Video:    

Ford recalls 591,177 vehicles in four separate campaigns

Ford is issuing recalls for a total of 591,177 vehicles worldwide, in four separate campaigns. The announcement comes just days after the discovery of door-latch problems in 390,000 of the automaker's cars. The largest of these new recalls covers 518,313 examples of the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ from the 2013-2015 model years, plus the 2015 Edge. Of these, 487,301 of are in the US and 31,012 are in Canada. For vehicles in cold-weather areas, the bolts that hold the steering gear motor can corrode and fracture. If this happens, it could cause the power steering to fail, but manual control would be retained. There are no reported accidents or injuries from this problem. To fix things, dealers will replace the bolts and seal them. The next campaign covers 50,157 examples of the 2014 Focus, Edge, Escape, and Transit Connect, plus the Fiesta from 2014 and 2015. Of these, 45,505 are in the US, 4,618 in Canada, and 34 in Mexico. All of them exhibit a problem with the fuel pump where the nickel plating can cause the part to seize and the engine to stall, if this occurs. (All of which sounds like recent problems with Nissan and BMW models.) According to Ford, there is one allegation of an accident from this problem. Dealers will replace the fuel delivery module to fix the problem. Ford is also recalling 22,616 units of the 2015 Lincoln MKZ because when the headlights are on, the parking lamps are brighter than they are allowed to be. The light could affect the vision of other drivers. This campaign includes 21,435 of them in the US, 1,066 in Canada and 115 in Mexico. There are no accidents or injuries from the issue, but Ford is updating the software to dim the lights on these sedans. Finally, Ford has a safety campaign for 91 examples of the 2015 F-150 because an underbody heat shield might not be properly installed or not present at all, which can be a fire risk. There are no reports of any actual accidents or fires, though. The affected pickups will have the parts replaced or added, as necessary after a dealer inspection. To see the specific build dates for the models affected by each of these campaigns, you can read about them in the press release below. Related Video: FORD ISSUES FOUR SAFETY RECALLS IN NORTH AMERICA Ford Motor Company is issuing four safety recalls in North America. One accident and no injuries are attributed to these conditions.

Junkyard Gem: 1982 Lincoln Continental Mark VI Bill Blass Edition

From the 1976 through 1992 model years, Lincoln sold Designer Edition members of the Mark Series personal luxury cars. At one time or another, the Givenchy, Versace, Pucci, Cartier, and Bill Blass brands partnered with Lincoln to make snazzed-up Marks IV, V, VI, and VII. I'm always on the lookout for these blinged-out land yachts as I patrol for Junkyard Gems, and I've managed to find a handful over the years. Today, we've got a tattered-but-still-glorious Bill Blass Mark VI from the waning days of the Late Disco Period. Bill Blass got his start in the United States Army, designing phony inflatable tanks to fool the Nazis prior to the D-Day invasion in World War II. After that, his company became a major player in the fashion world, and Ford put the BB anchor design on plenty of Lincoln Marks. This Bill Blass Mark VI got red body pinstripes and red decorative belting on the leather-upholstered seats. A faux-convertible "diamond grain carriage roof" went on the Designer Edition Mark VI coupes (you could buy the '82 Mark VI Pucci Edition as a sedan). This roof is on the tattered side, but you get the idea. The "wire spoke" aluminum wheels on the Designer Edition cars look much nicer than the wire-wheel-influenced hubcaps that went on lesser Mark VIs. The Mark III through Mark V were siblings of the Ford Thunderbird, but the 1980-1983 Mark VI lived on the new Panther platform and its closest relatives were the regular Continental and Town Car. Yes, this car is a not-so-distant cousin to the Crown Victoria P71 Police Interceptors that stayed in production through 2011. Under the hood, we see the good old Ford Windsor 302 engine, also known as the 5.0 V8. Power wasn't so great— 140 horsepower and 231 lb-ft— but the curb weight of the Mark VI came in at well under two tons, a 700-pound weight reduction compared to the vast Mark V. The Mark VI seems to be the forgotten Mark, overlooked between the rococo V and the speedy Fox-based VI. A digital-tuner AM/FM radio with four speakers and cassette player was heavy-duty audio stuff in 1982. A digital instrument cluster showed the world that you were ready for… the future.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. What's not to love about the Mark VI?