The new Lincoln Continental Concept has arrived in New York and many are asking exactly when they can buy the car and what it will look like. Mark Fields has already explained that the company does in tend to bring the Continental to production late next year mostly unchanged from what we see in NY. We thought we would take a look at the recent concepts from Lincoln to see just how close they were to their production counterparts to get an idea of how the Continental will translate into a production sedan.
Lincoln MKC Concept vs Reality
The MKC was the first major launch in this “New Lincoln Era” and the concept is a near spitting image of what we can see on dealers today. Although the concept’s body lines were a bit more aggressive and the car had a more chiseled side indent than the production version. The rear exhaust treatment was less severe on the 2015 version and the rear bumper was far less busy on the concept.
Lincoln MKX Concept vs Reality
The MKX is the most recent release in the Lincoln family and shows the pace in which the company is working to refresh their entire lineup in the next few years. From the front the concept seems very basic and more of a design study on how the car would actually translate to metal for the more refined production version. The space age headlights and giant chrome front portion of the bumper were modified to give the face of the MKX a more subtle look. From the rear of the MKX the concept and production version are damn near identical and the team did an amazing job in staying true to the original design.
What to expect for 2016 Lincoln Continental
For the production version of the Lincoln Continental Concept we should expect to see the same slight changes but the overall design language of the stunning concept will remain the same. The door handles will likely be adapted to a more simplistic solution. The interior will have some of the features of the luxurious new leather seats but the design will not be as dramatic as the concept interior and I would image less chrome applied to dash elements. The headlights may use a laser-assisted light system but the design using the Lincoln emblem shape will certainly be less extreme and more practical. The chrome trim around the bottom of the car on all sides will likely be modified to small bits on the side panels and a similar amount on the rear and front bumper.
Overall I would calm the critics that are dismissing the new design as a stunt that won’t see production. At this point in the turnaround plan for Lincoln they cannot afford to throw resources into something that will not see production. With the CT6 and this new large sedan from Lincoln we are excited to see the domestic manufacturers making a solid effort to compete in a market segment they have ceded to the Germans for several decades.
