Mercedes-Benz, BMW Beginning To Eat Into Lincoln Navigator Sales

January 3, 2024 2:59 pm

For quite some time, the full-size luxury SUV segment belonged to the Lincoln Navigator and Cadillac Escalade, two large, opulent family haulers that faced little to no competition for a long period of time. However, over the past decade or so, those American luxury brands have faced increased competition from the likes of Mercedes-Benz and its GL Class – which was later renamed to the GLS Class – as well as the BMW and its X7. Fast forward to today, and both Mercedes-Benz and BMW are enjoying a solid performance in this particular space as each begins to eat into Navigator sales.

Sales Numbers - Full-Size Luxury Utility Vehicles - Q3 2023 - USA

MODEL	Q3 23 / Q3 22	Q3 23	Q3 22	Q3 23 SHARE	Q3 22 SHARE	YTD 23 / YTD 22	YTD 23	YTD 22
CADILLAC ESCALADE	+11.62%	6,821	6,111	22%	23%	+9.32%	19,609	17,938
CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV	+0.96%	3,879	3,842	12%	14%	+1.13%	11,874	11,741
BMW X7	+3.43%	6,002	5,803	19%	22%	-0.13%	19,946	19,971
MERCEDES-BENZ GLS-CLASS	+2.18%	5,300	5,187	17%	19%	-6.13%	16,504	17,581
LINCOLN NAVIGATOR	+46.03%	4,527	3,100	14%	12%	+46.28%	13,385	9,150
INFINITI QX80	+73.29%	3,095	1,786	10%	7%	+98.26%	9,225	4,653
LEXUS LX	+100.44%	1,828	912	6%	3%	+94.68%	5,274	2,709
TOTAL	+17.62%	31,452	26,741			+14.42%	95,817	83,743

Taking a look at the sales figures in the full-size luxury vehicle segment from Q3 of 2023, we can see that the Lincoln Navigator was outsold by both the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7, which is quite the turnaround from just a few years ago. Navigator sales totaled 4,527 units in the third quarter (a number that includes the regular Navigator and extended-length Navigator L), compared to the GLS at 5,300 units and the X7 at 6,002 units.

It is worth noting that both the GLS and X7 are a bit smaller than the regular Navigator, and quite a bit smaller than the Navigator L in terms of interior dimensions as well – in fact, both are closer in size to the Lincoln Aviator. Regardless, that doesn’t seem to matter to consumers in this segment, who are buying both at a more rapid rate, both in Q3 2023 and during the first nine months of the 2023 calendar year, to boot, meaning that only the Escalade appears to be safe from the German duo for the time being.

While it’s set to receive a refresh for 2025 following its most recent update in the 2022 model year, the Lincoln Navigator has seen its production numbers increase over the course of the last few months, and even won a certified pre-owned award recently. However, both the regular Navigator and Navigator L recently ranked among the fastest-depreciating SUVs on the market last year, too.

We’ll have more on the Navigator soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Lincoln news, Lincoln Navigator news, and ongoing Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.