It is likely that the days of the Fusion-based sedan are over.
Rumours that Lincoln might discontinue the Continental luxury sedan is nothing new. They were first mentioned in March 2018, just one year after the car was launched. Then, they were again heard in September 2018. The model is in danger of being scrapped, at least in the United States, with monthly sales numbers in low hundreds this year. This is despite the newly introduced Continental Coach Door Edition. A new report by Automotive News sheds light on Ford’s plans for the Continental.
The company currently assembles the model at Flat Rock Assembly, alongside the Ford Mustang. Two new all-electric crossovers for Ford and Lincoln are scheduled to be produced at the same plant in the late 2022 or early-2023 models. This move will effectively mark the end American production of Continental.
According to our source, this does not necessarily mean that the sedan will be removed from the U.S. marketplace. Ford may decide to import it from China eventually, where it will still be available. It is impossible to say much at the moment, but last year, the Blue Oval pulled its plans to bring the China-made Focus Active to the U.S. because of tariff concerns.
According to Automotive News, “three sources familiar with Ford’s plans” said that the new electric models will be built on Ford’s battery-electric architecture. They will also sport the internal designations CDX746 (internal) and CDX747 (internal). The two zero-emission brothers are expected to be about the same size as the Ford Edge or Lincoln Nautilus. Ford predicts that the combined annual production will reach 65,000 units.
Ford’s $11-billion plan to launch 16 pure EVs in 2022 will include a Mustang-inspired crossover and an electric F-150. An accessible car for the European market was also developed in collaboration with Rivian.