mobile-menu-icon
Ford Authority

Lincoln Aviator Sales Near Last Place In Q4 2022

Lincoln Aviator sales decreased in the United States, Mexico and Canada during the fourth quarter of 2022.

Lincoln Aviator Sales - Q4 2022 - United States

In the United States, Lincoln Aviator deliveries totaled 5,281 units in Q4 2022, a decrease of about 3 percent compared to 5,450 units sold in Q4 2021.

During the complete 2022 calendar year, Aviator sales increased about 5 percent to 21,977 units.
MODEL Q4 2022 / Q4 2021 Q4 2022 Q4 2021YTD 2022 / YTD 2021 YTD 2022 YTD 2021
AVIATOR -3.10% 5,281 5,450 +5.03% 21,977 20,924

Lincoln Aviator Sales - Q4 2022 - Canada

In Canada, Lincoln Aviator deliveries totaled 357 units in Q4 2022, a decrease of about 48 percent compared to 691 units sold in Q4 2021.

During the complete 2022 calendar year, Aviator sales decreased about 13 percent to 1,786 units.
MODEL Q4 2022 / Q4 2021 Q4 2022 Q4 2021YTD 2022 / YTD 2021 YTD 2022 YTD 2021
AVIATOR -48.33% 357 691 -12.58% 1,786 2,043

Lincoln Aviator Sales - Q4 2022 - Mexico

In Mexico, Lincoln Aviator deliveries totaled 54 units in Q4 2022, a decrease of about 39 percent compared to 88 units sold in Q4 2021.

During the complete 2022 calendar year, Aviator sales increased about 16 percent to 258 units.
MODEL Q4 2022 / Q4 2021 Q4 2022 Q4 2021YTD 2022 / YTD 2021 YTD 2022 YTD 2021
AVIATOR -38.64% 54 88 +15.70% 258 223

Competitive Sales Comparison (USA)

Lincoln Aviator sales slipped three percent to 5,281 units in the fourth quarter of 2022, placing the luxury crossover ninth in its segment.

The segment was led by the BMW X5, which saw a 36 percent increase to 25,769 units, followed by the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class in second with a 4 percent slide to 16,800 units. The Acura MDX placed third, up 8 percent to 13,211 units, while the Volvo XC90 took fourth with a 3 percent uptick to 8,820 units. The Buick Enclave (see running Buick Enclave sales) decreased 11 percent to 7,719 units, taking fifth, followed by the Infiniti QX soared 329 percent to 6,243 units. The Audi Q7 took seventh, up 98 percent to 5,973 deliveries and the Cadillac XT6 placed eighth, up 93 percent to 5,661 units. The Navigator placed ninth, followed by the BMW X6 and Audi Q8 in 10th and 11th, respectively.

Sales Numbers - Luxury E-Segment Utilities - Q4 2022 - USA

MODEL Q4 22 / Q4 21 Q4 22 Q4 21 Q4 22 SHARE Q4 21 SHARE YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
BMW X5 +36.02% 25,769 18,945 25% 23% +35.65% 82,372 60,725
MERCEDES-BENZ GLE-CLASS -3.97% 16,800 17,495 16% 21% -3.11% 63,050 65,074
ACURA MDX +7.91% 13,211 12,243 13% 15% -22.70% 46,425 60,057
VOLVO XC90 +3.04% 8,820 8,560 9% 10% -11.79% 34,101 38,657
BUICK ENCLAVE -10.51% 7,719 8,626 8% 10% -27.24% 30,533 41,962
INFINITI QX60 +329.07% 6,243 1,455 6% 2% +184.32% 16,573 5,829
AUDI Q7 +97.72% 5,973 3,021 6% 4% -23.87% 19,308 25,362
CADILLAC XT6 +92.55% 5,661 2,940 6% 4% -2.95% 20,053 20,662
LINCOLN AVIATOR -3.10% 5,281 5,450 5% 7% +5.03% 21,977 20,924
BMW X6 +53.16% 4,466 2,916 4% 4% +42.59% 13,676 9,591
AUDI Q8 +91.42% 2,632 1,375 3% 2% -25.25% 9,372 12,538
TOTAL +23.55% 102,575 83,026 -1.09% 357,440 361,381

From a segment share standpoint, the Aviator accounted for five percent share, down two percentage points year-over-year. The first place X5 saw a segment-dominating 25 percent, up two percentage points, while the second place GLE-Class accounted for 16 percent, down five percentage points. The MDX secured 13 percent of the segment, down two percentage points, while the QX60 earned six percent, up four percentage points. The Q7 earned six percent, up two percentage points, while the XT6 earned six percent share, up two percentage points. All other contenders, the Aviator included, earned five percent segment share or less.

The premium/luxury three-row crossover segment (lux crossover E-segment) expanded 24 percent to 102,575 units in Q4 2022, meaning Lincoln Aviator sales underperformed 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 30,235 deliveries for an even more dominant 29 percent segment share overall.

Sales Numbers - BMW Luxury E-Segment Utilities - Q4 2022 - USA

MODEL Q4 22 / Q4 21 Q4 22 Q4 21 YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
BMW X5 +36.02% 25,769 18,945 +35.65% 82,372 60,725
BMW X6 +53.16% 4,466 2,916 +42.59% 13,676 9,591
TOTAL +38.31% 30,235 21,861 +36.59% 96,048 70,316

Meanwhile, combining Audi Q7 and Q8 sales gives the automaker a total of 8,605 deliveries for an eight percent share.

Sales Numbers - Audi Luxury E-Segment Utilities - Q4 2022 - USA

MODEL Q4 22 / Q4 21 Q4 22 Q4 21 YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
AUDI Q7 +97.72% 5,973 3,021 -23.87% 19,308 25,362
AUDI Q8 +91.42% 2,632 1,375 -25.25% 9,372 12,538
TOTAL +95.75% 8,605 4,396 -24.33% 28,680 37,900

Combining the two GM entries, the Buick Enclave and Cadillac XT6, results in 13,380 deliveries for a 12 percent share.

Sales Numbers - GM Luxury E-Segment Utilities - Q4 2022 - USA

MODEL Q4 22 / Q4 21 Q4 22 Q4 21 YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
BUICK ENCLAVE -10.51% 7,719 8,626 -27.24% 30,533 41,962
CADILLAC XT6 +92.55% 5,661 2,940 -2.95% 20,053 20,662
TOTAL +15.68% 13,380 11,566 -19.22% 50,586 62,624

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.

Sales Numbers - Lexus RX & RXL - Q4 2022 - USA

MODEL Q4 22 / Q4 21 Q4 22 Q4 21 YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
RX -48.71% 15,742 30,695 -16.72% 96,041 115,320
XT5 +139.40% 8,446 3,528 -3.66% 27,340 28,380
XT6 +92.55% 5,661 2,940 -2.95% 20,053 20,662
AVIATOR -3.10% 5,281 5,450 +5.03% 21,977 20,924
NAUTILUS -38.76% 3,838 6,267 -15.58% 20,635 24,443
TOTAL -20.28% 38,968 48,880 -11.29% 186,046 209,729

Combining the Aviator and Nautilus nets Lincoln 9,119 deliveries, which is significantly less than the 15,742 sales recorded by the Lexus RX family. Meanwhile, Cadillac earned 14,107 combined deliveries of the XT5 and XT6.

The Ford Authority Take

The slide in Lincoln Aviator sales during Q4 2022 isn’t a surprise, considering that the luxury crossover has certainly not been safe from ongoing supplier issues that continue to plague the automotive industry as a whole. 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.

Additionally, there have been questions raised about the quality of the Aviator in recent months. The crossover was recently named one of Consumer Reports least reliable vehicles, along with its platform mate, the Ford Explorer. However, fixing these quality issues across all Blue Oval products remains a priority for the automaker.

Sales of the 2023 Aviator may be a bit stunted, as the vehicle doesn’t receive any major changes for a product that originally debuted in 2019. Looking forward, the Lincoln Aviator will receive a refresh for the 2024 model year. Earlier this month, Ford Authority spies caught a prototype of the 2024 Aviator undergoing testing, giving us a preview of what’s coming down the road.

About The Numbers

Alexandra is a Colorado-based journalist with a passion for all things involving horsepower, be it automotive or equestrian.

Subscribe to Ford Authority

For around-the-clock Ford news coverage

We'll send you one email per day with the latest Ford updates. It's totally free.

Comments

  1. It has become hilarious to read in article after article here that low sales are because of “ongoing supply issues” — as if no other auto company is affected by them.

    WHAT. A. JOKE.

    Reply
    1. Only joke is that every. single. automaker. has been affected by supply chain and you find it a good idea to write what you did.

      Reply
      1. THIS MAKES NO SENSE.

        If every. single. automaker. has been affected by supply chain, then the reason for low sales HAS to be something else. THAT was my CLEARLY MADE point. You made NO point.

        Reply
  2. I haven’t been following the Aviator closely, but remembering it’s launch and how glowing initial reviews were, the thought was that it would sell like hotcakes. What went wrong?

    Reply
    1. Given that it’s 4 years into its lifecycle and will be replaced in a year or two, it’s not so surprising.

      Reply

Leave a comment

Cancel