Hard to believe for a brand so steeped in American car culture, but there isn’t a single Lincoln built in Michigan now. That is, until next year when the 2017 Lincoln Continental goes into production.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Ford will build their new luxury sedan in Flat Rock, Michigan, the plant that also currently builds the Ford Fusion and Mustang, the company’s global manufacturing leader said Wednesday.
As recently as 2006, every Lincoln was built in Michigan, mostly at the now-gone Wixom Assembly plant. Currently, the Fusion-based Lincoln MKZ is built in Mexico. The MKT and MKX crossovers are assembled in Canada. And the MKC and Navigator SUV are built in Louisville, Kentucky.
The 2017 Continental was previewed by the Continental Concept shown in April at the New York Auto Show, showing off a whole new design strategy and reviving a widely known name last seen in 2002. It will use what’s essentially a stretched Fusion platform shared with the Chinese-market 2016 Ford Taurus.
Also aimed at the Chinese market, the Continental is expected to highlight a spacious rear seat with a long list of luxuries, possibly including the concept’s 30-way power front seats – but hopefully not the chrome-covered console. A new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 could be mated to standard all-wheel drive here.
Expect to see the 2017 Continental in spring 2016.
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