"Demand For The Ford Lincoln Navigator Is Off The Charts" -- April 3, 2018

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.