It was launched in concept form at the New York auto show last year, and the series-production version was unveiled at the Detroit auto show this week. We are speaking, of course, about the Continental, Lincoln’s new flagship. We spent some time with the brand’s chief designer David Woodhouse, a Brit by birth but who has a deep understanding for American-style luxury.
Based on a front-wheel-drive platform but decidedly larger than the MKZ, the Continental is designed to take on the premium offerings by Audi, BMW, Cadillac, and Mercedes-Benz. But while Cadillac has?with much success, it must be said?tried to beat the Germans at their own game of building superior performance sedans, Lincoln will not follow that path. You won’t find front splitters, carbon-ceramic brakes, or performance-data recorders on a Lincoln. “We are an American brand and decidedly don’t want to imitate the Germans,” says Woodhouse. And he adds: “We want to be very discreet and therefore won’t display engine sizes on our cars.” Instead, the Continental is all about luxury and style, epitomized by the unique chrome door handles, which, in his words, “emphasize elegance and ease of operation.” And the company decided to make the rear compartment spacious enough that it, unlike Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, sees no need to create a long-wheelbase derivative for the Chinese market.

Woodhouse confirms that one of the new sedan’s ...