Lincoln Aviator Sales Eke Past Cadillac XT6 In Q1 2023

Lincoln Aviator sales increased in the United States while decreasing in Mexico during the first quarter of 2023.

Lincoln Aviator Sales - Q1 2023 - United States

In the United States, Lincoln Aviator deliveries totaled 5,236 units in Q1 2023, an increase of about 5 percent compared to 4,967 units sold in Q1 2022.

Lincoln Aviator Sales - Q1 2023 - Canada

In Canada, Lincoln Aviator deliveries totaled 419 units in Q1 2023, a decrease of about 14 percent compared to 489 units sold in Q1 2022.

Lincoln Aviator Sales - Q1 2023 - Mexico

In Mexico, Lincoln Aviator deliveries totaled 78 units in Q1 2023, a decrease of about 14 percent compared to 91 units sold in Q1 2022.

Competitive Sales Comparison (USA)

During Q1 2023, Lincoln Aviator sales rose five percent, selling 5,236 units, although this still places the luxury crossover near the bottom of its competitive segment – specifically, in eighth out of 11 contenders.

The BMW X5 continued to be the dominant force, selling 17,315 units thanks to a five percent increase. The second-place Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class saw its sales decrease 0.50 percent, claiming second with 15,910 deliveries, followed by the Acura MDX in third with 15,223 units sold, up 12 percent, while the fourth-place Buick Enclave (see running Buick Enclave sales) increased 25 percent to 8,803 deliveries. The Volvo XC90 sold 7,890 units, up 14 percent and good enough to claim fifth, and the Infiniti QX60 took sixth with 7,139 sales, up 182 percent year-over-year. The Audi Q7 placed seventh, just ahead of the Aviator, thanks to a 62 percent uptick to 6,421 sales. All other contenders sold fewer than 5,000 units individually.

Sales Numbers - Luxury E-Segment Utilities - Q1 2023 - USA

In terms of segment share, the X5 claimed 18 percent, down three percentage points. The GLE-Class lost three percentage points for 17 percent share, while the MDX lost one percentage point to take home 16 percent share. The Enclave held steady with nine percent share. The XC90, meanwhile, took eight percent share, down one percentage point, while the QX60 gained five percentage points and took eight percent share. The Q7 took seven percent share, up two percentage points, and Lincoln Aviator sales accounted for six percent share, holding steady year-over-year. All other segment competitors gathered five percent share or less on an individual basis.

Overall, the premium/luxury three-row crossover segment (lux crossover E-segment) grew by 18 percent. By comparison, 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 19,601 deliveries for an even more dominant 20 percent segment share overall.

Sales Numbers - BMW Luxury E-Segment Utilities - Q1 2023 - USA

Meanwhile, combining Audi Q7 and Q8 sales gives the automaker a total of 9,282 deliveries for nine percent share.

Sales Numbers - Audi Luxury E-Segment Utilities - Q1 2023 - USA

Combining the two GM entries, the Buick Enclave and Cadillac XT6, results in 13,565 deliveries for a 14 percent share.

Sales Numbers - GM Luxury E-Segment Utilities - Q1 2023 - USA

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 - Q1 2023 - USA

Combining the Aviator and Nautilus nets Lincoln 10,741 deliveries, which is significantly less than the 25,947 sales recorded by the Lexus RX family. Meanwhile, Cadillac earned 12,047 combined deliveries of the XT5 and XT6.

The Ford Authority Take

The modest uptick in Lincoln Aviator sales is a good sign for FoMoCo’s luxury crossover, indicating that the automaker is finally finding balance among industry wide supplier issues that have made vehicle production challenging over the past few years.

Sales of the 2023 Aviator prove to be a bit lackluster as the calendar year carries on, 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. Ford Authority spies recently caught a prototype of the 2024 Aviator undergoing testing, giving us a preview of what’s coming down the road. As such, Aviator sales may stagnate as consumers look forward to the forthcoming refresh.

Even so, the 2023 Lincoln Aviator has already proved itself to be a good investment. It was recognized as one of the vehicles with the best resale value, and the Grand Touring trim was given the award for best value, thanks to its ownership costs that have thus far been 13 percent lower than expected.

About The Numbers

• All percent change figures compared to Lincoln Aviator sales for Q1 2022, unless noted otherwise
• In the United States, there were 75 selling days in Q1 2023 and 75 selling days in Q1 2022
• See running Lincoln Aviator sales numbers
• Ford Motor Company Q1 2023 sales reports:
  • Ford Motor Company sales Q1 2023 U.S.A
    • Ford sales Q1 2023 U.S.A. (Ford brand)
    • Lincoln sales Q1 2023 U.S.A.
    • Ford Motor Company sales January 2023 U.S.A.
    • Ford Motor Company sales February 2023 U.S.A.
    • Ford Motor Company sales March 2023 U.S.A.
  • Ford China sales Q1 2023
  • Ford Motor Company Canada sales Q1 2023
    • Ford Canada sales Q1 2023
    • Lincoln Canada sales Q1 2023
  • Ford Motor Company Argentina sales Q1 2023
    • Ford Argentina sales January 2023 (Ford brand)
    • Ford Argentina sales February 2023 (Ford brand)
    • Ford Argentina sales March 2023 (Ford brand)
  • Ford Motor Company Brazil sales Q1 2023
    • Ford Brazil sales January 2023 (Ford brand)
    • Ford Brazil sales February 2023 (Ford brand)
    • Ford Brazil sales March 2023 (Ford brand)
  • Ford Motor Company Mexico sales Q1 2023
    • Ford Motor Company Mexico sales January 2023
    • Ford Motor Company Mexico sales February 2023
    • Ford Motor Company Mexico sales March 2023