Earlier today, Ford released its March sales data, along with this statement:
"Demand for our all-new Lincoln Navigator is off the
charts, with some customers buying the SUV sight unseen."
I thought it was marketing hyperbole. I was wrong. From
The Wall Street Journal:
To understand why the auto industry pushed the Trump administration to roll back emissions rules, take a spin in
Ford Motor
Co.’s flashy new Lincoln Navigator SUV.
Revamped for 2018, the
hulking sport-utility vehicle is designed for an era of low gasoline
prices. Customers flocked to Lincoln dealerships in March and shelled
out an average $81,000 for its latest Navigator, Ford said, nearly 50%
more than the outgoing model.
The Ford vehicle was among the biggest gainers in the U.S. auto
market last month, according to industry sales reports published
Tuesday, notching a 91% increase that mirrors results of other
redesigned SUVs hitting the market—including Ford’s Expedition, Jeep’s
Wrangler and Cadillac’s XT5. For instance, the pricey Wrangler, once a
rough-and-tumble niche SUV, now outsells the entire eight-vehicle
passenger-car lineup of parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.
Even
as U.S. auto sales plateau, car companies stand to gain as consumers
increasingly flock to the kinds of vehicles that would be less viable
under emissions standards enacted by the Obama administration. The
Environmental Protection Agency is easing those fuel-economy rules,
making it more likely Detroit’s Big Three and foreign rivals will
sharpen the focus on profitable pickup trucks and SUVs that achieve much
lower miles-per-gallon than the hybrids and smaller cars favored by the
old mandate.
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