Though benchmarking is a common practice in the automotive world, it’s always interesting to see which vehicles, specifically, certain automakers are purchasing and taking a closer look at in this highly competitive industry. Last week, Ford Authority spotted a Ford F-150 Limited PowerBoost hybrid pickup in the possession of Nissan, for example, which is interesting given the fact that its competitor – the Titan – is expected to be on the chopping block. Now, Ford Authority has spotted Nissan benchmarking another Blue Oval model – the Lincoln Nautilus, along with a variety of other rivals.
That list includes not only the Lincoln Nautilus, but also the Honda Pilot, Cadillac XT5, Acura MDX, Lexus RX, Nautilus, Genesis GV80, and Toyota Highlander. Given the presence of an Infiniti QX60 here as well, it seems as if Nissan is benchmarking these models against both that Lincoln Aviator rival and the QX50, which is a direct Lincoln Nautilus competitor.
The current-gen Nautilus received a handful of updates for the 2021 model year, including a totally revised interior with an all-new 13.2-inch infotainment screen running Sync 4, over-the-air update capability, new materials and themes, and a bevy of standard and available advanced driver-assist features.
However, an all-new, redesigned Nautilus is set to launch later this year for the 2024 model year, and was just revealed last month. The new Nautilus features totally new styling both inside and out, along with some major interior revisions. Those include a coast-to-coast screen and an 11.1-inch center unit, standard all-wheel drive, and a hybrid variant, to name just a few. The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus won’t be built at the Oakville Assembly plant in Canada like the current model, however, and will instead be produced at the Changan Ford Hangzhou Assembly plant in China.
We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
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