It looks like the Honda Accord isn’t the only good-and-stately sedan not doing so hot in the marketplace. Apparently, Lincoln has had such a rough time selling the Continental, the company reportedly will be discontinuing its flagship sedan after the current 10th generation.
According to Ford Authority, anonymous sources “intricately familiar” with Lincoln’s future product plans say the Continental will be axed despite the company’s $1 billion expenditure bringing the nameplate back after its previous “death” in 2002. While the anonymous sources didn’t provide an explicit reason for the Continental’s demise, Ford Authority points out that sales for Lincoln’s luxobarge haven’t been great despite positive reception from critics and the endlessly-quotable Matthew McConaughey ads.
Since the model hit showrooms in September 2016, through the end of February 2018, Lincoln has shipped just 18,846 Continentals in the U.S. with monthly figures often dipping into the triple digits. In 2017, 12,012 were sold. To put that into perspective, Mercedes moved 51,312 E-Classes in the same year. While that sounds dire, the Conti managed to hold its own against its domestic competition in the Cadillac CT6, a car that logged just 10,542 sales in 2017. However, the big Lincoln lagged against Caddy’s slightly cheaper XTS, 16,275 of which were sold.
At this point, we’d be beating a dead horse to spend too many words pinning blame on the relentless rise of the crossover so we’ll keep it brief. When children of the future ask, in hushed tones, who killed the Lincoln Continental, “crossovers did it” is the correct answer.
When pressed for comment, a Lincoln spokesperson told The Drive, “The Lincoln Continental remains an important part of the Lincoln lineup but we aren’t going to speculate about our future product plans.”
The 2018 Lincoln Continental starts at $45,160. Those looking to get into a new one may want to act soon, before it’s no longer an option.