Beyond fresh products like the all-new Lincoln Nautilus and the redesigned 2025 Lincoln Navigator, it wasn’t clear if Ford had any broad plan or approach to its luxury division. But outgoing Lincoln president Dianne Craig recently sat down for an exit interview of sorts to shed some light onto how Lincoln will position itself in the coming years. And it appears that the brand will not follow Ford in one key area: subscriptions.
Speaking with Automotive News, Craig offered some insight into how Lincoln views technology and subscription services for luxury buyers. “Whether it be BlueCruise, connectivity, security — they will be part of the warranty period,” she said. “Our focus is really in having that in the base vehicle price, at least for the warranty duration. Everything we’ve learned about premium customers is they don’t want subscriptions,” Craig said.
Currently, every 2025 Lincoln comes standard with at least three years of Lincoln Connectivity and Alexa Built-in. Aside from the 2025 Corsair Premiere, every Lincoln also has four years of BlueCruise included with every purchase. The brand extended the duration of its subscription offerings last year.
Unlike Lincoln, Ford branded vehicles are expected to become solid profit drivers for the automaker when it comes to subscription services. Rather than pure exploitation, the profits have been driven by Ford commercial customers using the automaker’s telematics to manage fleet vehicles and the like. And it seems like Ford Pro customers are gravitating towards the company’s technology services too, as subscriptions increased significantly in 2024. For what it’s worth, Ford doesn’t seem too intent on milking the subscription model for all it’s worth, as CEO Jim Farley pilloried BMW’s decision to put heated seats behind a paywall for certain buyers.
Aside from eschewing subscriptions for new Lincoln customers, the luxury division is pivoting toward an emphasis on offering wellness features for buyers. The brand believes that it can carve out a distinctive niche by offering “credible wellness,” or features designed to effectively reduce stress in vehicle occupants.
Comments
I think there will be a general backlash to subscriptions in the long run – it feels so greedy to know the equipment is installed, and it literally costs nothing to activate. I’ll stick with the “buy it when you get it” model, thanks.
I will never pay for a subscription for anything that should be included with the price of the vehicle.