Lincoln Looks to Open More Standalone Dealerships

Lincoln is looking to open more standalone dealerships that are separate from existing Ford storefronts.

The American luxury brand thinks its latest products, such as the 2018 Navigator and 2019 Nautilus, along with the upcoming new Aviator, are strong enough to be sold in high-end, standalone storefronts. Luxurious products also demand to be sold in a dedicated, high-end space, Robert Parker, Lincoln’s marketing, sales and service director, told Automotive News in a recent interview.

“Customers expect the environment to be equal to the product,” Parker said. “They want to buy a luxury product in a luxury environment.”

In order to get the ball rolling on these standalone dealerships, Lincoln will provide cash incentives to dealers for each vehicle they sell in their new standalone Lincoln store, AN reports. It will also help its dealers find land for the stores, which are to be constructed in the 30 largest markets for luxury vehicles in the U.S. It currently has about 150 dealers in the 30 markets, half of which have already built standalone Lincoln stores on their own.

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Lincoln expects most of the eligible dealerships to go ahead with the standalone storefronts, but will speak to its dealer network about the plan at its dealer conference later this year. Lincoln hopes to have the majority of the storefronts built by 2021. Dealers won’t have to build a separate service bay at the dealers if they don’t want and will still be allowed to direct Lincoln customers to their Ford dealership to have their vehicle serviced.

The automaker is also introducing a new storefront design for these stores that take after its new Chinese showrooms. These well-lit showrooms will be fancier than existing Lincoln stores and will also have dedicated rooms with couches and TVs where customers can speak to sales representatives in a warmer environment. Vehicles will also be displayed on a so-called ‘runway’ with lights affixed to the ground illuminating the vehicles, an example of which can be seen in the photo above.

Lincoln says dealers who have already opened a new storefront away from their Ford dealership have already seen an uptick in sales. The automaker hopes this move, along with its stronger new products, will continue the upward sales trajectory it’s experienced in recent years.

[Source: Automotive News]