20 Years of Lincoln Navigator

It's hard to believe but Lincoln Navigator has been with us for over twenty years. When it was launched back in 1997 it started a whole new segment - the Full Size Luxury SUV. After dominating the first couple of years of the segment it created, the Navigator came under siege and has been on defense ever since.

After recording a high of over 43,000 units sold in 1998, the Navigator experienced an almost continuous decrease, hitting a bottom of 8,000 units in 2011.

At the same time, the segment saw a solid growth, attracting more competitors, of which the Cadillac Escalade distinguished itself as a market leader. At its peak in 2006, with more than 134,000 units sold, the full size luxury SUV segment represented 7.2% of US luxury vehicle market.

After the tumultuous Great Recession of 2008, the Full Size Luxury SUV segment entered a period of rapid volume recovery, almost doubling in size between 2009 and 2017, but its share of US Luxury market remained relatively stable, oscillating between 5% - 6%. With all the changes happening in the market, when customers are heavily turning toward SUVs and CUVs many thought the Full Size Luxury SUV segment would recover to its previous highs, but that hasn't happened yet, neither for volumes nor for share of US luxury.

Of note is the fact the Navigator did not benefit from the recent segment recovery, and sales have been fairly flat until 2018 when the fourth generation was launched.

In over 20 years Navigator has sold 476,000 vehicles, coming only second in the segment to Escalades' 747,000.

The "long tail" like of Lincoln Navigator that we have seen in recent years has finally came to an end in 2018.

Since 1997, four generations of Navigator have reached the market. The first generation of Navigator is still the best seller, with 210,000 units sold. The third generation, although the longest on the market, only comes third, narrowly overpassed by the second generation.

The fourth generation started well and is really promising.

So, how good is the fourth generation? Launched with great reviews, the New Navigator has sold well, increasing the volumes and at the same time gaining market share.

Although selling in smaller numbers than other Lincoln models, the Navigator provides a significant portion of Lincoln's and Ford's profits. At its peak, the Navigator only represented 24% of Lincoln's volume in the US.

At only 6-7% of the total US Luxury vehicles, the Full Size Luxury SUV segment has been a magnet for manufacturers because of the larger profits involved. As the numbers of competitors in the segment increased, so the Navigators sales have decreased.

After dominating the segment for many years, the US OEMs, Lincoln and Cadillac, have been facing more competitors in recent years. Fortunately, Lincoln's comeback has meant more care and more dollars invested in the brand and its models, Navigator included. We all have great hopes and believe the company is well prepared.