Jalopnik is also basing some of their info on forum scuttlebutt at the factory, if that's their insider info it can be unreliable.
This is the way I generally look at it.
Continental is due for a 2020 or 2021 MCE...if it doesn't get it or we don't see it running around, then that's your first clue. A new CD6 Continental wouldn't really be due until 2023 once the current vehicle has run its lifecycle. MKZ is probably the bigger uncertainty, if a new one is on the way we should know by now.
Everybody tells me Conti CD6 was cancelled and I see absolutely no evidence it's in development on any of those platform charts. The biggest issue for Conti in China is that Ford can't Hybridize it or Plug it in for local production, so that may have accelerated its demise to 2020. The US isn't buying, Tariffs are squeezing, and China is clamping down...so it's hard to imagine Conti having a way out without a major investment like CD6. So yeah, the chances are NOT getting better. It does' help that Lincoln has to make way for Ford priorities since Lincoln is using Ford plants and resources.