1965 Lincoln Continental. Interior/engine Done,was Daily Driver. Low Reserve!!! on 2040-cars

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Ed Welburn retires, Tesla offered nuclear plant in France, and more | Autoblog Minute

Greg Migliore recaps the week in automotive news, including a look at GM design chief Ed Welburn's retirement, the French wooing of Tesla, and more. GM Lincoln Tesla Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video lincoln motor company

Lincoln prepping MKZ re-launch?

Launching an all-new car is no easy task. Case in point is the 2013 Lincoln MKZ, introduced with the fanfare of a major nationwide marketing campaign, including expensive Super Bowl ads, just as Ford was curbing production over potential quality issues. The resulting mess was nothing short of a nightmare for any automaker - customers visiting dealerships looking for cars that hadn't been delivered yet. Disappointed buyers walked out of Lincoln retailers without new keys in their hands, or switched to a competing brand to fill empty spaces in their driveways.
The impact was painful, as Lincoln's sales in January and February of this year were among the lowest it has recorded in more than a quarter century. Even though March looked a bit brighter, with the supply crisis reportedly over (there are 3,000 units in transit and production is approaching 200 units per day) the automaker is reportedly studying the feasibility of giving its pivotal MKZ the launch it originally deserved.
According to TheDetroitBureau.com, putting the MKZ back on consumer's radar could cost Ford tens of millions of dollars, but that kind of investment may be warranted if potential buyers have forgotten about the new model... or worse, if they have forgotten about Lincoln.

2020 Lincoln Navigator gets a price bump as sales stay strong

The Lincoln Navigator is still doing the business on dealer lots, and as sales climb, so do the prices. CarsDirect reports the flagship SUV's MSRP has gone up again as of February, a letter to dealers explaining that the bump "continues to keep the Lincoln brand competitive and aggressively positioned verses [sic] our key competitors." The entry-level Navigator Standard will start at $76,185 before the $1,295 destination charge, for a total of $77,480. That's $360 more than the luxury flagship cost in January. At the high end, the Navigator L Black Series goes up to $101,630 after destination, a $365 bump. This revised pricing makes the two-wheel drive Navigator Standard $1,000 more expensive than the current, outgoing Escalade, and the Navigator L Black Series $2,040 more than the Escalade ESV Platinum 4WD. It's likely the price jumps coming with the next-generation Escalade should restore the balance.   That won't change the fact that, on the face of it, the Navigator's entry-level price has risen by roughly $3,500 since it launched for the 2018 model year, and that's after an $8,500 increase introduced with the current generation. Last year, the product planners added features and a trim reorganization along with the price increases for 2020. Buyers get convenience items such as power running boards, heated and cooled front seats, wireless phone charging, and Lincoln's Phone as Key system standard throughout the range, and every 2020 Navigator includes the CoPilot360 driver safety suite. The safety kit wasn't available on the 2019 Navigator Standard, and was a $2,640 option on the Select trim. On top of that, the Reserve trim dropped in price thanks to the addition of a two-wheel-drive version. The Navigator improved sales in 2019 by 817 units over 2018. If sales remain robust this year — and depending on where the Escalade lands on the MSRP chart — we won't be surprised at another increase before the year is out. Related Video: