Lincoln Aviator sales increased in the United States and Mexico while decreasing in Canada during the third quarter of 2022.
| MODEL | Q3 2022 / Q3 2021 | Q3 2022 | Q3 2021 | YTD 2022 / YTD 2021 | YTD 2022 | YTD 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVIATOR | +58.82% | 5,746 | 3,618 | +7.90% | 16,696 | 15,474 |
| MODEL | Q3 2022 / Q3 2021 | Q3 2022 | Q3 2021 | YTD 2022 / YTD 2021 | YTD 2022 | YTD 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVIATOR | +7.75% | 459 | 426 | +5.70% | 1,429 | 1,352 |
| MODEL | Q3 2022 / Q3 2021 | Q3 2022 | Q3 2021 | YTD 2022 / YTD 2021 | YTD 2022 | YTD 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVIATOR | +30.61% | 64 | 49 | +51.11% | 204 | 135 |
Lincoln Navigator sales skyrocketed 58 percent in the third quarter of 2022, placing the luxury crossover sixth in its segment.
The segment was led by the BMW X5, which saw a 68 percent increase to 21,077 units, followed by the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class in second with a 16 percent increase to 13,802 units. The Acura MDX placed third, down 13 percent to 9,604 units, while the Volvo XC90 took fourth with a 20 percent slide to 8,049 units. The Buick Enclave (see running Buick Enclave sales) increased three percent to 7,904 units, taking fifth, followed by the Aviator in sixth. The Cadillac XT6 took seventh, up nine percent to 5,013 deliveries and the Audi Q7 placed eighth, sliding 10 percent to 4,152 units. The tail end includes the Infiniti QX60, Audi Q8, and BMW X6 in ninth, 10th and 11th, respectively.
| MODEL | Q3 22 / Q3 21 | Q3 22 | Q3 21 | Q3 22 SHARE | Q3 21 SHARE | YTD 22 / YTD 21 | YTD 22 | YTD 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW X5 | +68.13% | 21,077 | 12,536 | 24% | 18% | +35.48% | 56,603 | 41,780 |
| MERCEDES-BENZ GLE-CLASS | +16.24% | 13,802 | 11,874 | 16% | 17% | -2.79% | 46,250 | 47,579 |
| ACURA MDX | -12.87% | 9,604 | 11,023 | 11% | 16% | -30.53% | 33,214 | 47,814 |
| VOLVO XC90 | -20.43% | 8,049 | 10,116 | 9% | 14% | -16.00% | 25,281 | 30,097 |
| BUICK ENCLAVE | +3.69% | 7,904 | 7,623 | 9% | 11% | -31.56% | 22,814 | 33,336 |
| LINCOLN AVIATOR | +58.82% | 5,746 | 3,618 | 7% | 5% | +7.90% | 16,696 | 15,474 |
| CADILLAC XT6 | +9.43% | 5,013 | 4,581 | 6% | 6% | -18.79% | 14,392 | 17,722 |
| INFINITI QX60 | +6,588.71% | 4,549 | 68 | 5% | 0% | +136.17% | 10,330 | 4,374 |
| AUDI Q7 | -10.44% | 4,152 | 4,636 | 5% | 7% | -40.31% | 13,335 | 22,341 |
| AUDI Q8 | -0.20% | 2,533 | 2,538 | 3% | 4% | -39.62% | 6,740 | 11,163 |
| BMW X6 | +84.73% | 3,811 | 2,063 | 4% | 3% | +37.98% | 9,210 | 6,675 |
| TOTAL | +22.02% | 86,240 | 70,676 | -8.44% | 254,865 | 278,355 |
From a segment share standpoint, the Aviator accounted for seven percent share, up two percentage points from the year-ago quarter. The first place X5 saw a segment-dominating 24 percent, up six percentage points, while the second place GLE-Class accounted for 16 percent, down one percentage point. The MDX secured 11 percent of the segment, down five percentage points, while the XC90 earned nine percent, down five percentage points. The Enclave earned nine percent, down two percentage points, while the XT6 remained flat at six percent. The remaining segment contenders earned less than five percent share each.
The premium/luxury three-row crossover segment (lux crossover E-segment) contracted 22 percent to 86,240 units in Q3 2022, meaning Lincoln Aviator sales outperformed the segment average.
Below, we’re providing sales numbers for competitors that field multiple vehicles in the segment, beginning with BMW, which offers both the X5 and X6. Combining X5 and X6 sales gives BMW 24,888 deliveries for an even more dominant 28 percent segment share overall.
| MODEL | Q3 22 / Q3 21 | Q3 22 | Q3 21 | YTD 22 / YTD 21 | YTD 22 | YTD 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW X5 | +68.13% | 21,077 | 12,536 | +35.48% | 56,603 | 41,780 |
| BMW X6 | +84.73% | 3,811 | 2,063 | +37.98% | 9,210 | 6,675 |
| TOTAL | +70.48% | 24,888 | 14,599 | +35.82% | 65,813 | 48,455 |
Meanwhile, combining Audi Q7 and Q8 sales gives the automaker a total of 6,685 deliveries for a seven percent share.
| MODEL | Q3 22 / Q3 21 | Q3 22 | Q3 21 | YTD 22 / YTD 21 | YTD 22 | YTD 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDI Q7 | -10.44% | 4,152 | 4,636 | -40.31% | 13,335 | 22,341 |
| AUDI Q8 | -0.20% | 2,533 | 2,538 | -39.62% | 6,740 | 11,163 |
| TOTAL | -6.82% | 6,685 | 7,174 | -40.08% | 20,075 | 33,504 |
Combining the two GM entires, the Buick Enclave and Cadillac XT6, results in 12,917 deliveries for a 15 percent share.
| MODEL | Q3 22 / Q3 21 | Q3 22 | Q3 21 | YTD 22 / YTD 21 | YTD 22 | YTD 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUICK ENCLAVE | +3.69% | 7,904 | 7,623 | -31.56% | 22,814 | 33,336 |
| CADILLAC XT6 | +9.43% | 5,013 | 4,581 | -18.79% | 14,392 | 17,722 |
| TOTAL | +5.84% | 12,917 | 12,204 | -27.13% | 37,206 | 51,058 |
For the sake of presenting a more complete picture of the competitive landscape, we are also providing sales figures for the Lexus RX below. The RX is a premium midsize CUV that slots into the luxury utility D segment, where it competes with with the Lincoln Nautilus. However, the RX is now offered in a three-row variant called RXL, which competes with the three-row luxury models mentioned above. Since Lexus does not break out sales of the two-row RX from those of the three-row RXL, not all RX sales can be applied to the premium three-row CUV segment. Instead, a more apt comparison would be to bundle Lincoln Nautilus and Aviator and set them against the RX family. We’re also including Cadillac XT5 and Cadillac XT6 sales, which are direct rivals to the Nautilus and Aviator, respectively.
| MODEL | Q3 22 / Q3 21 | Q3 22 | Q3 21 | YTD 22 / YTD 21 | YTD 22 | YTD 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RX | -5.19% | 26,530 | 27,981 | -5.11% | 80,299 | 84,625 |
| XT5 | +31.86% | 7,260 | 5,506 | -23.97% | 18,894 | 24,852 |
| AVIATOR | +58.82% | 5,746 | 3,618 | +7.90% | 16,696 | 15,474 |
| XT6 | +9.43% | 5,013 | 4,581 | -18.79% | 14,392 | 17,722 |
| NAUTILUS | -26.77% | 4,942 | 6,749 | -7.59% | 16,797 | 18,176 |
| TOTAL | +2.18% | 49,491 | 48,435 | -8.56% | 147,078 | 160,849 |
Combining the Aviator and Nautilus nets Lincoln 10,688 deliveries, less than half of the 26,974 sales recorded by the Lexus RX family. Meanwhile, Cadillac earned 12,273 combined deliveries of the XT5 and XT6.
The dramatic increase in Lincoln Aviator sales during Q3 2022 is a nice change of pace for the luxury crossover considering the ongoing supply chain constraints faced by FoMoCo and the auto industry at large. Vehicle production has been negatively impacted during the past two years, resulting in substantial production cuts that then translated to near record-low inventories, record-low incentives, and record-high new vehicle prices.
As such, it’s entirely likely that the Aviator sales boost evidenced during Q3 is the result of chips along with other supplies having become more readily available. Additionally, previously unfinished or incomplete examples may have been able to be fully built and shipped to dealers.
Closing the week at $10.82 per share.
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