Lincoln sails ahead with Nautilus, Aviator

If Lincoln Motor Co. is to hit its goal of 300,000 global sales by the end of the decade, it's going to need fresh product — and it has plenty of that coming. Brand executives hope to extend the strong sales momentum generated late last year by the redesigned Navigator down to Lincoln's smaller utility vehicles, including the freshened MKC and Nautilus. The brand is banking that the three-row Aviator will capture more luxury buyers. Officials are so confident that they've asked dealers in the top 30 luxury markets to build standalone Lincoln stores by July 2021 to show everything off.MKZ: The midsize sedan will not live to see all of those new showrooms. Despite a freshening in 2016, sales skidded 33 percent in the first seven months of this year. The MKZ was due for a redesign in 2020, and the company trademarked the Zephyr name again in 2016, but much like its Ford Fusion counterpart, the nameplate likely won't see another generation and will be phased out of the U.S.Continental: Lincoln's flagship sedan hasn't lived up to the hype since its revival in 2016. Sales in the U.S. have plummeted — down 30 percent this year — as customers eschew sedans in favor of crossovers and SUVs. Although executives on two separate occasions have shown U.S. dealers a freshened model to arrive in 2020 that would include suicide doors, it's unclear whether the nameplate will see a second generation. But if Lincoln discontinues the Continental in the U.S., it will live on in China.RELATED CONTENT Future Product: Ford and Lincoln timeline Future Product PipelineMKC/Corsair: Lincoln freshened the MKC compact crossover this year with a new grille and a host of new technology features. It will undergo a redesign — and name change to Corsair — in the second half of 2019 to coincide with the redesign of the Ford Escape. It also will get a plug-in hybrid variant at that time. The vehicle is vital to Lincoln's success since it's the brand's best-seller in China, a market where volume eventually will surpass that of the U.S., executives say. MKX/Nautilus: The freshened crossover formerly known as the MKX will debut this year. The Nautilus will come with a new standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that gets 245 hp and an optional 2.7-liter V-6 engine that gets 335 hp. Both will be paired with Ford Motor Co.'s new eight-speed automatic transmission. Auto stop-start comes standard on both engines, and an all-wheel-drive version is optional. The Nautilus will be due for a redesign in 2022.

Lincoln sails ahead with Nautilus, Aviator

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