- lincoln is stopping production of the continental at the end of this year.
- the company says the decision is due to declining sales of full-size premium sedans.
- with the lincoln mkz and conti both heading for the graveyard, that will leave the luxury automaker with an all-suv lineup for the first time ever.
the lincoln continental has been given a death sentence. the company confirmed wednesday that one of its most iconic nameplates will halt production at the end of this year.
"lincoln is investing in growth segments and the brand will feature a full portfolio of suvs, including a fully electric vehicle in the future," the automaker said in a statement. "lincoln will continue to keep its newest suvs fresh and we will have more news to share later this year; however, as the full-size premium sedan segment continues to decline in the u.s., we plan to end production of the lincoln continental at the end of this year."
despite the discontinuation, a lincoln spokeswoman told automotive news that a 2021 continental will still be available in china.
this news follows a january announcement that the mid-size lincoln mkz sedan will also be put out to pasture at the end of this year. once we enter the next calendar year, that means ford's luxury arm will have an all-suv lineup for the first time in its storied history.
while this doesn't mean lincoln will never build another luxury car, that prospect seems like a long shot. instead, the company looks to be all in on all-new crossover and suv models such as the aviator and corsair. the aforementioned all-electric vehicle of the future will be the mark e, which is expected to go on sale in 2022.
the continental concept that debuted back in 2015 looked like a return to form for lincoln, with elegant styling than included chrome door handles that were discreetly integrated into the window trim. this slick design feature as well as its impressively flexible 30-way power-adjustable seats both made it to production.
however, the nameplate that was once associated with celebrities and presidents alike never managed to recapture the same prestige during the course of its relatively short life. even though lincoln pulled out all the stops with an extravagant continental coach door edition that cost six figures and sold like hotcakes, its popularity was never matched by the mainstream version.
unfortunately, declining sales numbers and the higher profit margins of luxury suvs looks to have put the final nail in the conti's coffin. r.i.p.