Continental goes front-drive, MKS taken behind barn

 

There’s going to be a death in the Lincoln family.

The long-running, slow-selling MKS flagship (‘Sex Panther’, as the young folks call it) will go the way of Betamax in 2016, with that year being its final production run.

As difficult as this news is, the trip to the glue factory for the antiquated and invisible MKS has a silver lining, as it will herald the arrival of a new King – er, flagship.

The Lincoln Continental, teased last winter as the saviour of the Lincoln brand (and the first nail in the coffin of the company’s confusing alpha-numeric model names) will take residence at the top of the model lineup.

Big, bold and packed with luxury and yesteryear cues (if the prototype is anything to go by), the Continental would position Lincoln to better do battle with its luxury rivals.

While the vehicle’s power plant was always stated as being a brand-exclusive turbocharged 3.0-litre V6, the drive wheels remained a mystery until recently. Lincoln has confirmed that the new Continental will be (wait for it) front-wheel drive.

Yes, the flagship positioned to take on the Cadillac CT6, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BWM 7-Series, Lexus LS and Jaguar XJ (all rear-drive vehicles) will be front-wheel drive, with an AWD option.

This revelation could take some of the wind out of the sales of hardcore Lincoln aficionados who remember – probably not all that fondly – the previous front-drive Continental (1988-2002).

Does front-drive mean the Continental will be a dud? Don’t bank on it – after all, the stately design and interior drooled over by auto journos last winter doesn’t disappear just because the car’s torque is being funneled to the front wheels.

(It remains to be seen, however, whether the concept was nearly production-ready, or whether we’ll see a watering down of the design and furnishings in a production model)

All-wheel drive is also nothing to scoff at, especially if the torque is biased towards the rear, or even distributed evenly. This means your dream of hooning a new Continental in the snow could soon become a reality.

Still, the greatest Continentals of yesteryear were rear-drive, as are the big players in the modern luxury market.

On the domestic front, Cadillac’s recent reveal of a range-topping rear-drive CT8 sedan could make the Continental look wanting in comparison, especially given the angular, Elmiraj concept car-inspired design seen in renderings.

Like finding out whether that noise outside the window is a raccoon, the wind, or something much more sinister, only time will tell.

 

Recently, this humble blog teased you with insinuation and speculation about the possible unveiling of a modern-day Lincoln Continental at next week’s New York International Auto Show.

“It can’t be,” some said.

“Get the f*** out of here,” said others.

“You’re drunk,” opined the rest.

Well, according to the handsome and trendy staff at Jalopnik, there’s plenty of reasons to believe this is exactly what will happen.

Exhibit A? A partially crafted website that gushes about the new Lincoln Continental concept in professional PR-speak. Much mention of “you” and “we”, which is classic ‘personalize-the-carbuyer/automaker-relationship’ jargon.

No images were made available on the page, which was discovered by a Ford fan at blueovalforums.com early on March 25, but the code associated with the page references a 2017 model year Lincoln Continental.

Until now, the bulk of the speculation (when there was any), was that Lincoln would pick New York to tease the 2016 MKS, which currently serves as the aged flagship of Lincoln’s passenger car line.

Any true flagship would require rear-wheel-drive to compete with other luxury automakers, something that can be now be accomplished by Ford’s new and versatile D6 platform.

A source told me this past weekend to expect a rear-drive Lincoln sedan at New York, and it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to carry over the MKS name onto a new rear-drive platform when they have the name ‘Continental’ in reserve.

Yes, the MKS exists (relatively unchanged since 2009) and dutifully reflects Lincoln’s alpha-numeric naming trend, but ‘Continental’ has more caché and remains instantly recognizable as a Lincoln model and luxury symbol.

Whether or not the MKS soldiers on in a new guise, slotted beneath a new Continental, what does Lincoln have to lose by trying to recapture the magic of the past?

The brand is still struggling and can use all the attention it can get.

 

Links:

http://jalopnik.com/mystery-website-reveals-a-lincoln-continental-concept-i-1693592908

http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/58200-mks-to-debut-in-ny-and-may-be-rwd/page-2#entry934779

What is Lincoln going to reveal in New York?

 

Anyone who closely follows the ongoing turnaround of the Lincoln brand will know that something new is expected to be unveiled at the New York International Auto Show this April.

This shadowy Lincoln Motor Company vehicle is said to be a large sedan, underpinned by the new, modular ‘D6’ platform developed by parent company Ford and announced late last year.

That platform is the product of a $5 billion cash injection from Ford, designed to end years of stagnation at Lincoln by enabling a slew of possible new products. The D6 platform is said to be able to accommodate front, rear, or all-wheel drive setups.

The most recent Lincoln product to have work done was the 2016 MKX, which was doing the auto show circuit this winter.

Lincoln’s flagship large car is the MKS, a long in the tooth model introduced back in 2009 that’s in serious need of a redesign. Given the recent attention given to the MKZ, MKX, MKC and Navigator, it’s a no-brainer that the MKS would be next in line to receive a new look, and new architecture.

But will the New York debut be the MKS?

In December of last year, folk-rock icon Neil Young (who is marketing an audio product via his music company Pono) let slip that his product would be available on the 2016 Lincoln Continental. That model name hasn’t existed for over a decade.

Lincoln execs were mum on the issue, according to the Detroit News, leaving people to wonder whether Neil’s years of drug ingestion had left him momentarily confused.

Earlier this year, autoevolution.com speculated on the New York debut, posting information garnered from a source that stated that Lincoln would indeed be unveiling a large, rear-wheel-drive sedan at the show.

Lincoln is under pressure to produce a memorable flagship for the brand, especially when considering rival Cadillac’s planned entry of its range-topping CT6 sedan.

Rear-wheel-drive would make sense, now that the funds and architecture exist to make it happen. But the New York Auto Show website doesn’t tease the MKS, but rather a ‘to be determined’ model.

Now, it could still be the MKS, which could easily appear on new, rear-wheel-drive architecture. But wouldn’t a memorable name – one that defined Lincoln for decades – make a bigger splash?

A source close to the company told me today to expect a rear-drive Lincoln sedan in New York, and cagily hinted that the Continental name can’t be ruled out.

If true, this would be big news for those who have longed for the triumphant return of that storied nameplate, which brings with it images of iconic, Kennedy-era sedans that defined American luxury.

We’ll have to wait and see whether these wishes will be satisfied – the show begins April 3 – but it’s nice to see some buzz building around Lincoln again. Whatever sedan is unveiled, we can only hope that it’s pleasing to the eye and a competitive entry into its class.

Suicide doors, I’m sure, are definitely too much to ask for.

 

Links:

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2014/12/17/neil-young-lincoln-continental/20560119/

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/exclusive-2016-lincoln-mks-confirmed-for-new-york-auto-show-debut-91495.html

http://www.autoshowny.com/galleries/debuts