Lincoln Execs Comment on Pivot to Luxury with Nautilus and Vitrine Strategies

These results show why every manufacturer wants luxury entrants today and why the Lincoln brand is definitely moving upscale Last year Lincoln with sales of 112000 in the US placed behind luxury brands Infiniti 117000 Cadillac 156000 Acura 157000 Tesla 232000 Audi 224000 Lexus 298000 MercedesBenz 316000 and BMW 324000 Obviously the brand wants to do better domesticallyLincoln39s strength is in its China sales and in its North American SUVs which saw a 58 percent jump in the third quarter to 22591 The new Nautilus pictured at top and Corsair are doing well Globally sales were up 17 percent yearoveryear in the quarter and October was the company39s best in 34 yearsThe Nautilus midsize crossover replaced the confusingly named MKX as an allnew vehicle in 2019 Yes giving the cars names was a step in the right direction But the Nautilus has so far been underperforming with sales of 5771 in the third quarter down from 7962 in the same period of 2019 when it was a new model Michael Sprague North American director for Lincoln attributes this to the car being in quotan incredibly competitive segmentquot But let39s face it all SUV segments are highly competitive nowSo what does Lincoln do with the Nautilus It pivots upmarket with a refresh for the 2021 model year with a mild frontend restyling and a decidedly more luxurious choice of interiors It39s all well horizontal said Trevor Scott brand marketing manager designed to enhance the owner39s sense of security and sanctuaryquotThe stacked horizontal elements on the instrument panel create a panoramic calming effectquot said interior design chief Robert Gelardi The screen at 132 inches wide is horizontal too bucking a vertical trendA feature I39ve never heard of is a virtual owner39s manual accessible on the screen It39s a simple and welcome ideaLincoln has been emphasizing the New Age elements and the quotPower of Sanctuaryquot Customers are offered free pickup and delivery for servicing which has proven very popular and a year39s subscription to the Calm meditation service with 15000 owners opting in It39s a tick upwards The exclusive Black Label cars get a Chalet theme quotevoking the contrasting pleasures of mountain slopes and the warm comfort of an apramp232sski lodge with espresso and Alpine Venetian leathers and deep Silverwood appliquamp233squot Flight coming in 2021 quotharmoniously combines rich leathers and other materials to give the sensation of taking to the skiesquotBlack Label was launched six years ago as a 6000 option with some great perks detailing and washes service pickups and dropoffs and reservations and a special menu at selected partner restaurantsAnd then there are the new dedicated Vitrine dealerships above which have seen a 20 percent sales increase quotPeople are recognizing these beautiful new facilitiesquot Sprague said quotVitrinequot is a French word for glass display cases and in the new standalone showrooms separate from Ford there are big floortoceiling windows with the cars illuminated at nightLincoln has 150 dealers in the 30 top luxury markets in the US and it first asked them to go Vitrine in 2018 Those markets account for 70 percent of the industry39s overall luxury salesFordLincoln dealers protested the size of the showrooms they39d have to build for Vitrine and how they can have either a twocar display or one for four to six Dealers are eligible to get 100000 subsidies for signage that will distinguish Vitrine from their other offerings It39s all about creating a separate luxury identity from the parent company as Honda did for Acura Toyota for Lexus Hyundai for Genesis and Nissan for Infiniti So far there are 21 Vitrine dealerships and six more opening by the end of the yearBut here39s a question I put to Sprague Do consumers even want dealerships anymore Hasn39t COVID pivoted buyers to buying online a trend that was already underway before the pandemic quotLongterm there will still be a need for dealer partnersquot he said quotWe are making it easier for digital sales and buying online but people still want to take a test drive We will continue to invest in physical locations because our customers want that human interaction That39s true even as our customers schedule service via a mobile appquotClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Lincoln Execs Comment on Pivot to Luxury with Nautilus and Vitrine Strategies

Author

Publish date

Channel

Jim Motavalli

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

More Videos:

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Lincoln Execs Comment on Pivot to Luxury with Nautilus and Vitrine Strategies

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Jim Motavalli

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

Cookies