General Motors is currently benchmarking the Lincoln Navigator, GM Authority has learned.
A series of recent spy shots, which show the next-gen 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe undergoing testing outside GM’s Milford Proving Grounds, corroborate our sources’ intel. Just behind the Tahoe prototype, we can clearly see a Lincoln Navigator, following the Tahoe IREV down the same path. Though the two are taking the same route, the Navigator isn’t there for the Tahoe. Instead, it’s there to make sure GM has a leading product in the upcoming next-gen Escalade.
Indeed, GM is very much aware of the latest Navigator’s sudden success in the highly-lucrative full-size luxury SUV space. The Lincoln Navigator entered its fourth-generation for the 2018 model year as an all-new model, and overall, sales are up. Way up, in fact.
In 2018, GM’s cross-town rival sold 17,839 units of the Navigator in the U.S., a colossal increase of 70 percent or 7,316 units compared to the 10,523 units sold in 2017.
Sales Numbers - Full-Size Luxury SUVs - Q4 2018 - USA
MODEL | Q4 18 / Q4 17 | Q4 18 | Q4 17 | Q4 18 SHARE | YTD 18 / YTD 17 | YTD 18 | YTD 17 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CADILLAC ESCALADE | +33.37% | 9,573 | 7,178 | 45% | +60.35% | 36,872 | 22,994 |
CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV | -100.00% | 0 | 4,081 | 0% | -100.00% | 0 | 14,700 |
INFINITI QX80 | +25.16% | 5,830 | 4,658 | 28% | +7.42% | 19,207 | 17,881 |
LINCOLN NAVIGATOR | +42.76% | 4,754 | 3,330 | 22% | +69.52% | 17,839 | 10,523 |
LEXUS LX | -47.88% | 1,018 | 1,953 | 5% | -20.84% | 4,753 | 6,004 |
TOTAL | -0.12% | 21,175 | 21,200 | +9.11% | 78,671 | 72,102 |
In the first six months of 2019, Lincoln Navigator sales fell 3 percent to 8,856 units.
Sales Numbers - Full-Size Luxury SUVs - Q2 2019 - USA
MODEL | Q2 19 / Q2 18 | Q2 19 | Q2 18 | Q2 19 SHARE | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CADILLAC ESCALADE | -2.31% | 9,432 | 9,655 | 48% | -8.53% | 16,251 | 17,766 |
INFINITI QX80 | +44.24% | 4,822 | 3,343 | 24% | +18.66% | 10,611 | 8,942 |
LINCOLN NAVIGATOR | -13.18% | 4,387 | 5,053 | 22% | -2.84% | 8,856 | 9,115 |
LEXUS LX | -16.09% | 1,095 | 1,305 | 6% | -10.57% | 2,309 | 2,582 |
TOTAL | +1.96% | 19,736 | 19,356 | -0.98% | 38,027 | 38,405 |
The rising sales figures justify the Lincoln Navigator’s impressive reviews, with the Navigator posting top scores from various publications, including U.S. News and Edmunds, among others.
Meanwhile, Escalade sales are down 8.5 percent to 16,251 units during the first six months of 2019. In other words, Escalade sales are falling faster than Navigator sales. Of course, much of that is due to the fact that production was down at the GM Arlington Assembly plant in Texas as the facility was retooled to prepare for the new fifth-generation Escalade, which is set to arrive later in 2019 for the 2021 mode year. As such, Escalade production was offline for several weeks.
Regardless, the Escalade remains the best-selling model in its segment, with a 42 percent segment share during the first half of 2019. By comparison, the Infiniti QX80 is in second place with a 28 percent segment share, while the Lincoln Navigator is in third place with 23 percent segment share.
So here’s the takeaway: while the Lincoln Navigator is definitely a worthy rival to the Escalade, the situation isn’t dire. GM is taking stock of what the Navigator brings to the fight, and this latest round of spy shots confirm The General is busy covering all its bases. As well it should, considering the Escalade is believed to be GM’s most profitable product line on a per-unit basis.
To help cement its leading position in the segment, the future Escalade will bring a new design, new engineering, and new features, such as a digital shifter, a huge center screen, and up to three engine choices, including an all-electric model. Stay tuned, as more information on the next-gen Escalade is expected to drop very soon. In the meantime, subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac Escalade news, Cadillac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
Wouldn’t it be nice to see Cadillac leading again? But instead here we are benchmarking a 2018 Ford for the 2021 Escalade.
Well what do you suggest they benchmark it against? The Navigator is the best of the best in this segment, and has been getting rave reviews.
That thing is ugly.
Create your own path with superior designs and be innovative then let them benchmark you. The Navigator has been playing catch up for years so there is no reason to benchmark it.
The Navigator? C’mon! No offense to Lincoln, but they should’ve been benchmarking the Range Rover Autobiography for the past 5 years. Maybe even the X7 now its on sale for few more tests.
General Motors is taking their time developing their new BOF SUVs. They need to do everything right in making sure that their SUVs come out at throughly finished products that are highly competitive offerings in their segment, not half-baked products like the XT6 and Silverado/Sierra pickup offerings. I have high expectations for the all new 2021 MY Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe as they’re arguably Chevrolet’s most important products. They have two unique and special SUV nameplates on their hands, fingers crossed that their new SUVs come out well.
I’ve seen this GM movie before. I suggest that you prepare to be disappointed.
We’ll see. General Motors is well aware of the criticisms that their new full-size pickups have received, via the subpar interior and exterior designs. The full-size SUV segment is GM’s core automotive market, they’d better knock this out of the park.
GM has to find the spirit of their visionaries. The 50’s and 60’s gave us some fine looking automobiles, with real and unforgettable names. Eldorado, Fleetwood, style sold the car long……long before anything else. The tech that was available in those days pales in comparison to today’s engineering but it was till enough for the day. If Cadillac or even Lincoln get their cars in line with the styling of those days, not necessarily retro remakes, but with flair and brashness then add their tech then I believe they will gain back and the customer base. A solid chassis surrounded by suspensions that can be pillow like or as firm as the customer feels like. Our choice. A small V8 and 2 v6’s as options. Give them real names, actual names. Seriously. They have what they need in house but don’t have the balls to build real Cadillacs. The standard of the world is hiding in a corner, underfed and ignored by its latest flame keepers. Thanks, time for a drive.
I agree most of what you say but real names, IMO, is not what makes the vehicle special. If done right, it is the vehicle that makes the name and alphanumeric special.
The main reason sales are down, it’s because the product sense 2015 horrible.
Brake pump, air conditioning condenser, air conditioning radiator, antifreeze reservoir, air strut compresor….the list is enless.
I drive a 2015 surban for the limo industry. All of the GM guys are buying ford or lincoln now. They lost our NY business. Dont believe me ask around nyc.
Tomko I have to agree just because you see them benchmarking navigator dosen’t mean they are going to shock the world and bring out something better Gm lately have just fallen short
Everyone writes about style and engines…..what about good old American reliability.
That’s how the Japanese took over on the 70’s.
Cuz we made sh#$@ cars.
And we never recoup from that. Honda and Toyota dominate the car industry.
Looks does not cut it anymore. GM please make reliable products and we will return, until then……I got 12 more payments on my 2015 suburban and Hello to lincoln.
I’ve never had any issues with my GM trucks.
That non GM customer service at its best !!
“what about good old American reliability. That’s how the Japanese took over on the 70’s. Cuz we made sh#$@ cars.”
No, we got hit with TWO oil embargo’s. Which blessed the Japanese with 1st time customers because of the need for fuel efficient transportation. I’ve drive plenty of 70s Japanese cars. For the most part, they were sh#t boxes. BUT they were cheap, and got decent gas mileage. Either way, once they got a foothold, the idea of owning Japanese became normalized.
The reliability of the VW, and many early Japanese cars is severely over rated. They were simply the best alternative for many at the time. Japanese cars didn’t really make serious strides in reliability till the 80s.
“GM Is Benchmarking The Lincoln Navigator”
Now that’s not something you would have read 10 years ago.
But all said and done, the Navigator is one nice rig. I don’t agree with IceDree above about benchmarking the Range Rover. Talk about a pig in a tuxedo! Total garbage yet after all these years. The Navigator is probably the best large SUV available at this moment weather us GM people want to admit it or not.
100% Dan Berning
Since it won’t sell as well as a Camry or CR-v, Barra will discontinue the 2020 Escalade to focus more on crossovers and EV’s.
GM large suvs are at least 6month delay into 2020 because benchmarked Navigator revealed GM interior was typical sub-par… And couldn’t match the stunning Black Label Lincoln interiors!!!
Navigator is capacity constrained n make less than 2000 per month and all sell fast at list price vs. Spades selling with incentives Plus $10,000 added discount…
Lincoln gets 15-20% added capacity starting July…
Plus new Aviator will not be capacity constrained… Early orders looking at 50,000+ annual sales… At list price because it is “off the charts”… per Bob Lutz!
What GM needs to do is improve the RST variant of the Tahoe in its next generation when the entire SUV model gets released for the 2021 model year; boost the horsepower up and reduce the price so muscle-car owners can hype up and buy an RST.
Please make the mid-size Traverse and the next-gen, full-size Tahoe both in high-performance forms. The RST form should have an LT1 with 455 hp in the Traverse and LT2 with 480-510 hp in the Tahoe, the SS form should have 570 hp with a 6.2 DOHC V8, and the ZLT should have 755 hp from an LT5 supercharged variant of the LT1.
The Cadillac Escalade V should get a 2.7-liter turbo inline-4 with 380 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, as well as a Blackwing variant with a 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 producing no less than 550 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. Offering a hybrid variant of the Blackwing will help too for the hippies and environmentalists; either the CT6-V sedan’s 4.2-liter or the C8 Corvette Z06/ZR1’s 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 with at least 650 horsepower will work.
Navigator rules for its high end quality and the ability to operate as if you’re driving a car. It’s like riding on air almost as its driving itself. So comfortable with the baby soft leather ladies this one’s got the styling of the beautiful things we want and the manliness of the most popular man gear also its safety features outstanding quality for everyone. Truly it rules the road its amazing on gas .Wow a show stopper on the roads .Try one your going to love it .
My hope is their intention is to be better in every conceivable way and not just as good or almost as good. The idea that we are still the number one sell so we don’t have to do much is long past. It’s time fo GM to realize that people are starting to look at them as also ran and that should not be acceptable to them. Their primary goal should be to make all of their vehicles nothing less than the best in class.That along with the best electric vehicle on the market should assure their long time survival.
Although apples to oranges, I think the Navigator is underwhelming compared to the Aviator technically and on sophistication. Although, too early to say that which road test reviews of the Aviator is not available yet, the Navigator never took off with me since redesign.
I think Cadillac made a reasonable choice of benchmarking this against the Navigator, the Navigator is strong in a lot of areas but we should not be worried that the next gen. Escalade will sweep the floor against the Navigator for the 5th. generation model in every conceivable way.
!st……I hope they are benchmarking the Navigator Black Label, because it is much better looking, and loaded with features, even more than the European and Jap crap.
2nd….they also need to take a look at the new 2020 Aviator that is coming because it puts the XT6 to shame…..
3rd……When you realize that they started with a clean sheet of paper for the XT4, XT5, and XT6, they could have been soooo much better. The fact that the XT6 sits on the same FWD/AWD chassis as the other two is pitiful. It should be on a RWD/AWD variant of the Alpha and strong enough to handle the torque of a V8. Both MB, and BMW have 500+ hp. V8 engined SUV’s here, or on the way and VERY impressive.
Cadillac and GM as a whole NEED to hit the next gen BoF SUVs out of the ballpark without increasing MSRPs too much. A baseline Tahoe is just shy of $50,000 as it is… And selling at 100,000+ units a year, it’s a profit center for the company.
Say what you will about Ford and Lincoln, the Expedition and Navigator are both STRONG products. I see just as many new Expeditions these days as newer Tahoes/Suburbans here in Iowa. GM needs a dedicated internal effort to be the best in class ay what they can be best in class at.
For GM, that means 3 things. Trucks, large SUVs, and large sedans (or crossovers in today’s market). The 2019 Silverado deserves some commendation for the things it fixed and for its engineering, but the interior, tech, and certainly value proposition are massively lacking. That simply cannot be allowed to happen on these full size SUVs.