It's been 13 years since the last Lincoln Continental was rolled out by Ford Motor Co., but now the classic luxury sedan is set to make a comeback.
As we get ready to welcome back the resurrected Lincoln Continental, a prototype of the vehicle is set to be displayed at the New York Auto Show from April 3 to April 12.
On Monday, March 30, Ford Motor Co. will take the wraps off the prototype of the Lincoln Continental prior to the auto show as the resurrected model makes its debut.
In 2012, Ford had bid adieu to the Continental brand name and, like its rivals, hopped on the bandwagon of using letter and numeric codes for a majority of its models. However, in China, the memories of the Continental are synonymous with sentimental value as there is a strong association of the luxury sedan with celebrities and political leaders.
The Continental had been the luxury vehicle of choice previously and has now been replaced by the likes of the Audi A6, the BMW 7-series or the Mercedes S-class.
The Continental brand name also has several associations in the U.S., something executives from Ford were surprised to know. The Lincoln Continental from the 1960s played prominent cameos in sci-fi movies such as the Matrix. Celebrities such as Clark Gabel and Elvis Presley, too, rode in Lincoln Continentals.
What sealed Ford's decision to revive the Continental was the fact that the initial design for the next Lincoln sedan was not "as good as" the company wanted it to be. Eighteen months ago, the company's CEO Mark Fields and other senior executives opted to call the vehicle Continental on the basis of positive research, which got things moving in a positive direction.
"Immediately, people's eyes lit up," noted Fields.
The new-look luxury sedan will boast a grille and stance that bear more of a semblance to a Jaguar rather than a BMW or Cadillac. The Continental will also tout an all-new 3-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine, which is exclusive to the brand. The luxury car will go on sale on in 2016, possibly as a 2017 model.
Come 2020, Ford intends to expand the global sales of Lincoln to 300,000 cars per year, which is three times the current figure.
For its China re-launch, Ford has 11 dealerships already in place and plans to get 25 more by year end. However, the company has not revealed if it will be building the Continental in China.
Photo Credit: JD Hancock | Flickr
