Lincoln: Continental Mark Iv on 2040-cars

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2020 Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator reportedly facing numerous QC issues

A lengthy report in the Detroit Free Press delves into a range of quality control issues confronting the 2020 Ford Explorer and its luxury platform sibling, the 2020 Lincoln Aviator. Freep says it's been following the issue for two months, tapping various unnamed sources for information on the automaker's unorthodox route to resolution. Seems the problem is Explorers and Aviators leaving the production line at the Chicago Assembly Plant with flaws in areas like the chassis, transmission and suspension, said vehicles trucked to Ford's Flat Rock Assembly Plant (FRAP) outside of Detroit for repair. The estimates range from 10,000 to 18,000 vehicles affected, numbers so high that Ford has sought help from Roush Engineering in nearby Allen Park, and brought workers and managers from other plants in the Midwest to FRAP to get vehicles repaired and shipped to dealers. Ford hasn't shared the nature of the problems with anyone outside the company, including dealers and customers. Freep's sources are said to include workers who have provided photos of certain vehicles and of tents used to house parts at the FRAP repair site. The Explorer chassis allegedly has an unidentified problem that engineers are using X-rays to diagnose, and the transmission is having problems sensing when it's in park or going into park. Both the Explorer and Aviator have come off the line with HVAC units that only blow hot air. And the Aviator's height-adjustable suspension enters failure mode for unknown reasons. These come on top of quotidian mishaps common to every new vehicle, but that are meant to be sorted in pre-production, like missing emblems and trim pieces. They also come on top of a recall in early August issued for the Explorer and Aviator concerning the instrument cluster and parking brake, and another at the end of August over rear seatbacks that could collapse in a crash. An automaker spokesperson told Freep, "Making updates to preproduction models based on all-new platforms as they roll off the assembly line – is standard industry practice." Except these aren't pre-production, these are early production vehicles that paying customers and dealers are waiting for, and some of the affected vehicles have been pulled off dealer lots. Dealers say they are fine waiting for the trucks to get sorted out, and they'd rather have Ford fix the problems before the SUVs go to customers.

Why, believe it or not, the Lincoln Nautilus is one of 'America's hottest brands'

  Adidas Sambas, Sol de Janeiro skin care products, Nvidia AI chips, and... the Lincoln Nautilus? In what bizarro world is the Lincoln Nautilus (F) — a nameplate only an Uber driver or your grandfather could love — in the same sentence as those hot brands?  The answer: It made it to Ad AgeÂ’s “AmericaÂ’s hottest brands” list for 2024. In fact, the Nautilus, a midsize crossover, is actually drawing interest from younger buyers. Take that, Boomer.  According to Ad Age, the annual hottest brands list highlights companies and brands that are currently enjoying some kind of buzz or mainstream awareness — no matter how fleeting that may be. Reporters and editors at Ad Age whittled down 60 or so hottish brands to the eventual 20 that made the big cut.  They also try to avoid repeat winners.  But if you're looking for sales or other financial metrics in these rankings, forget about it. The list is more focused on chatter and online buzz.  Back to the Nautilus.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The SUV was redesigned for 2024 with a fresh, tech-laden interior, highlighted by a wrap-around digital dashboard. Such features, apparently, helped. Sales of the latest Nautilus jumped 42% in the first half of 2024 compared to the year-earlier period.  And if you're wondering, kids, the Nautilus comes in a hybrid version as well — a powertrain that has been doing quite well for Lincoln and parent company Ford. Ad Age believes the techy interior look, along with that hybrid powertrain, is responsible for the brand's newfound buzziness.  It also helps that the NautilusÂ’ ad and marketing game plan is as modern as the latest version of the vehicle. For example, it has a relatively new celebrity backer in tennis legend Serena Williams, who will be featured in a new ad campaign later this year.  A hit song of sorts in its ads doesn't hurt either. Called “Kaleidoscope Bliss (The Nautilus Song),” the song was big on social media, of course. LincolnÂ’s creative agency even had the band behind the song, Heavy Duty Projects, release an extended version of the song for fans who were clamoring for more.  “WhatÂ’s really good is that they're recognizing it as the song from the commercial,” Megan McKenzie, Lincoln's U.S. marketing head, said to Ad Age. The new Serena Williams ad will feature the song as well.

Ford gets out of car subscriptions, sells Canvas to rival Fair

Ford says it’s selling its Canvas subscription service to competitor Fair, getting out of the subscription game after less than three years. Terms of the deal were not announced. Ford acquired Canvas in 2016 as a wholly-owned subsidiary based in San Francisco as a service to pilot subscriptions to Ford and Lincoln vehicles, eventually rolling out to Los Angeles and Dallas. The company said it had amassed around 3,800 subscribers in that time, who will have the opportunity to join Fair when their current subscriptions end and will receive more information from both subscription companies. But that number pales in comparison with Santa Monica, California-based Fair, which claims more than 45,000 subscriptions in 30 markets since launching in 2017. Ford was always fairly quiet about Canvas, and Automotive News last year reported that Lincoln executives expressed surprise over soft demand, saying that subscribers were looking for short-term solutions and often dropped out after just a few months. Ford is also in cost-cutting mode under CEO Jim HackettÂ’s $11 billion restructuring plan. The Blue Oval joins Cadillac, which put its $1,800-a-month Book By Cadillac subscription service on ice late last year, citing higher costs and fewer customers than expected. Cadillac has pledged to eventually relaunch the service as a pilot in select cities, but mumÂ’s been the word since. More recently, VolvoÂ’s Care by Volvo subscription service has come under scrutiny from dealers and an investigation from the California Department of Motor Vehicles and has made changes to its program. Thought it also has added the XC60, XC90 and V60 to the list of available vehicles. Fair touts itself as a “commitment-free” solution, with all-inclusive plans covering 24-7 roadside assistance, routine maintenance, insurance and other perks. It uses a mobile app to get customers prequalified, and it analyzes their eligibility and targets an affordable range of monthly payments. Customers then shop for cars and sign up for one via an initial payment that ranges by vehicle type, with the ability to keep the cars as long as they want and drop the service at any time. It peddles used cars from more than 30 different brands, none more than six years old or with more than 70,000 miles on the odometer. Fair on Tuesday announced it has raised $500 million in loans from a group of creditors, including Mizuho Bank and Japan's SoftBank, as it looks to expand its leasing services to Uber drivers.