2011 Lincoln Town Car Executive L Limousine 4-door 4.6l on 2040-cars

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Buyers ditching expensive European sedans to buy expensive American trucks

The New York Times ended the automotive week with a story that adds numbers and context to a range of other stories, from the crossover craze to the increasing median price of a new car to ever more grandiose pickup trucks. The NYT piece reveals that the shift to larger vehicles isn't merely about the average U.S. buyer swapping the midsize sedan for a Ford Edge. Luxury buyers are migrating from plush sedans to plush SUVs and trucks that creep close to six-figure prices, and the Detroit Three are running Treasury presses because of it. From 2013 to 2017, the truck category — everything from pickups to minivans — climbed from 30 percent of the market to 41 percent. In January of this year, trucks claimed 66 percent of new vehicle sales. At the milk-and-honey end of profits, GMC alone accounted for 11.3 percent of all vehicle sales over $60,000, not just trucks. That puts the luxury truck maker behind Mercedes-Benz and Ford, The Blue Oval's feasting on Lariat, King Ranch and Raptor versions of the F-150, which make up more than half of that pickup's sales, putting it ahead of Chevrolet, Porsche and Lexus on the high-dollar sales list. The average transaction price of a GMC in Denali trim last year was $56,000; it's easy to see why, when one dealer told the NYT he just swapped a 2012 BMW 550i for a $71,000 GMC Sierra Denali. That truck starts at $52,900. The NYT started its story with a buyer who took home a Ford Raptor instead of an Audi A6, and optioned that $50,020 Ford Raptor close to $80,000. Over at Lincoln, the new $72,055 Navigator — the one so popular that Ford will increase production — crossed hands for an average sale price of $77,000 in January. And a Jeep dealer told the NYT that the two $93,000 Trackhawks he had on his lot "won't be here more than a few weeks." While trucks head up in sales volume and price, cars are headed so viciously in the opposite direction that "the Detroit Three and even some foreign manufacturers acknowledge they are now losing money on many of the cars they sell." So ... get ready for a lot more crossovers and trucks. Related Video: Find out what vehicle is right for you. Give our Car Finder tool a try.

2020 Lincoln Corsair gets a price, and there's a wide range

The 2020 Lincoln Corsair configurator is open for business, and that means we also know the luxury compact crossover's price. It starts at $36,940, including the $995 destination charge. If you try your hardest and tick every single box Lincoln lets you, it's possible to get the price above $60,000. We're not suggesting you do that like we did, but it's always interesting to know how high it can go. Read everything we know so far about the 2020 Lincoln Corsair The base price gets you a Corsair "Standard" that is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder making 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque sent to the front wheels. If you want all-wheel drive, Lincoln forces the selection of the "Standard I" equipment package, which ends up resulting in a $3,600 increase. That package consists of ambient lighting, a universal garage door opener, navigation and 18-inch wheels. One of the more expensive boxes you're likely to check on the entry-level trim is the Co-Pilot360 Plus Package for $3,050. That includes a bunch of driver assistance gear like adaptive cruise control, lane centering, sign recognition and evasive steering assist. A $2,500 Premium Package nets premium leather seats, a panoramic roof and 19-inch wheels. 2020 Lincoln Corsair View 12 Photos Of course, you can skip a lot of the option and package jumping by choosing the "Reserve" trim that begins at $43,625 with some premium stuff already included. This also unlocks the ability to get the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine, which makes 280 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. Selecting this forces the Reserve I package and all-wheel drive onto the table, which gives you a ton of equipment, but also increases the price by $6,740. This makes the cheapest Corsair with the most powerful engine start at $50,365. You can go crazy from there, tacking on the Reserve II Package for features like adaptive suspension, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, 360-degree camera, wireless charging pad, digital gauge cluster and rain-sensing wipers. Like we said, this thing can get near or over $60,000 without much effort. The Corsair's base price compares favorably to other compact luxury crossovers like the $41,995 BMW X3 and $40,700 Mercedes-Benz GLC. However, adding in a desirable option like the higher-output engine brings the price up considerably.

EV tax credits: Here's every electric car or plug-in hybrid that qualifies

Starting on April 18, the Internal Revenue Service released new guidance for U.S. buyers shopping for a new electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle. On April 18th, the IRS showed only six fully electric vehicles on the qualified list, but a day later Volkswagen confirmed its U.S.-built ID.4 also qualifies. That means right now, seven fully electric vehicles qualify for the full $7,500 EV tax credit, with three more from Chevrolet coming for the 2024 model year (we would expect these 2024 models to roll out slowly and be difficult to find for at least the first few months they are on the market). In addition to those seven fully electric cars, two plug-in hybrids also qualify for the full $7,500 credit. To qualify, a vehicle must be assembled in North America and must meet a strict set of guidelines that cover where battery materials were sourced. If any battery materials come from certain countries (importantly including China), the vehicle's tax credit is automatically cut in half. Further, according to the IRS, the vehicle's manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) can't exceed $80,000 for vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks or $55,000 for any other type of vehicle (basically meaning sedans). Electric vehicles that qualify for the full $7,500 EV tax credit: Cadillac Lyriq (2023-2024) Chevrolet Blazer EV (2024) Chevrolet Bolt EV (2023-2024) Chevrolet Bolt EUV (2023-2024) Chevrolet Equinox (2024) Chevrolet Silverado (2024) Ford F-150 Lightning — all models (2022-2023) Tesla Model 3 Performance (2022-2023) Tesla Model Y — all models (2022-2023) Volkswagen ID.4 — U.S.-built models (2022-2023) Plug-in hybrid cars that qualify for the full $7,500 EV tax credit: Chrysler Pacifica PHEV (2022-2023) Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring (2022-2023) A smaller credit is offered on fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids that are assembled in North America but have batteries with materials sourced from unqualified countries (mostly China).