2002 Lincoln Ls Sedan 4-door 3.9l, Sunroof, Leather on 2040-cars

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Lincoln recycling tree fibers into new MKX armrest

Want to hug a tree, or at least a really small part of one. Then set your arm down on one of those armrests in the 2014 Lincoln MKX crossover. The US automaker is working with Weyerhaeuser and Johnson Controls on a tree-based, cellulose-reinforced polypropylene material used in the component that connects the armrest to the floor console, Wards Auto says. With properties similar to plastic, the tree-based material replaces fiberglass and is about six percent lighter. No big deal for now, but if the material starts getting used for things like battery trays and interior storage covers, that loss in weight may eventually start adding up enough to boost fuel economy a bit, providing a green double bonus. Lincoln parent Ford, which isn't saying how much more (or less?) it costs to use the new material, established its Biomaterials and Plastics Research team in 2001. In 2007, the company began using soy-based foam in car seats used for models such as the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Mustang and has since broadened biomaterials use to components like floormats and cupholder inserts. Ford also used recycled plastic bottles from the 2012 North America International Auto Show for seats in the Focus Electric.

Lincoln Continental death looms with changes at Flat Rock Plant

Ford's Flat Rock Assembly plant just south of Detroit produces the Ford Mustang and the Lincoln Continental. Automotive News reports that the automaker plans to produce two battery-electric crossovers at the facility, the EVs scheduled for sale in the 2023 model year. The EVs were previously meant to be built in Ford's Cuautitlan Stamping and Assembly plant in Mexico, which builds the Fiesta. According to the AN piece, moving the EVs to Michigan means the end of Lincoln Continental production in the U.S. Sunset is expected in "late 2021" for a sedan that is just three years old, and that never got the momentum to assert itself and reassert the Continental nameplate. The Continental has been on death watch since at least March 2018, when Ford Authority reported that the luxury sedan wouldn't get more than one generation. The changing of several guards in the top ranks scotched a plan to move the Continental onto the CD6 platform for rear- and all-wheel-drive vehicles. In September 2018, Jalopnik put more meat on those crossbones, saying Flat Rock workers alleged the big Lincoln could bid adieu as soon as this year, and automaker insiders had seen production merely scheduled — not approved — for 2020, with nothing beyond that. Then, as now, Ford appears to be leaving open the possibility for Continental production to continue in China, and just maybe be exported here. The two twinned midsized EVs, using the codenames CDX746 and CDX747, would come in Ford and Lincoln flavors. Said to be roughly the size of the Ford Edge/Lincoln Nautilus platform siblings, the automaker has requested suppliers gear up for annual production of up to 65,000 units between the two models. When they arrive, they'll form part of the 16 EVs Ford plans to have on the market worldwide by 2022. The others we know of so far are the crossover that will channel the Mustang, an electric F-150 pickup, and an EV project with Rivian.

2020 Lincoln Aviator fuel economy revealed

Ford finally revealed some of the last details, such as fuel economy, for the non-hybrid 2020 Explorer. So it's no surprise that its classier corporate twin, the 2020 Lincoln Aviator, has had its own fuel economy data released by the EPA. Though, like the Explorer, we only have information for the non-hybrid versions. The 2020 Lincoln Aviator has just two engine options, a base turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 with 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, and the same engine coupled to a hybrid system with 450 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. That base engine is the one we have fuel economy numbers for, and it's shared with the Ford Explorer ST, though the ST's version makes an extra 15 pound-feet of torque. With all-wheel drive it gets nearly the same fuel economy as the fast Ford with 17 mpg in the city, 24 on the highway and 20 in combined driving. The Explorer ST gets one more mpg in town. Unlike the Explorer ST, the Aviator does offer rear-wheel drive with this turbocharged V6. This model gets improved fuel economy of 18 in the city, 26 on the highway and 21 in combined driving. This isn't too surprising, since all-wheel-drive vehicles often do a little worse when it comes to fuel economy. We'll be especially curious as to how the Aviator hybrid performs. We doubt it will match the Ford Explorer hybrid, since that crossover relies on a less-powerful naturally aspirated 3.3-liter V6. But it might give the all-wheel-drive four-cylinder Explorer a run for its money, since the rear-drive V6 Aviator is only 1 to 2 mpg behind it. Related Video: