No One Is Buying The Lincoln Continental
03-14-18, 06:06 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
No One Is Buying The Lincoln Continental
https://jalopnik.com/no-one-is-buyin...tal-1823778718
Sad news, friends. The new Lincoln Continental—the lovely, languid blueberry of a vehicle—isn’t selling well. And as a result, there are now rumors that Ford might just kill it off after this generation.
Admittedly, this rumor should be taken with a boulder of salt. But here it is: Ford Authority, citing “sources intricately familiar with Ford Motor Company’s future product plans for its premium Lincoln brand,” reports that the Conti is getting the axe after this current model. The outlet wasn’t able to dig up any specific reasons, but also notes that Ford invested over $1 billion to resurrect the Continental name.
If this rumor turns out to be true, the Conti’s abhorrent sales figures definitely didn’t help it win any battles. Ford only managed to sell 12,012 Lincoln Continentals in the U.S. last year, while the similarly classed Mercedes-Benz E Class sold a hilarious 51,312 models. The sedanapocalypse seems to have claimed another halting victim.
That’s kind of depressing! The Continental is a nice car. Not world-stopping luxury nice, but still a very pleasant place to sit. And it’s Lincoln’s flagship model. If Ford chops the head off of Lincoln’s lineup, what will that leave it with? The MKZ? The Navigator?
Meh.
We’ve reached out to Lincoln for comment and will update if we hear back.
https://www.carscoops.com/2018/03/li...-discontinued/
The Lincoln Continental is a large and luxurious flagship which corrected the many wrongs of the Town Car but a new report is suggesting it could be going away.
Citing sources “intricately familiar” with Lincoln’s future product plans, Ford Authority says the Continental will be discontinued once the car reaches the end of its current lifecycle. If true, this would a bit of a surprise as the Continental sparked renewed interest in the brand and more than 40,000 people expressed interest in buying the model within three months of its unveiling.
That excitement continued at the car’s launch as one dealer said their used car lot was filled with BMW 7-Series models which were being traded in for the new Continental. The flagship sedan has also been well received by owners as it was named one of the most satisfying new cars by Consumer Reports.
There’s no word on why the Continental is being dropped and that’s one of the reasons why we’re taking the report with a grain of salt. Another is the fact that the Continental is outselling the Cadillac CT6 and a third is a report from Reuters which suggests a redesigned model is the works for 2022.
Regardless of whether or not the report pans out, Ford hasn’t been shy about its decision to prioritize trucks and crossovers instead of sedans and hatchbacks. Just last year, Ford announced plans to shift billions of dollars from car to truck/SUV development and the company said this would result in fewer car nameplates.
Sad news, friends. The new Lincoln Continental—the lovely, languid blueberry of a vehicle—isn’t selling well. And as a result, there are now rumors that Ford might just kill it off after this generation.
Admittedly, this rumor should be taken with a boulder of salt. But here it is: Ford Authority, citing “sources intricately familiar with Ford Motor Company’s future product plans for its premium Lincoln brand,” reports that the Conti is getting the axe after this current model. The outlet wasn’t able to dig up any specific reasons, but also notes that Ford invested over $1 billion to resurrect the Continental name.
If this rumor turns out to be true, the Conti’s abhorrent sales figures definitely didn’t help it win any battles. Ford only managed to sell 12,012 Lincoln Continentals in the U.S. last year, while the similarly classed Mercedes-Benz E Class sold a hilarious 51,312 models. The sedanapocalypse seems to have claimed another halting victim.
That’s kind of depressing! The Continental is a nice car. Not world-stopping luxury nice, but still a very pleasant place to sit. And it’s Lincoln’s flagship model. If Ford chops the head off of Lincoln’s lineup, what will that leave it with? The MKZ? The Navigator?
Meh.
We’ve reached out to Lincoln for comment and will update if we hear back.
https://www.carscoops.com/2018/03/li...-discontinued/
The Lincoln Continental is a large and luxurious flagship which corrected the many wrongs of the Town Car but a new report is suggesting it could be going away.
Citing sources “intricately familiar” with Lincoln’s future product plans, Ford Authority says the Continental will be discontinued once the car reaches the end of its current lifecycle. If true, this would a bit of a surprise as the Continental sparked renewed interest in the brand and more than 40,000 people expressed interest in buying the model within three months of its unveiling.
That excitement continued at the car’s launch as one dealer said their used car lot was filled with BMW 7-Series models which were being traded in for the new Continental. The flagship sedan has also been well received by owners as it was named one of the most satisfying new cars by Consumer Reports.
There’s no word on why the Continental is being dropped and that’s one of the reasons why we’re taking the report with a grain of salt. Another is the fact that the Continental is outselling the Cadillac CT6 and a third is a report from Reuters which suggests a redesigned model is the works for 2022.
Regardless of whether or not the report pans out, Ford hasn’t been shy about its decision to prioritize trucks and crossovers instead of sedans and hatchbacks. Just last year, Ford announced plans to shift billions of dollars from car to truck/SUV development and the company said this would result in fewer car nameplates.
03-14-18, 06:12 PM
#3
Lexus Test Driver
Thats what happens when you do a half assed job by putting a "luxury" car on a platform shared by a $20k Fusion. The interior tech is embarrassing by today's standards, it has 8in center screen i think. The seats and stereo system are the only good parts about the car and its WAY overpriced.
If Cadillac cant move the CT6, im not surprised about Conti at all. New LS will suffer similar fate.
Way too much competition nowadays and the Germans have way too many good products at $70k plus prices.
If Cadillac cant move the CT6, im not surprised about Conti at all. New LS will suffer similar fate.
Way too much competition nowadays and the Germans have way too many good products at $70k plus prices.
03-14-18, 06:42 PM
#5
They had an opportunity to build a visually stunning beast that would turn heads but they chose safe over spectacular and got a car only used by Livery Black Car services. I shake my head each time I see one on the road because I’m reminded of what could’ve been.
03-14-18, 07:07 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Thats what happens when you do a half assed job by putting a "luxury" car on a platform shared by a $20k Fusion. The interior tech is embarrassing by today's standards, it has 8in center screen I think. The seats and stereo system are the only good parts about the car and its WAY overpriced.
I don't agree that the problem is in the Taurus-based FWD design. Cadillac can't sell the RWD/AWD CT6 in any decent numbers. Kia can't sell the RWD K900, either...Jill and I had an extended conversation about that in a recent thread. In fact, manufacturers from A to Z are having trouble moving large and/or upmarket sedans, period...particularly the kind of sedans that cost the money that these do. Even the vaunted Chrysler 300 and its Hemi is lagging. These are all nice cars that simply debuted at the wrong time. Today's public simply wants trucks and SUVs....they don't want sedans. That doesn't mean that the sedan is dead (there are still people like me who like traditional luxury sedans.....I prefer the FWD ones)...but we are clearly in a minority.
But, no, IMO, apart from the silly electronic inside door-button and the lack of a true V8 (although the TT V6 has tons of power) Lincoln did not make any serious mistakes with the Continental. The interior design and materials are head-and-shoulders above the rebadged-Ford crap we saw from Lincoln for quite a time in recent years, and the front end is simply gorgeous....same with the MKZ. I considered buying either a Continental or MKZ myself, but I felt the Continental was a little too wide for our condo parking spaces, and I wasn't impressed with the MKZ's lack of a regular non-turbo V6.
The few people who DO own new Continentals, however, seem more than pleased with them. Consumer Reports mentions a sky-high customer satisfaction rate, and I myself talked to a guy, at my barbershop, who pulled up in one. He was almost 80, had been driving for some 60 years, and told me he had never had another car like it. And, yes, he DID test-drive the CT6.
Last edited by mmarshall; 03-14-18 at 07:18 PM.
03-14-18, 07:45 PM
#7
I keep pointing to fake luxury cars based on FWD like the ES, TLX and RLX.
You can get away with it at the entry level with a value play, noting the RLX not moving many units..
With so many real RWD based luxury cars, why buy the Lincoln (unless your are USA focused).
The CT6 front looks like ****, and why spend MB money on a car with zilch prestige in the educated person circles, that you know will depreciate faster than a Cry Slur.
The big luxe pair from Hyundai/Kia offer some real value and are solid machines. Hyundai appears to be intent on playing in this space and I wish them well.
You can get away with it at the entry level with a value play, noting the RLX not moving many units..
With so many real RWD based luxury cars, why buy the Lincoln (unless your are USA focused).
The CT6 front looks like ****, and why spend MB money on a car with zilch prestige in the educated person circles, that you know will depreciate faster than a Cry Slur.
The big luxe pair from Hyundai/Kia offer some real value and are solid machines. Hyundai appears to be intent on playing in this space and I wish them well.
Trending Topics
03-14-18, 08:14 PM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I keep pointing to fake luxury cars based on FWD like the ES, TLX and RLX.
You can get away with it at the entry level with a value play, noting the RLX not moving many units..
With so many real RWD based luxury cars, why buy the Lincoln (unless your are USA focused).
The CT6 front looks like ****, and why spend MB money on a car with zilch prestige in the educated person circles, that you know will depreciate faster than a Cry Slur.
The big luxe pair from Hyundai/Kia offer some real value and are solid machines. Hyundai appears to be intent on playing in this space and I wish them well.
You can get away with it at the entry level with a value play, noting the RLX not moving many units..
With so many real RWD based luxury cars, why buy the Lincoln (unless your are USA focused).
The CT6 front looks like ****, and why spend MB money on a car with zilch prestige in the educated person circles, that you know will depreciate faster than a Cry Slur.
The big luxe pair from Hyundai/Kia offer some real value and are solid machines. Hyundai appears to be intent on playing in this space and I wish them well.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 03-14-18 at 08:27 PM.
03-14-18, 08:19 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Lexus has the ES350 sedan to fall back on, which, though down some recently on the numbers, still sells pretty well. Lincoln, in contrast, cannot fall back on high MKZ sales. In fact, the excellent new Navigator is probably going to take even more sales away from Lincoln sedans....but, I'll bet, also a fair number from the Escalade.
03-14-18, 08:28 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Lexus has the ES350 sedan to fall back on, which, though down some recently on the numbers, still sells pretty well. Lincoln, in contrast, cannot fall back on high MKZ sales. In fact, the excellent new Navigator is probably going to take even more sales away from Lincoln sedans....but, I'll bet, also a fair number from the Escalade.
03-14-18, 08:35 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Even though they are not halo cars, they serve (or should serve) as back-ups in case the manufacturer cannot make any money selling their halo sedans.
03-14-18, 08:45 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
So what you are sort of suggesting is that Lincoln does not sell enough MKZ models to make up for the losses of the Continental but Lexus sells lots of ES models whereas they can absorb the loss of the LS? That is an intriguing suggestion.
03-14-18, 09:03 PM
#13
It’s really sad to see awesome cars like the Lincoln Continental suffering due to the majority of consumers demanding more SUV’s and crossovers. I agree with some earlier posters, I don’t the Lincoln Continental would have sold any better if they would’ve launched it with a rear wheel drive bias platform.
‘’I’ve seen quite a few CT6’s driving around North East Ohio. It’s a very nicely engineered vehicle. Cadillac and Lincoln aren’t going to steal sales from Mercedes, Audi or BMW. These American brands are certainly competing more with Genesis, KIA and Acura, Infiniti etc. Lincoln is more of a tier 2 luxury automaker. Volvo is really trying hard to push into Mercedes level of luxury with their latest lineup, but even Volvo is having some trouble.
‘’I’ve seen quite a few CT6’s driving around North East Ohio. It’s a very nicely engineered vehicle. Cadillac and Lincoln aren’t going to steal sales from Mercedes, Audi or BMW. These American brands are certainly competing more with Genesis, KIA and Acura, Infiniti etc. Lincoln is more of a tier 2 luxury automaker. Volvo is really trying hard to push into Mercedes level of luxury with their latest lineup, but even Volvo is having some trouble.
03-14-18, 09:11 PM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
It’s really sad to see awesome cars like the Lincoln Continental suffering due to the majority of consumers demanding more SUV’s and crossovers. I agree with some earlier posters, I don’t the Lincoln Continental would have sold any better if they would’ve launched it with a rear wheel drive bias platform.
‘’I’ve seen quite a few CT6’s driving around North East Ohio. It’s a very nicely engineered vehicle. Cadillac and Lincoln aren’t going to steal sales from Mercedes, Audi or BMW. These American brands are certainly competing more with Genesis, KIA and Acura, Infiniti etc. Lincoln is more of a tier 2 luxury automaker. Volvo is really trying hard to push into Mercedes level of luxury with their latest lineup, but even Volvo is having some trouble.
‘’I’ve seen quite a few CT6’s driving around North East Ohio. It’s a very nicely engineered vehicle. Cadillac and Lincoln aren’t going to steal sales from Mercedes, Audi or BMW. These American brands are certainly competing more with Genesis, KIA and Acura, Infiniti etc. Lincoln is more of a tier 2 luxury automaker. Volvo is really trying hard to push into Mercedes level of luxury with their latest lineup, but even Volvo is having some trouble.
03-14-18, 09:19 PM
#15
Lead Lap
I just have one question can some tell which side is the front and which side is the back on the conti?