Neil Young Reveals Lincoln Continental to Return

2014 Lincoln MKS (Credit: Lincoln)

It’s no secret that change is afoot at Lincoln, which hopefully consists of more than an altered Ford model rebadging strategy. The updated MKS is set to come out next year and just might help set a new tone for the troubled luxury brand, making it a reveal many people will be watching closely. But now a curve ball has been thrown as an information leak reveals that the new model will actually carry the famous Continental nameplate.

The source of the leak was none other than Neil Young. The famous singer was on the CNBC television show Mad Money when he divulged in front of a national audience that he’s teaming up with Lincoln to put his Pono high-end digital music player in the car. As he talked, Young mentioned that the system would be featured on the Continental, which would launch in 2016.

Young’s not some slouch when it comes to cars, so writing this off as him being completely confused isn’t going to fly, not that Lincoln won’t try that. The singer actually outfitted a 1959 Lincoln Continental so that it ran on electricity, but that car caught fire in a warehouse back in 2010. You could say that Neil Young is a Lincoln fan, which these days is a rare breed and apparently includes Matthew McConaughey.

Of course, there is nothing overly solid to the rumor that the MKS will become the Continental. If true, the car will use the same platform as the MKZ, only stretched, meaning it will have a front-wheel drive layout. Chinese consumers will be able to purchase an elongated wheelbase version of the car, just like so many other models produced by other automakers.

Everyone will likely have to wait until the latter part of 2015 to see the new model and learn if the name will indeed be changed.