Lincoln Wants Separate Dealerships

After going through a makeover that’s nothing short of phenomenal, Lincoln doesn’t want its image ruined. Selling the Continental, Navigator, or other new models next to Ford Fusions and F-150s just isn’t the right vibe, so the luxury brand wants its own space.

Surprisingly, Ford management likes this idea. If Lincoln wants to compete against the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus on even ground, it can’t happen at Ford dealerships. Luxury shoppers don’t want to mix with salt of the earth people when shopping for a car or having it serviced. In fact, Lincoln says most of the sales increases the brand has enjoyed in the past few years have come from these new stand-alone dealerships.

The good news is there’s already a movement to set up more Lincoln-only dealerships. Many dealers are constructing these locations, which the brand’s top brass says indicates the Lincoln is becoming more relevant.

But, not all Lincoln dealers are on board. Lincoln management wants a commitment to build new stand-alone dealerships by next summer, with completion dates by summer of 2021.

These changes are coming along with even more transformations to the Lincoln lineup. The new Nautilus, which was the MKX, comes out this fall. Next fall the new three-row Aviator hits the market.

Information about this proposal comes from Automotive News.