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2017 Lincoln Continental spied inside and out

Lincoln certainly made us stand up and take notice when it unveiled the Continental concept at the New York Auto Show this past March. Showcars, however, are only worth so much if they never reach production. But as these latest spy shots indicate, Ford's luxury division is hard at work taking the new Conti from show floor to showroom. The team from Dearborn has clearly gone to great lengths to disguise this prototype, wrapping it in a new type of camouflage with trompe l'oeil bulbous-looking shapes to keep us from seeing just how close the production version will keep to (or how far it may stray from) the concept's design. Our spy photographers did, however, manage to snap some shots of the inside through the side glass, and though it's still evidently some ways off from reaching production, some key details give us an idea of what to expect. Look closely and you can make out the buttons for the transmission running down the side of the infotainment screen, just like on other new Lincolns. The chromework appears to have been toned down some from the blinged-out dashboard of the showcar, but it may be too early to say how much shine there will be to the production model. The overall design of the center console looks pretty darn close to the version we saw in New York, though. The Continental is expected to replace the MKS, as Lincoln moves away from alphabetical nomenclature back towards actual nameplates. Assembly is slated to be undertaken in Flat Rock, MI. There are a great many more details yet to be uncovered, but as far as early indications go, it looks like Lincoln is well on its way to making its concept a reality. Related Video:

Lincoln Continental to end after one-and-done generation?

After only 18 months on sale, the vultures of rumor have begun circling above the Lincoln Continental. Ford Authority says "sources intricately familiar with Ford Motor Company's future product plans" for the domestic luxury brand say the Continental won't get another chance at life after this generation. Those sources didn't detail Ford's reasons for dispatching the executioner on another sad task, but if this is true, even the reasons we can only guess make enough sense to justify the move. The Continental launched into a crossover mania still mushrooming in strength like some Marvel villain, the equivalent of a new dinosaur hatching a few months before the Chicxulub Impact Event. In 18 months, the Continental sold 18,846 units, 12,012 of those sales happening in 2017. In the U.S. this year, sales amounted to 1,573 units through February, about 25 percent down on the annualized monthly rate. It could be worse: The Lexus GS has found 1,009 U.S. buyers so far this year, the Acura RLX, 285. Conversely, the Cadillac XTS — yes, a fleet darling — secured 3,163 sales in the same period. And the German kingpins live in another dimension, with BMW scooting 5,641 5 Series models off dealer lots, and the Mercedes E-Class boasting 8,411 sales of all three variants. Even the much more expensive and much more profitable Lincoln Navigator rang up 2,351 sales in the first 60 days of 2018. That's disheartening reading, especially after Ford reportedly spent more than $1 billion to bring the Continental to market. Sedan segment woes look to have killed the Continental's platform siblings, too, making the Lincoln's demise simply part of the cull. The CD4 architecture also underpins the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Ford canceled the Fusion redesign and won't commit to making either vehicle after 2020. Lincoln's passenger car sales declined more than 30 percent last month; meanwhile, Lincoln needs to spend its money on the crossovers that are selling, and investment in the coming three-row Aviator that will replace the MKT. Ford has a CD6 platform in development that suits front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive vehicles. Under previous CEO Mark Fields, a new Fusion, Mustang, and MKZ would ride on the CD6, as well as the new Explorer and a Lincoln brother. Those plans left with the previous administration, and company sources told both Ford Authority and The Truth About Cars not to expect a Continental revival on that architecture. Related Video:

Stolen Lincoln Town Car stars in wacky GTA-like airborne crash

  If we can believe our eyes, a carload of people is lucky to be alive. What we know is what's on the videos stitched together above — in the first POV, a white Lincoln Town Car busts through a barrier at the end of Cumberland Street in San Francisco, a dead end road. Looks ridiculous, not crazy. The crazy part comes in the second POV, taken from a Nest camera across Sanchez Street. The Town Car was going fast enough to jump-launch itself over the concrete berm at the base of the barrier, nosedive into the hill below, flip over end-over-end into a tree below that, then slide down the tree to land on its roof at the base of a set of steps going down to Sanchez Street below Cumberland.  The kind bit is when a Good Samaritan runs to the Town Car and opens the front passenger door. The wacky bit is when four people slowly emerge from the town car while engaging in quite a bit of oddball banter — one woman who was in the back seat says "I'm sorry" and "I love you" to someone named Kevin numerous times — then walk away. The silent couple runs up the steps, Kevin and his apologetic, loving associate sashay down Sanchez Street. A report from local channel KTVU (full report below) via Carscoops, says, "Witnesses told KTVU the incident started with a carjacking." Compiling comments on the second YouTube vid alleges the car's occupants carjacked a DoorDash driver — a situation that's far more common that we'd have guessed before looking into this story — and that the man who opened the door "noted several bottles of open liquor, two Tasers, and the police reported a gun was found in the car." If the second bit is true, that and copious amounts of adrenaline would explain why the crew was eager and able to skedaddle. The occupants haven't been found; of course police are looking for them. KTVU writes, "Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the San Francisco Police Department at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD."