Lincoln Looks for Credibility with Debut of Continental

(This story has been updated with new photos, powertrain details and comments from Ford CEO Mark Fields.)

Once one of the market’s most successful luxury brands, Lincoln has become little more than an afterthought for most high-line buyers these days – if they think about the domestic brand at all.

But the Ford subsidiary generated a flurry of interest last April when it staged the surprise debut of the Lincoln Continental concept vehicle at the New York Auto Show. Now, barely nine months later, the big sedan is back, this time in production trim, making its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

“The Continental name has long been associated with the ultimate in Lincoln beauty and luxury,” said Kumar Galhotra, president of Lincoln. “With the all-new model, we are focusing on creating more human, personally tailored experiences for our clients – providing what we call quiet luxury.”

The return of one of Lincoln’s most celebrated nameplates will either spell the last gasp of a failing brand, or the start of a new beginning, depending upon who you believe. But parent Ford is betting the Continental name itself will be a big draw.

It has served as a rallying cry within the Lincoln product development team, says Michael Celentino, Continental’s chief program engineer. Lincoln has struggled to come up with a winning formula for a flagship sedan for nearly two decades, and Celentino’s own team was working on the project for several years “when they decided to call it Continental,” he told TheDetroitBureau.com.

“That was the big moment,” he recalls. “It was the moment we got clarity and focus.”

Like so many grand show cars, the New York concept vehicle was a bit “exaggerated,” the chief engineer acknowledges, making it all the more difficult to translate it into a production car. There’ve had to be a few changes. The wing-like accents connecting the doors had to be dropped.

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But plenty of the show car’s details have remained, including the unusual door pulls, the automatic approach lights and puddle lights projecting a Lincoln logo.

The distinctive brand logo reappears, seemingly ad infinitum, in the new grille first shown on the Continental concept and already in production on the updated Lincoln MKZ, replacing the short-lived “split-wing” grille design that the Ford luxury marque quickly abandoned.

There are also the distinctive “Perfect Position Seats,” with their split-thigh bolsters designed to make it all the more comfortable to take the new Continental on a long trip. An active noise cancellation system further enhances driveability. And for those who don’t want to drive in near tomb-like silence, Continental buyers can opt for a high-line Revel audio system.

There’s been plenty of focus on giving the Continental a “relaxed” and elegant feel. Among its features, the rear seats can lay back like those on a luxury business jet.

If the interior design and feel clicks, buyers might want to give their thanks to the Chinese. Lincoln went on sale in the vast automotive market there only last year, but China’s influence is already being felt. A sizable share of high-line buyers there routinely ride in the back seat, turning to a chauffer to handle driving duties. That encouraged Lincoln to add such touches as rear-seat climate and audio controls.

As with just about every new luxury car, meanwhile, the 2017 Lincoln Continental will be loaded with the latest technology, including everything from a unique-to-Lincoln version of the Ford Sync3 infotainment system to the car’s active cruise control system with pedestrian detection and automatic braking. There’s also a new auto-park system that can handle both parallel and perpendicular spaces and even back you out of a tight spot.

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The Continental team didn’t want to simply clone one of the latest German premium luxury models, stresses Celentino. It didn’t want so much high-tech content that it would “overwhelm people.” As a result, the project involved some of the most extensive consumer research in the brand’s history, suggested Eric Turner, Continental’s brand manager.

Ford went so far as to create special simulators to check the response of potential buyers to various possible digital display screens.

Under the hood, the production version of the Lincoln Continental will offer at least three different powertrain options.

The flagship version will be powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 bolted to a six-speed automatic. The engine turns out 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. It will punch power to all four wheels, with all-wheel-drive a standard feature.

There also will be a “base” 3.7-liter naturally aspirated V-6, as well as a 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6.

“This is the most supported product program I’ve ever run,” suggests Celintino. That comment shouldn’t be taken lightly. He’s a 30-year Ford Motor Co. veteran who has already run four separate product development programs.

Other safety features include auto hill braking, Blind-Spot Detection, rear cross-traffic alert and Lane Keeping Assist.

Lincoln is holding back on a number of key details, including both price and fuel-economy numbers, pending the formal launch of the 2018 Lincoln Continental next August.

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Who will buy the new Lincoln Continental? The maker is targeting “cultural progressives,” buyers not wedded to traditional luxury brands. “We’re not trying to out-German the German, or anyone else,” Ford Motor Co. CEO Mark Fields told TheDetroitBureau.com. “We’re trying to be true to Lincoln.”

The new model will be produced solely at Ford’s big plant in the Detroit suburb of Flat Rock. How many? Ford isn’t talking about production plans. But the brand finally saw sales bounce back above the 100,000 mark in the U.S. last year. That’s a much-needed upturn — though still half of what it once could expect to deliver each year in its home market.

Of course, the U.S. is no longer the sole outlet for Lincoln. The brand’s push into China is critical. And despite the recent economic turmoil, that market is soon expected to become the world’s largest luxury market. It very well may become Lincoln’s as well. Though specific plans haven’t been announced, expect to see the new Continental go on sale there soon after it reaches U.S. showrooms.