Lincoln Nautilus sales increased in the United States, Canada, and Mexico during the second quarter of 2021.
| MODEL | Q2 2021 / Q2 2020 | Q2 2021 | Q2 2020 | YTD 2021 / YTD 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAUTILUS | +20.23% | 6,055 | 5,036 | +11.15% | 11,427 | 10,281 |
| MODEL | Q2 2021 / Q2 2020 | Q2 2021 | Q2 2020 | YTD 2021 / YTD 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAUTILUS | +59.77% | 564 | 353 | +29.71% | 860 | 663 |
| MODEL | Q2 2021 / Q2 2020 | Q2 2021 | Q2 2020 | YTD 2021 / YTD 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAUTILUS | +300.00% | 36 | 9 | -3.45% | 56 | 58 |
Despite the 20 percent increase in U.S. sales volume, the Lincoln Nautilus remains in ninth place out of ten rivals in its competitive set during Q2 2021. The Lexus RX led the segment in first place, followed by BMW with 23,954 cumulative deliveries of the X3 and X4 in second, the Acura MDX in third, and the Audi Q5 in fourth. The Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class took fifth, Volvo XC60 placed sixth, the Cadillac XT5 took seventh (see running Cadillac XT5 sales), and Infiniti QX50 took eighth. The Nautilus took ninth while the Alfa Romeo Stelvio took tenth (and last) place.
Notably, all ten models in the segment posted an increase in sales volume during Q2 2021, with the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 seeing the largest jumps of 133 and 125 percent, respectively.
| MODEL | Q2 21 / Q2 20 | Q2 21 | Q2 20 | Q2 21 SHARE | Q2 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEXUS RX | +79.78% | 28,703 | 15,966 | 20% | 21% | +53.87% | 56,644 | 36,813 |
| BMW X3 | +125.00% | 21,285 | 9,460 | 15% | 12% | +80.70% | 36,273 | 20,074 |
| BMW X4 | +94.39% | 2,669 | 1,373 | 2% | 2% | +37.65% | 4,351 | 3,161 |
| ACURA MDX | +119.23% | 19,803 | 9,033 | 14% | 12% | +104.69% | 36,791 | 17,974 |
| AUDI Q5 | +133.34% | 18,835 | 8,072 | 13% | 10% | +86.16% | 33,566 | 18,031 |
| MERCEDES-BENZ GLC-CLASS | +54.11% | 14,580 | 9,461 | 10% | 12% | +33.64% | 30,149 | 22,560 |
| VOLVO XC60 | +91.21% | 12,702 | 6,643 | 9% | 9% | +68.62% | 20,592 | 12,212 |
| CADILLAC XT5 | +82.83% | 10,573 | 5,783 | 7% | 7% | +30.66% | 19,346 | 14,806 |
| INFINITI QX50 | +49.50% | 7,324 | 4,899 | 5% | 6% | +51.60% | 13,749 | 9,069 |
| LINCOLN NAUTILUS | +20.23% | 6,055 | 5,036 | 4% | 6% | +11.15% | 11,427 | 10,281 |
| ALFA ROMEO STELVIO | +37.66% | 2,756 | 2,002 | 2% | 3% | +35.71% | 5,313 | 3,915 |
| TOTAL | +86.91% | 145,285 | 77,728 | +58.80% | 268,201 | 168,896 |
The results give the Nautilus a four percent share, down from six percent in the year-ago quarter. The performance is substantially lower than the 20 and 17 percent held by the segment-leading Lexus RX and BMW X3/X4.
The luxury D-crossover segment expanded nearly 87 percent to 145,285 units during Q2 2021, meaning Lincoln Nautilus sales significantly underperformed the segment average during the quarter. In fact, Nautilus sales grew the least (on a percentage basis) out of all models during the quarter.
We should note that Lexus RX sales now include the two-row RX and the three-row RX L, with the three-row RX L being a rival to the new Lincoln Aviator. As such, a more apt comparison would be to pit Nautilus and Aviator sales against those of the RX.
| MODEL | Q2 21 / Q2 20 | Q2 21 | Q2 20 | Q2 21 SHARE | Q2 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEXUS RX | +79.78% | 28,703 | 15,966 | 71% | 64% | +53.87% | 56,644 | 36,813 |
| LINCOLN NAUTILUS | +20.23% | 6,055 | 5,036 | 15% | 20% | +11.15% | 11,427 | 10,281 |
| LINCOLN AVIATOR | +43.68% | 5,770 | 4,016 | 14% | 16% | +22.45% | 11,856 | 9,682 |
| TOTAL | +62.00% | 40,528 | 25,018 | +40.78% | 79,927 | 56,776 |
Adding Nautilus and Aviator sales nets Lincoln 11,825 combined deliveries in Q2 2021, or 16,878 units less than the two Lexus RX variants.
The slight rebound in Lincoln Nautilus sales during Q2 2021 is great news following a lower two percent increase in Q1 2021, itself preceded by a substantial drop in Q4 2020. As such, it would appear that the Nautilus is struggling to keep up with the segment leaders. Potential factors that may contribute to the circumstance include:
The 2021 Lincoln Nautilus delivers several updates in key areas, including an overhauled cockpit (interior) with a new infotainment system. The refreshed Nautilus began arriving at dealerships at the end of March, and it will be interesting to see how much of an impact the updated model has on driving interest and purchase consideration in the second half of 2021.
Say hello to Black Onyx, Light Space Gray, and Hot Chocolate.
Read More »It has just one tiny flaw.
Though it remains flexible in terms of chemistry options.
Which has been the case for a while now.
One that could possibly add a hybrid powertrain.
Laurent Mekies is quieter, but has engineering experience.
Special lease deals in select markets on refreshed compact pickup truck.
