1999 Lincoln Town Car Cartier Sedan 4-door 4.6l on 2040-cars

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Lincoln Zephyr for China puts brand back in the sedan game

Lincoln abandoned the sedan segment in the United States, but its Chinese division isn't ready to pivot toward a range made up exclusively of high-riding models. It has introduced a sedan named Zephyr at the Guangzhou Auto Show that was developed solely for China and will be manufactured locally. If the name sounds familiar, you're either well-versed in the history of American luxury cars or you've been keeping up with the news lately. Lincoln's original Zephyr was a stately, V12-powered model available in several different body styles and sold between 1936 and 1942. More recently, the nameplate appeared on a thinly-veiled concept introduced in Shanghai as a preview of the production-bound model. Unsurprisingly, the sedan has changed little in its transition from a design study to a series-produced car. It gained bigger and more realistic-looking headlights and a redesigned front end, and it grew a pair of conventional door mirrors (the concept was fitted with cameras). Out back, the bumper gets a new look and the lighting elements have changed, though the light bar is still oddly reminiscent of the Audi A7. What hasn't been tweaked are the Zephyr's proportions: It's sleek, fastback-like, and one of Lincoln's best-looking modern sedans. "Every detail from the inside out is crafted based on a deep understanding of our young Chinese clients," said Mao Jingbo, president of Lincoln's Chinese division. This is an interesting statement; Lincoln is targeting a clientele that, on our side of the Pacific, isn't typically found inside of one of its showrooms or seen behind the wheel of a sedan. To that end, the interior gains a tremendous amount of technology including a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 27-inch touchscreen that takes up the entire dashboard. We know that the Zephyr offers Lincoln's largest puddle lights (which are referred to as a Welcome Mat), four Relaxing Modes, several "digital scents," and a 128-color ambient lighting system. What we don't know much about is what's under the hood: The only specifications released by the firm outlines a 2.0-liter engine, presumably a four-cylinder, that's bolted to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Lincoln will begin selling the Zephyr on the Chinese market in the first quarter of 2022. The sedan will be built in China as well, which is a first that the company is proud of. And nothing suggests it will be sold outside of its home market — let alone in the United States.

Lincoln's second, more traditional, Super Bowl commercial

For its second Super Bowl commercial, Lincoln Motor Company has stepped away from the Max Ernst-ian surrealism of the "Steer the Script" spot. No Germans, no turtles, no aliens nor alpacas this time, just a 30-second run through the ways in which Lincoln sees the 2013 MKZ as a rebirth of the brand and everything a luxury consumer would want.
The kind of traditional spot that could run any time of year, the only question we had after watching it was: "Wait - was that... Abraham Lincoln?" Along with the press release from Lincoln, you can view the spot below.
If you want a deeper look and criticism into Lincoln's "Steer The Script," ad, have a read of AOL Autos' column: Lincoln's Super Bowl Ad is a Flop, written by Pete Bigelow.

GM design boss Welburn says Lincoln isn't a Cadillac rival [w/poll]

General Motors Vice President of Global Design, Ed Welburn, had some dismissive words for a certain cross-town luxury brand during an interview with Car and Driver. When asked about his thoughts on Lincoln, Welburn deflected, before saying, "I don't consider Lincoln to be a competitor for Cadillac."
"They're not a global luxury brand. I don't consider them a competitor. Are they a competitor for Buick? Quite possibly. But not for Cadillac," GM's head designer explained. Welburn, who's been at the helm of GM Design North America since 2003 and is the first to hold the position of VP of Global Design, has been instrumental in the styling renaissance at GM, so predictably, Car and Driver's interview with him focused on the design aspect of cars.
During the interview, Welburn explicitly denied plans for a reborn Cadillac XLR, even as a new Chevrolet Corvette is hitting the market and strides are being made with Cadillac's V-Series performance arm saying, "We have a lot of cars that we're working on for the Cadillac brand. The XLR is not one of them right now."