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Lincoln Aviator debuts as stylish 3-row crossover with a surprise

NEW YORK — At a studio in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan, after a walk through an "art gallery" full of inspiration for Lincoln's newest midsize, three-row Aviator crossover, we saw the company's future. That's not breathless hyperbole, either. Lincoln's huge Navigator is selling like gangbusters, but the aging MKT is a sad vestige of the company's last attempt to reinvent itself. The company needs an attractive, well-proportioned three-row with contemporary powertrains to complement the MKC and the larger Nautilus (nee MKX). For those wondering, the MKC is likely to get renamed at its next refresh, and the lousy MK__ naming convention will finally die. But while the names are refreshing, that's not the reason the Aviator is so important. For one, it'll almost certainly lend its underpinnings, which are rear-wheel-drive based, to the next Ford Explorer. The other is that it's an all-important three-row, a conventionally-shaped one rather than the awkward MKT's long, lumpy look. The Aviator — the vehicle we saw is a preview, not a production model, but is extremely close to production — has style and presence. There's more than a bit of Range Rover Velar in the look, but it's not a clone. And the interior is a wonderful interpretation of the larger Navigator's bold, distinctive and purely American look. View 20 Photos While many, many details are unspecified at this stage — including exact engine details, dimensions, and the like — there's enough there to draw some conclusions about the new Aviator. For one, it's got a version of the Navigator's elegant interior. Those Perfect Position seats, also seen in the Continental, covered with soft leather, are central to the Aviator's interior experience. When's the last time beautiful seats were such a selling point? Other than Volvo, no one's put enough attention on unique and particularly comfortable seats. It's a unique selling proposition and, also, a nice aesthetic detail. You could say the same for the dash design: It's low and sleek, with solid but not bulky elements and the sort of tastefulness normally reserved for Scandinavian industrial design. Back to the rear-drive platform and what little else we know of the powertrain. For one, it'll feature a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost engine with an available plug-in hybrid option. As far as we can tell, both versions will use the same engine, and there are no optional engines outside of this.

Ford Edge, Lincoln Nautilus to die in 2023

Last summer saw two separate reports that Ford killed the next-gen Edge due in 2023, the move leading to the death of the Lincoln Nautilus in 2024 since the Lincoln is based on the Ford. As part of its future product roundup, Automotive News looked into the futures of a range of Ford Motor Company products, reporting that the Edge and Nautilus will both die in 2023. The Edge is said to be dead for good, thanks to Ford having four two-row crossovers in the lineup with the arrival of the hugely popular Bronco line, and a three-row Explorer that's only $175 more expensive at the moment. The Nautilus, however, could get a second act. When Ford came to an agreement with Canada's Unifor union about the Oakville Assembly Plant, which builds the Edge and Nautilus, the automaker pledged to turn Oakville into an EV production facility. Lincoln's big on battery-electric vehicles in the near-term, Unifor mentioning Oakville product plans that would have at least one EV coming off the line by 2025 and four more by 2028. Automotive News says Lincoln's got a small crossover and a midsize crossover due in 2025, and the small one could come from Canada and slot into the space left empty by the departed Nautilus, perhaps carrying on the name, perhaps not. One step up in size, the Ford Explorer and its Lincoln Aviator platform mate will soon welcome two battery-electric cousins into the family. These will both probably debut in 2022 and go on sale in 2023, the Ford produced in the Cuautitlan, Mexico, facility that now builds the Mustang Mach-E. As for which platform they'll ride on, it's not clear yet. Ford has four dedicated EV architectures planned for the company fold: GE2, the evolution of the Mach-E's GE1 platform; TE1 for trucks, coming in 2025; the Rivian platform that will contribute a dedicated Ford vehicle; and a version of Volkswagen's MEB platform for European offerings, with Ford planning to have an all-EV lineup across the Atlantic by 2030. The Explorer and Aviator EVs could get the GE2, or if Ford wants to showcase extra-rugged chops for both, the TE1. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2019 Lincoln Continental will cost as much as $5,000 more

Rumors have been swirling for months about the fate of the slow-selling Lincoln Continental amid Ford's larger plans to pare cars from its lineup in favor of trucks and SUVs. But now comes word of official order guides that show the 2019 Continental priced as much as $4,925 more than the previous year's model. That price bump brings more perks for buyers, however. According to CarsDirect, all models will get adaptive cruise control and the Lincoln Co-Pilot360 suite of safety technology, which includes automatic emergency braking, blind-spot information system and rearview camera. The base level Continental Premiere will start at $47,140, including destination fee, which is $985 more than the 2018 model. The Reserve model is where the starting price jumps $4,925 to $60,705. It adds technology like a 360-degree camera, heads-up display and park assist, plus heated rear seats and steering wheel and windshield wiper de-icer. The top-of-the-line Black Label edition starts at $71,040, an increase of $4,630, and adds 30-way adjustable seats. Those prices are considerably cheaper than comparably equipped competitors like the Audi A8 or BMW 7 Series, of course, but that value proposition hasn't so far managed to help the sedan's fortunes. Lincoln sold 12,012 models of the Continental in 2017, according to CarSalesBase.com. Sales through August were 5,677, which is more than 29 percent off the pace at this same point last year. Lincoln revived the storied Continental nameplate back in 2015 to much fanfare, but its market release in 2016 was a victim of bad timing, coming amid a rising tide of crossovers. Earlier this year Lincoln reportedly showed dealers photos of a Continental with rear-hinged suicide doors that it said it planned to manufacture, which may be an attempt to drum up interest. Jalopnik, citing unnamed sources familiar with Ford's product plans, says the Continental is likely to be killed off at the end of the run of the current model in 2020. That aligns with what a user on the Blue Oval Forums is saying, that shift changes at the Flat Rock Assembly plant near Detroit are coming and that workers have been told the Continental can be phased out of production by next summer. One supposed possibility is Ford moving production to China, though any plans to import sedans to the U.S. from there would seemingly be negated by the same Trump administration tariffs that killed plans to import the Ford Focus Active. Related Video: