Ford gives Lincoln Continental a last hurrah

April 4, 2002 BLOOMBERG NEWS is reporting that Ford Motor Co. is making a final-edition Lincoln Continental with added features to try to lure longtime buyers before ending the model because of lower sales.

The automaker will build about 2,000 of the Continentals with a base price of $41,120, Ford said in a statement. They are to arrive in showrooms this week.

The Continental is one of four models Ford is discontinuing after a loss of $5.45 billion last year, the automaker's first annual loss since 1992.

Continental sales fell 10 percent to 20,392 last year, and adding features such as chrome wheels and a walnut steering wheel to a last model lets Ford appeal to repeat Continental buyers at little added cost.

"They're trying to make lemonade out of lemons," said Alan Baum, an analyst at automotive forecasting company Planning Edge.

"There's a small number of people attracted" to every model, and they may buy a last Continental before the line is scrapped this summer, he said.