1997 Lincoln Town Car Executive Series on 2040-cars

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Lincoln Continental sent 'into the vault' ... again

Ford confirmed today that the Lincoln Continental will be discontinued for North America after the 2020 model year. The news certainly isn't surprising given the Continental's meager sales figures, lukewarm critical reception and the fact that the Navigator has resoundingly entrenched itself as the brand's true modern flagship. "The name will go back into the vault," Lincoln spokesperson Angie Kozleski told the Detroit Free Press. "It has a long and rich history. But production for this vehicle will be ending at the end of this year." In an official statement, the brand said the decision was due to the continued decline of full-size premium sedans in the United States. The Continental is built in Flat Rock, Mich., and dates back to 2017 when Lincoln resurrected the nameplate after a 15-year hiatus. The car itself technically replaced the unloved MKS in Lincoln's lineup, and although based on a well-received concept car, the actual production model failed to live up to the rather grand style statement that had been promised. The interior in particular was a letdown. Lincoln sold 6,586 Continentals in 2019; likely many of those were fleet sales. Nevertheless, it can be argued that this Continental triggered Lincoln's rebirth. It was named something, for starters, as the Nautilus, Aviator and Corsair would eventually follow, signaling the end to the unloved and confusing MK nomenclature. And although it didn't live up to its concept, Lincoln at least learned from the episode and didn't repeat the mistake with Navigator or Aviator. They came as promised.  Though it's dead in the U.S., the Continental will live on for 2021 in China, where its sales are in decline but not by as much. And although it'll likely be remembered as a footnote in the long history of cars named Lincoln Continental, and with few fans in its corner, at least it reaches the end of the line having left a mark. Cue the Traveling Wilburys.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2017 Lincoln Continental: Detroit 2016 View 17 Photos Plants/Manufacturing Lincoln Sedan

Ford names Lincoln chief as North American president following Nair's departure

Ford announced yesterday that its North American president Raj Nair would no longer be working for the company due to "inappropriate behavior." As a result, the company needed fill that gaping vacancy. The new North American president and Ford Group vice president will be Kumar Galhotra, and his term in the new role will start on March 1. Galhotra will remain the group vice president and chief marketing officer for Lincoln through March, meaning he's the head of the luxury brand. He's had this position since 2014. Before that, he was vice president of engineering for all of Ford. With Galhotra's promotion, a number of internal promotions follow. Joy Falotico, current chairman, CEO and group vice president of Ford's credit division will fill Galhotra's position, and Dave McClelland, vice president of marketing for Ford Asia Pacific, will fill her role. Other shuffling at Ford includes Stewart Rawley's promotion to vice president for Ford North America and chief operating officer. He is the current vice president for strategy at Ford. Ford China's chairman and CEO John Lawler will take Rawley's old role, and Cathy O'Callaghan will take over Lawler's job at Ford China, but not until June 1. O'Callaghan is currently vice president, corporate controller and chief financial officer for global markets at Ford. Related Video:

NHTSA will investigate some Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ models for power steering issue

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening an investigation into the 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ, the 2012 MKZ Hybrid and 2011 Mercury Milan because the agency has hundreds of complaints of electric power steering failure in these models.
According to NHTSA's data, it has received 508 complaints of the power steering allegedly suddenly malfunctioning and resulting in increased effort to turn the wheel. In four incidents, these failures resulted in loss of control and crashes. According to the reports, in some cases a power steering warning message came on as the fault occurred, and other times the system restored itself by turning off and then restarting the vehicle. NHTSA said it has also received further field report data from Ford, but that information hasn't been publicly released yet.
For the moment, there isn't a recall for this failure on these models. NHTSA is just investigating them to "assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect," and the agency says an estimated 938,000 vehicles could potentially be affected.