When Lincoln revived the Continental nameplate a few years ago, it marked a new styling direction for the brand. But while we’ve praised its luxurious cabin, we also noted the exterior doesn’t capture the same presence as its forefathers. As consumers shift to crossovers, full-size sedans aren’t exactly flying off the shelves these days, creating another problem for the resurrected flagship. Fortunately, Lincoln has a plan to increase the appeal of the Continental, and that plan involves suicide doors.
According to Automotive News, Lincoln showed a photo of the Continental with rear-hinged doors at an annual meeting last week for the National Automobile Dealers Association. Lincoln said it wants to build the model, although it didn’t reveal a timetable for the launch.
The 1961 Continental flagship had suicide doors, and Lincoln seriously considered bringing back the feature early on in the design process for the new model. However, Lincoln ultimately decided against the feature, opting for traditional doors that open really wide. At the reveal of the Lincoln Continental Concept in 2015, Lincoln design director David Woodhouse told us, “We have a long-travel hinge, and what you end up with is a very large ingress opening that quite frankly is superior to the suicide door in terms of ingress.”
Sales for the Continental have dropped 30 percent during the first two months of the year compared to the same period a year ago. Meanwhile, the new Navigator has been performing exceptionally well, up 47.9 percent. Lincoln sold 2,351 Navigators in the first two months, compared to 1,573 Continentals.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)
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