Lincoln is Outperforming the Luxury Auto Market

In 2016, the US auto market set new sales records outperforming 2015’s record by a surplus of 50,000 vehicles. The best sellers were SUVs and pickups, but luxury vehicle sales remained relatively uneventful, with only a one percent increase in 2016. The only exception was with Ford’s luxury brand, Lincoln. Sales were up by ten percent with more than 112,000 vehicles sold in 2016. Lincoln also had a strong debut of their new full-size Continental sedan, despite the market moving away from traditional four-doors.

New Leadership, New Opportunities

The most successful luxury vehicle sales in 2016 came from Mercedes with over 340,000 sold in the US. However, Lincoln’s numbers are nothing to scoff at considering they were on the chopping block just five years ago. The brand was seriously suffering and Ford had to make the decision to keep Lincoln alive or let it go. Fortunately, Ford kept them on, and Lincoln made an impressive comeback over the years. December 2016 was a big month with sales up eighteen percent and almost 13,000 vehicles sold. The president of Lincoln Kumar Galhotra who was brought in to head up and salvage the brand almost five years ago talked about how the momentum of sales was fantastic. He also recognized that there is still work to be done moving forward.