If there is one car brand that I do not understand it’s Lincoln. I love a Navigator and enjoyed the Nautilus when I drove one last year. Arguably, Lincoln doesn’t make a bad car. The brand, though, only competes in extremely crowded segments, which is why it’s a bit of a surprise to me that the Lincoln brand is kinda killing it right now from a loyalty perspective.
S&P Global is out with its 2024 awards for customer loyalty, and there are the usual players, including Tesla, but there’s also a hell of a lot of Lincolns. If you buy a Lincoln, you apparently never stop buying Lincolns. By comparison, Infiniti plays in mostly the same segments and it’s getting destroyed, which might explain the push to get Nissan’s CEO shoved into the nearest crate.
No one is planning to excommunicate GM’s Mary Barra, especially as the company agrees to more dividends. The strategy keeps working, but I don’t love it. Maybe my way of thinking is why I’m writing The Morning Dump and not, say, flying on a private jet to Florida this weekend to spend ungodly amounts of money on a vintage Porsche.
The Lincoln Corsair Is The Model With The Most Owner Loyalty
Do I need to borrow a Lincoln Corsair? Is the Lincoln Cosair… Good? I’m trying to drive more cars in order to better understand the market and keep you, dear readers, up-to-date with what’s going on in the world. I did drive the Lincoln Nautilus and thought it was nice.
Would I buy one over a Porsche Cayenne or a Genesis GV80? Probably not. I’d probably get the GV80, although the Nautilus is about $5,000 cheaper. The logic of a luxury automobile that’s nice and also quite affordable is appealing. The word “affordable” doesn’t come up enough these days. It’s the same with the Corsair. I’d be tempted to buy a Macan, but a Macan costs a lot more.
It turns out that people who own Lincolns either really love the experience or are unaware other cars exist, because S&P Global named the Nautilus and the Corsair the cars in each class with the most loyal buyers. Even more impressively, according to registration data, no single car had more return customers than the Lincoln Corsair last year.
Most of this list is entirely sensible. The most loyal make is Tesla, because up until recently, there weren’t a lot of good reasons to buy something else if you already owned one. General Motors is the most loyal overall manufacturer, which is somewhat interesting. In certain categories, there are vehicles that pretty much always win.
If you want a Porsche 911, there’s no other sports car you can buy than a 911. Similarly, there’s no Range Rover like a Range Rover. I do think cost is a factor here, as the most popular passenger car for return buyers is the Nissan Sentra, which is affordable and reasonably nice. That does, also, perhaps go to explain Lincoln’s success.
The brand also had a great 2024, relatively speaking, from a sales perspective. Lincoln’s sales were up 28% year-over-year for its best performance since you could see a reverse-aging Brad Pitt in the movie theaters. I presume discounting and just an abundance of cars maybe had something to do with it as well. Just because you’re selling more cars doesn’t mean you’re selling more of them profitably.
Also, Lincoln is at risk from tariffs now that its most popular model is built in China. As noted by Automotive News earlier this year when writing about a meeting between execs and dealers:
A dealer who attended the meeting said executives acknowledged that tariffs pose a “significant risk” to the brand because of its limited lineup and that a government affairs committee is working with retailers to address the challenges tariffs might pose.
The dealer said executives also promised to better manage inventory after it rose more than expected last year and promised dealers additional floorplan support in the coming months.
Other than Raylan Givens, the average Lincoln owner has historically been older than the market as a whole, and that almost certainly contributes to the numbers. A new Navigator is probably only going to help things and maybe, just maybe, unseat the Range Rover.
Nissan Is Reportedly Trying To Push Out Its CEO, Or Maybe It Isn’t
Nissan CEO is the worst job in all of the automotive universe. If you’re not getting arrested at the behest of your subordinates, you’re dealing with your competitor telling you your company is worthless, and that doesn’t even include having to kowtow to your French shareholders.
Somehow, people actually want this gig, or at least Nissan’s Board of Directors is maybe trying to find someone willing to give it a shot. Here’s what Bloomberg is saying:
Nissan directors are gauging interest in potential candidates to replace Uchida, the 22-year company veteran who has been CEO since late 2019, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Other sources told Reuters that Uchida is likely to hang on to his job.
Nissan is due to announce the management streamlining on March 12 but Uchida is not expected to resign as part of the announcement, the sources said.
I feel like getting fired by Nissan without having to, like, go to prison is the best outcome a CEO of Nissan can hope for.
GM Agrees To Hand Out More Dividends
If you’re a shareholder of General Motors then you, too, could be a beneficiary of increased dividends and a planned share buyback.
General Motors’ board approved increasing its stock dividend by 3 cents to 15 cents a share, the company said Wednesday in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a sign of confidence despite growing threats from federal policy that could impact the auto industry this year.
This is the first time GM has said it planned to raise its stock dividend since late 2023.
“We feel confident in our business plan, our balance sheet remains strong, and we will be agile if we need to respond to changes in public policy,” Paul Jacobson, executive vice president and CFO, said in the statement. “The repurchase authorization our board approved continues a commitment to our capital allocation policy.”
I have been down this road before, so I’ll spare you the details, but this isn’t my favorite thing GM is doing. Sharing excess profits back with shareholders is a good thing, both for rewarding your investors and for maintaining your share price. Dividends are not, on their face, bad. I just think the automotive market is in for a long period of uncertainty, and it would make more sense to reinvest that money in the company.
Old Porsches Are The New Old Ferraris
One of the cool things about being partnered with Beau, other than he gets the references that David does not, is that he’s active in the auction scene, which gives us access to it. Over the years of attending auctions, it’s become obvious that older Porsches are steadily increasing in value.
There’s a comprehensive story on this from our pal Hannah Elliott in Bloomberg that’s worth a read if you follow these things:
This month, as car enthusiasts converge on Florida for two weeks, they’ll find 14 Porsches with estimates straddling the $1 million mark—two more than the dozen Ferraris with the same distinction and far more than any other brand among the 405 total lots being offered across three auction houses. Million-dollar Porsches are creeping into the elite pricing echelon that Ferraris once dominated at significant auctions around the globe.
The increase reflects collectors’ desires and financial ability to build significant collections around one favored brand, says Steve Serio, a Boston-based automotive broker to billionaires. Porsches have always been valuable—they just haven’t been as desirable as multimillion-dollar Ferrari GTOs, LMs and Testarossas. But Porsche is inching closer as an increasing number of buyers amass collections around the historic marque.
I remember when Porsche 912s were like $16k all day and I was not smart enough to buy one. Instead, I bought a Merkur. Never take my advice about anything, is what I’m saying.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
Roberta Flack passed away recently and it would be a shame if we didn’t recognize her, so here’s Roberta doing “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” RIP to a legend.
The Big Question
What’s your theory on Lincoln buyers?
Top photo: BaT/Justified
The Nissan Sentra entry is the epitome of Stockholm Syndrome.
Why would you want another if you felt you had any other choice if you weren’t abused already?
I’m guessing Hertz and Budget are loyal buyers
I saw one in the wild yesterday, and though to myself that’s actually a pretty sharp looking car.
When your other choices are Kias, Hyundais, and Jettas, I can see why someone would go for a Sentra that doesn’t have explodey engines. JATCO CVTs last when they’re paired with the weaker engines they were designed for, not with powerful American market engines. You aren’t getting a Civic or Corolla because of your credit score and the higher price.
“get Nissan’s CEO shoved into the nearest crate”
I thought Nissan CEOs put themselves in crates.
It was a small crate, he needed some shovin’.
Current guy needs some shovin’ too.
“Announcing Nissan’s new crate motor!”
Opens crate: “Surprise!”
Last sentence really hits home. There was an orange 912 for sale on the side of the road leading into Park City mid-00s I considered for a year or more. From what I remember he only wanted like $7k for it, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend that much on a non 911. Oh, how I kick myself. Though I was a ski bum, living in a ski town, without any sort of play money, and the practical side of me won out with another Jeep.
There was also a yellow Pantera for sale on the side of the highway mid-90s in my rural MN hometown for next to nothing (under $10k from what I remember). Knew nothing about it, but one day my dad and I went to have a look. My dumb-ass thought that was way too much for an old weird Ford but my dad seemed excited.
Panteras getting expensive was heartbreaking. I got introduced to them as a kid because my dad’s friend owned one and always thought when I enter the work force I would maybe like to get one. A decade later I start looking into them and… crap, 6 figures.
What does “Ethnic Market Loyalty” mean? Is that a euphemistic way of categorizing the buying public by skin color?
Apparently that is actually correct.
It’s loyalty from buyers classified as “ethnic” but no further details are given.
Why that particular stat is kept seems odd to me.
The truth is that Lincolns are solid and attractively-priced options in their market segments. They may not be the best in each category, but in every aspect Lincolns are at least all right, all right. all right.
I see what you did there…
Why people stay with Lincoln:
1) It’s actually comfortable to drive in for long periods of time.
2) Easy to get them on deals especially if you know someone who’s worked for Ford or been a repeat customer.
3) Regular Gas (going from Premium to Regular gas at the pump just feels good)
4) Fairly cheap to work on, and if you have to go to the dealership, it’s usually it’s own separate building (leads again to comfort).
If you’re just trying to get from Point A to B and want to feel comfortable doing it, Lincoln will make you happy.
Luxo-boats still resonate. Not everyone equates luxury with a firm suspension and rubber band tires capable of insane levels of grip. Lincoln never chased that dragon. Well, the LS but that’s a grand tourer and not a sporting car. Just don’t mention the Corsair is 100% China made.
The Corsair is North American, but the Nautilus is Chinese.
Correction appreciated!
Bingo – Dad had a few Panther platform Lincoln Town Cars. Adequate power, decent fuel economy (on regular!), comfortable highway cruisers. Nothing better for long distance cross country travel. Your not tackling The Tail of the Dragon in it, you are getting there from 1000 miles away and then renting a Miata.
You’re getting there from 1000 miles away, whilst towing a Miata.
90’s Crown Vics had impressive 5000lb capacity.
Dropped to a token 1500lb by the end of their life (clearly wanted to push you to buy SUVs)
Yeah, and don’t tell anyone, but I’ve comfortably exceeded that 1500 quite a few times over the years with a CVPI, with no apparent harm
I’m sure nothing changed in that time except Ford looking for ways to bolster SUVs and sell more trucks. Because “you can’t tow with a car” or some bullshite.
The later ones had stronger engines too, his first was a 1990 with a 302, last was a 1995 with a 4.6.
My brothers-in-law own a Corsair. They walked into the dealership and walked out with it in an easy transaction. I’ve ridden in it many times, and it really is very nice. It hides its Escape roots very well.
You could even spec these with the 2.3 turbo… sleeper spec.
Fun fact: The turbo from the 2.3 Corsair essentially bolts on to the 2.0 Maverick/Bronco Sport for more power.
Have this engine in my Ranger. Unpleasant.
I’m going to start calling it Mrs. Jefferson, too, because that shit is Wheezy.
Runs out of steam above 5500 rpm, just like my old B230FT did in my 744T until I turned up the boost. To do that with the 2.3, you need the Ford Performance tune, which gets you an impressive gain but also costs something like $800.
Upvoted for The Jeffersons reference.
My guess is that Lincoln buyers are the least imaginative and most conservative and have zero other options. They wouldn’t dream of buying anything “foreign” and think Cadillac is for men who wear jewelry and their wives who wear too much makeup.
A market segment is a market segment.
Some wealthy folks also want to go under the radar (stealth wealth). They used to drive Land Cruisers. Now they drive Yukons and Lincolns.
True, to some degree. Different markets have different values for companies, and the “stealth wealth” segment has less value than the one driven by “conspicuous consumption.”
My uncle was a true stealth wealth officialdom. He had built multiple companies and he had a rotating collection of very interesting classic cars. He was a big guy, and his daily driver was always a Yukon, Suburban, Buick CUV, or similar. But he also was sure to get the best possible deal and liked to buy used. The conspicuous consumption folks lean in to spending money and want everyone to know they are wealthy. They tend to provide much higher profit margins as the people from BMW know very well. This is the reason BMW’s designs have become much uglier and louder.
BMW’s design language is due to the Chinese Market. The Chinese LOVE gaudy styling with huge grilles and huge screens. The American market has adapted to this, unfortunately.
True about the Chinese market being a big driver. There was a massive untapped demand for ugly tacky junk in the U.S. as well. BMW knows that people who like tacky are typically the ones who are willing to spend more than they need to. Rich and stupid is a very attractive market, and this country provides a huge opportunity.
The Lamborghini Urus has entered the chat.
Along with basically every Porsche with more than two doors.
I think Porsche is one of the few with styling restraint (sans the GT cars with the giant spoilers).
True, they aren’t tacky, but they are ugly just so they can look like a Porsche.
It’s interesting that most premium Chinese NEVs actually have subtler styling than BMWs. They go with a grille-less exterior with only necessary vents (radiator inlet near the bottom, small air curtain inlets on the sides). They go for a generally minimalist interior, but have somewhat trended away from Tesla’s bare minimalism. Yes, it does involve large screens (infotainment and passenger entertainment), often a large AR-HUD, and few buttons, but the interior finishings are all soft-touch and the accents are definitely less gaudy than a Mercedes.
Chinese ICE cars have a much different exterior styling philosophy, but they’re generally in-line with the rest of the world. The Japanese automakers in the later 2010s were responsible for the huge grille trend in my opinion.
Warren Buffet drove a Lincoln for ages.
When I cruise with my parents on Holland America – and the conversation rolls around to cars – a great many of them are Lincoln or Volvo drivers.
I thought he was a Cadillac man?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-drove-2006-lincoln-170010197.html
He drives a 14 caddy Xts these days.
I don’t think NYC TLC drivers can be pigeonholed by political affinity.
I have a theory about Nissan Sentra drivers. The Sentra won this category for “passenger car”, and I can’t believe it’s not Camry.
Maybe the Sentra owners can’t swing the financing for anything better, and so are consigned to Sentra Hell for the rest of their days?
The average Nissan dealer will gladly roll the negative equity on your previous Sentra after the transmission craps out into a new Sentra loan over and over and over again.
Same with Kia…
got news for you – ANY brand that can pull off that feat will roll your negative equity. VW, lookin’ at you too.
Neighbor is on his 3rd Sentra and loves them. Practical, comfortable car for practical money. When a vehicle is an appliance you appreciate different things. I hear.
It blows my mind how feral some people go for Nissan products. They drive better cars but hate them as they are used to how Nissans drive, where the buttons are, etc. It took ALOT to get my MIL into a Honda… and even then, I think she still misses her Rogue. She HATED the CX-5, which broke my brain.
Camry drivers don’t replace their car — and by the time they do, 20 years have passed and their needs have changed so they get something different.
A great point, our older Camry is 33 years old and chasing down 400k.
Probably need to look at why people got a Corsair in the first place. Not meant as a knock to the car, it just hasn’t been out very long. It doesn’t seem like a very “known” vehicle and I forget it had the MKC before it sometimes. Maybe:
It would be interesting to see conquest models for the Corsair too – is it all other Lincolns, or Fords, or actually from other makes? Current/would-be Buick buyers that wanted to step up from Encores or didn’t like the current or want to wait for the Envision?
Part of the Escape sales drop in 2019 was the changeover to the new model, and then the issues they had with said new model.
I had an indent on that bullet that didn’t save but it was meant to just add some context to the idea. A new generation doesn’t always mean a drop, but in Ford’s case they were planning for it to some extent with the Bronco Sport addition. And as you note the quality issues they had. Most cars saw a drop in sales in 2020, but Corsair stayed pretty steady at the levels the MKC was putting out. Certainly could have been some would-be Escape buyers finding what they wanted in a Corsair easier than waiting for the supply-constrained Ford.
I remember getting a ’20 Escape Platinum in late ’19 or early ’20 as a media loan. There were … noticeable issues. It was not a pre-production car, I don’t believe.
Typically – an automaker will build up some inventory and store it to carry them across the shutdown and changeover to a new model, and then regular production takes some time to ramp. And the model mix at launch often favors a particular trim over another, so that can leave sales on the table as they come out of the gate looking for margin (this isn’t gospel, obviously)
But those two factors in ’19 probably started the dip before the global pandemic blew up 2020.
Even beyond the production issues, I remember the Escape and Explorer both having pretty poor reception to the general material quality on launch, so even if they had been screwed together better it was an issue. The Escape’s I3 didn’t help its reception either.
I don’t know that the average consumer would necessarily pick up on all that, but any combo of the factors discussed could’ve put someone off the Ford and they might have more seriously considered a Lincoln.
They went up in price, had quality problems, were hard to get, and yeah – felt like you lost. Good times.
I never thought I would buy a Lincoln. Then I did and love it. My wife named it FOMAC (standing for “eFffing Old MAn’s Car”) and the shoe fits. Ohhh you were writing about NEW Lincolns when I was talking about my 2004 Town Car. Never mind then.
The Corsair is just a gussied up Escape, which is just a taller Focus.
The Focus (RIP) is like the Eevee Ford. It’s been evolved into the Escape, Corsair, Maverick, Bronco Sport, Transit Connect, Mondeo’s in China, Lincoln Z also in China
You get a like for the pokemon.
My C-Max (a taller than Focus but shorter than Escape vehicle) was totaled a couple of months ago. I wanted another hybrid, and found an Escape PHEV that qualifed for the $4k tax credit. I went and looked at it and about 1 minute into the test drive I realized it was exactly like driving my C-Max, with the exception the suspension was a little softer, which was good. So I bought it.
And a falcon enters the room.
I know two Lincoln owners — both are the compact crossover model with the 2.0t. I won’t give a name because I don’t even know if they’ve changed, so I’ll just call it “Ford’s Audi Q5” for simplicity.
First one was a junior/mid-level attorney who has to drive colleagues around in something that isn’t embarassing, but also isn’t obnoxious.
The second was a lady who downsized from a Ford Flex that gave up the ghost, and it was just too much car post-divorce with one kid.
Read into that whatever you want. I think Lincoln is nothing but “The car you bump into on the Carmax (or Ford/Lincoln dealer) lot and think ‘Hmm, what is this?'” and you’re just surprised enough — and the price is right — that you pull the trigger.
Maybe you were just looking at Infinitis or Fords, but then you remembered that Lincoln is still A Thing. You thought they killed it, but the salesman reminds you that was actually Mercury.
Pretty spot on. I know two Lincoln owners in the neighborhood. One has a Navigator- nobody knows what he does for a living but he is always around. The other has an Aviator (?)- he is the CFO of a small company. Both are nice people and have nice families, we see each other often. Both are elder millennials with a touch of Gen X. And here’s the kicker- both bought from Carmax.
“Huh, that looks nice. Oh, it is pretty nice. How much? No, really, how much? Oh wow, that’s less than I expected. I’ll take it.”
I cannot remember the last time I say a Lincoln that was not pearl white. I think the buyers want affordable domestic luxury and want it in white.
Matches the belt & shoes.
WELL DONE!
Pretty much every Lincoln I see is black.
Back in 2016, my dad bought a new Lincoln MKZ. He was coming from a Passat and wanted something a bit upscale. He always wanted another Audi but couldn’t justify the price of an A6 at the time. That’s where the MKZ fit in. A6 size for an A4 price, a good driving experience, comfortable on road trips and a local dealer. He liked the car but the eventual electrical oddities led to him ditching it for an A6.
Yes, I know, he sold a car because of electrical gremlins and then bought a German car.
There’s a house in my ‘hood with TWO fairly new Lincolns. Never in my 76 years do I remember a family having two Lincolns. I need to ask them what the deal is.
I’d bet they bought Fords for decades, and can now afford Lincolns.
Lincoln offers something that a lot of people, especially upper and upper-middle class older people want but isn’t very cool, which is quietness and comfort. They have great interiors, are nice enough to drive, and easy to get in and out of. I think it makes total sense why they’re popular.
Yeah, this is a good point.
When almost everyone is chasing BMW and dynamism, the traditional comfort-oriented luxury buyer can be left behind. Lincoln fills that space, along with Genesis and Lexus (to an extent).
It’s a Volvo for someone who won’t buy anything from a foreign brand.
I honestly don’t see any real-world biases towards foreign brands any more. I think it’s less to do with that and more to do with the fact that a good chunk of Ford dealers also have a Lincoln franchise, so these cars are easy to find IRL, and you can also get them serviced at literally any Ford dealer. I would personally choose a Volvo, but their dealers are much thinner on the ground. Convenience matters tremendously for older buyers.
People who work around blue collar industries still have some bias against foreign nameplate, show up to a concrete piping manufacturer in a $70,000 Ford pickup, no big deal, nobody cares, show up in a $44,000 Alfa Romeo and people will make negative assumptions about how much they’ve been getting overcharged or how much you understand and care about their business, etc. It’s a real phenomenon
Brands more fully integrated into the US, with wide model ranges and a lot of US manufacturing – Toyota, Honda, Nissan, etc – are maybe less affected, and are non-luxury anyway
That’s still applicable in domestic brands too or within the verticals of each company. Even with whatever image issues the domestic luxury brands may have, people know they’re not cheap vehicles either. A full-size Denali buyer isn’t really trying to save a couple grand over an Escalade, an Acadia Denali or Enclave Avenir starts at more than an XT6, etc.
I’d put Lexus in the same camp, the Avalon had a certain “old money” air about it if you wanted a better Camry but weren’t trying to flash a badge. Seems like Acura and especially Infiniti less so, they seem to be considered more “fancy __” whereas I get the sense Lexus is more “built by Toyota” even if the volume models are shared.
Yes. There is a Lincoln dealer within 20 miles or so of nearly any small town USA.
Also, last I checked you can get them in nice interior and exterior shades that aren’t default black. It’s not a Jalop thing, but some people just want a car that is comfortable and “nice.” A place to ease your mind, not a race car, and have some degree of personalization. I wish we had more car choices, at different price points, that were unabashedly comfortable, and not always claiming “luxury”, which these days is more about branding, conspicuous consumption, and “influencer” marketing tie-ins. Modest comfort is something that Lincoln, Mercury, Buick, and Oldsmobile of the past excelled at. I for one am glad Lincoln is doing well, and I still cling to the idea that Buick has a future.
I agree, and I’m glad that they and Buick are doing okay. There’s nothing wrong at all with just wanting something comfortable for a daily commute. Life is hard enough.
For a very brief time (7weeks until totalled) I had a 2000 Taurus. It was the last recession, I was laid off, I wasn’t working full-time, and applying for graduate school + taking classes part-time. Bought it from a neighbor, it was a steal. The Taurus was not a big luxo-boat in the traditional sense. But it had a column shift, was roomier than any car I ever had, and was comfortable enough that highway miles melted time away. To me it had a nostalgic sense that reminded me of the 77 Buick I’d had in high-school, and all the 70’s/80’s GM full-sizers all my aunts and uncles had growing up. 1) it had a cassette deck, and 2) I’d only ever driven Tauruses as rentals on vacation. So most of the time I drove it I played tapes (80’s MTV synth pop, Van Halen, Prince, etc.) so I pretended I was in high school, or I pretended I was on vacation. Some cars just put you in a different state of mind than others. Honestly, that car was kind of soothing during a challenging period.
I was just talking to my neighbor who is a Lincoln stan. The SUVs have been 100% reliable to him and cheaper to service then his old BMWs. The guy also retired at 47 because he got tired of commuting so I’m willing to take life advice from him.
Jumping over a real low bar, there. 😉
Cadillac has been trying to push itself into a younger and edgier demographic. This leaves conservative older buyers who tend toward American brands with few choices. The Corsair and Nautilus are a better fit when you want something “nice” but don’t want an electric or otherwise “edgy” vehicle.
Granted they’ve been trying to do that for long as I can remember. It’s just gone in waves of how serious the attempts are, or when they need to pivot some to have something that moves out of showrooms in volume.
The Catera has entered the chat.
Didn’t CTS stand for Catera Touring Sedan?
Yes, sold alongside the Deville Touring Sedan and Seville Touring Sedan.
It’s funny that “CTS” became so synonymous with “Cadillac sedan” that they kept “CT” as their branding to this day.
The world-beating CT5 Blackwing would not have that name if not for a fairly crappy Opel from almost 30 years ago.
Initially I had typed “nearly a quarter century” but then thought, well there was the Catera, and they were trying with variations of the Seville, and obviously the Cimarron…
CTS rumors and spy shots at the time still called it Catera and figured it would have CTS designations, since the Seville Touring Sedan had been badged STS for a while before the Catera ever came out, plus SLS and DeVille had DHS/DTS versions. Just about the time the industry push for alphanumeric names was peaking.
I recently got back from visiting my aunt and uncle in The Villages (aka St. Peter’s waiting room) and I can vouch for old folks with money loving their Lincolns. I saw more Corsairs in a week or so than I had since launch.
“General Motors is the most loyal overall manufacturer, which is somewhat interesting”
Some people are so brand loyal, they won’t even consider anything else. With the exception of a Datsun my parents bought when I was baby and they were flat ass broke, my parents exclusively bought GM vehicles my entire life. All new except for one, and oh boy was that ’95 Aurora a hunk of shit! My father-n-law is the same way. He also bought one Datsun in 1979 when he too was flat ass broke, but other than that he has exclusively bought Chevys. This man is 80 years old, and has owned nothing other than Chevies save for one Datsun.
When I suggest buying something else to either of them, they look at me like I have a third head.
When did the second head become less shocking to them?
You’ll have to ask them.
It seems if you’re from southeast Michigan, you are born into either a GM, Ford, or Chrysler household. My grandpa retired from GM, so everyone in my family has exclusively driven GM vehicles. My stepdad would never consider buying something that wasn’t Ford. My Best friend is from a Chrysler family and to this day lives by the motto “Mopar or no car” despite, well everything at Stellantis.
I will say, if you can get employee pricing for GM/Ford/Stellantis (seemingly everyone around here does) that is a huge determining factor. I leased a ’24 Silverado last March and with GM employee pricing it was significantly cheaper than comparable F150 and RAM leases.
None of us have ever lived in Michigan even. No employee discounts here.
My only guess for Lincoln buyers is:
1) They only will buy an American-Branded luxury car (despite where they are actually manufactured) and won’t drive anything too fancy (or Electric). That leaves Cadillac and Lincoln. Lincoln (for some reason) seems to have a more compelling lineup atm than Cadillac.
2) Big rebates?
I’d love to see where these cars are selling the best. I wonder if it’s mostly mid-west driven?
There’s tons and tons of them in the Midwest. I imagine they’re less-common on the coasts.
They seem to be popular in more rural areas. Never saw them in Seattle, but you get a couple hours away from the city and they are super common.
Rural areas always have a Ford dealer that has usually added Lincoln, because why not.
German or Japanese luxury makes rarely have dealers outside large metro areas.
A lot of folks use their Ford friends and family discounts in the Midwest due to production being based there.
I can’t decide if I’ve never seen one before or if I have but they’re completely forgettable.
To your Point 1, I might add Jeep, but I’m not sure. FCA and Stellantis have been *trying* to push Jeeps into the luxury segments, but I really don’t know if that’s resonating with the “American luxury” buyers.
In NYC I’ve never seen a Lincoln that doesn’t have a TLC plate on them.
There can be an occasional Escalade that is privately owned, but the TLC plate ratio for Caddy is also pushing 100%.
Lincoln buyers are people who want something nicer than a Ford, but can’t wrap their heads around buying a nice Japanese or Korean car and won’t buy anything German.
Just wait till they learn that their favorite Lincoln is actually Chinese…
“Just wait till they learn that their favorite Lincoln is actually Chinese…” same with Buick…
My retired neighbors were quite surprised to learn that the Buick they were test driving was Chinese.
Funny enough though, they listened to my advice and bought a CX-5.
The Corsair has only been around for 5yrs. Why have people needed to buy a 2nd or 3rd one, and why did they go back to a car that failed them in under 5yrs?
Leasing?
Am I reading this info wrong? Probably.
Would they also consider former Lincoln MKC buyers as loyalty buyers?
I’m wondering that too. It might – using a more current example, Kia Forte and K4 would show up as two different models, but if everyone that has a Forte ends up buying a K4, it obviously means they’re loyal. Especially if it’s just taken as the segment level, if it’s repeat buyers in small luxury utility vehicles at Lincoln, that could count it. That would maybe get tricky for brands that have multiple entries in the class, like for Jeep the Wrangler and the late Cherokee are both considered the compact utilities but a Wrangler is a different buyer from the Cherokee or a RAV, Equinox, etc.
I’m guessing they leased one for 2-3 years, and then leased another.
Yeah, Lincoln does have some good lease deals.
Leasing is great when you aren’t sure you’ll be able to drive in another 3-5 years!
I knew a family who’s aging mother traded in her 4runner (too hard to get into) in for a Rav4 lease and then passed shortly after. It was really nice for the family who inherited the lease, as the payment was peanuts and gave them a guilt free fuel sipping daily for a couple of years.