Lincoln USA Sales : 2000-2009

The Aviator flew in and out fairly quickly

Premium car sales were booming in the US so local brand Lincoln was well placed to take full advantage of that. You would have thought so and the year 2000 was promising with Lincoln outselling Cadillac! Unfortunately for Ford, that was a one hit wonder.

2001-2004:

From 2001, sales fell away as one competitor after another went past them. By 2005, it was the eight best selling premium marque. The Continental ended while the Blackwood premium Pickup was a spectacular flop and was quickly withdrawn. The medium sized Aviator SUV was introduced with modest success. Meanwhile the Town Car and LS were losing sales, with the Navigator holding rather well.

Model	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000
Town Car	51,908	56,566	59,312	66,859	81,399
Navigator	36,398	38,742	30,613	31,759	37,923
LS	27,066	33,581	39,775	39,787	51,039
MKX/Aviator	23,644	29,517	1,856
Continental		280	15,435	20,392	22,648
Blackwood		153	3,066	137
Total US Sales	139,016	158,839	150,057	158,934	193,009

2005-2009:

Sales held up better for the next few years and the Aviator replacement (MKX) helped in that regard. The MKZ took over from the LS in the mid-sized sector and became the largest selling model. The MKS was a belated replacement for the Continental but sales were muted. The failed Blackwood was replaced by the LT pickup truck and it fared better than its predecessor. The large MKT SUV arrived in 2009.

However, some models were on life support as far as sales were concerned and then the crash that hit all car brands badly arrived. Sales then dropped below the 100,000 mark to their lowest point since 1976. Mind you, back then there were just two models. Sowhat was the future of this brand?

Model	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
MKZ/LS	22,081	30,117	34,363	41,911	24,094
MKX/Aviator	21,433	29,076	37,953	2,570	15,873
MKS	17,174	12,982
Town Car	11,375	15,653	26,739	39,295	47,122
Navigator	8,057	14,836	24,050	23,947	25,844
MKT	2,580
LT	147	4,631	8,382	12,753	10,274
Total US Sales	82,847	107,295	131,487	120,476	123,207

The MKS had unspectacular sales

For the 1985-99 period, simply click here.

Cadillac USA Sales : 1990-99

1999 Deville model. Could it see off Lexus and Mercedes?

For the previous five years, sales in the US had fallen from 300,000 to 267,000. Could the slide be arrested from 1990? Competition was mounting from Germany and Japan so any laziness or lack of focus would be exposed.

1990-94: The Deville was the critical model at this stage. A new generation of the model in 1994 did little for sales though. A new Seville and Eldorado in 1992 did improve sales for each car but small the numbers were not that helpful.

The Fleetwood separated from the Deville in 1992, it retaining the size of the previous Deville. The briugham was discontinued in 1992 and the ill-conceived Allanté was also phased out. The hoped for sales revival hadn't materialised.

Model	1994	1993	1992	1991	1990
Deville	124,804	115,870	127,766	146,636	168,832
Seville	37,868	35,280	41,152	26,688	33,228
Eldorado	24,837	22,982	27,527	15,304	22,832
Fleetwood	22,197	27,253	7,504
Allanté	959	2,655	2,314	2,643	3,407
Brougham	21	119	7,913	22,017	29,869
Total US Sales	210,686	204,159	214,176	213,288	258,168

1995-99: Despite new models, sales were stable but not really going well. The Fleetwood went and in came a rebadged Opel Omega listed below as the Catera. Also, the Escalade large SUV was introduced and sales were reasonably good. 

Unfortunately for Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus outsold it in 1999, 1998 being the last year the marque was top dog in the US in terms of sales volume. 

Model	1999	1998	1997	1996	1995
Deville	90,755	102,022	104,743	103,730	106,581
Seville	33,532	39,009	29,837	33,809	37,025
Escalade	23,897	5,192
Eldorado	15,255	15,765	20,609	20,964	23,200
Catera	15,068	25,333	25,411	1,676
Fleetwood		22	2,024	10,200	13,698
Total US Sales	178,507	187,343	182,624	170,379	180,504

For the 1980-89 period, just click here.

Lincoln USA Sales : 1985-1999

The Lincoln marque is Ford's answer to GM's Cadillac. Chrysler also had the Imperial brand but that ended in 1975 so the contest was down to two as far as US companies went. Sales grew strongly through the 1980's and ended in a 200,000 sales high.

1985-1989:

Town Car: It was introduced in 1981 and became a stand alone model rather than a trim option for the Continental. It was a good move as it sold strongly.

Continental: By this time, this model had been downsized to give a broader coverage to the range. Until 1987, it was the 7th generation and then became the 8th incarnation.

Mark VII: This was a luxury coupe introduced in 1983 and lasted until 1992.  Sales weren't huge but that reflected its specialist body style.

Model	1989	1988	1987	1986	1985
Town Car	119,254	121,674	126,009	133,175	117,606
Continental	56,441	47,424	27,119	23,780	19,853
Mark VII	24,620	22,526	12,909	20,629	27,679
Total US Sales	200,315	191,624	166,037	177,584	165,138

The 1988 Continental

1990-1994:

In 1990, over 230,000 sales were achieved, a record that stands right down to today. That wasn't sustained but overall it was a positive situation for Lincoln. It wasn't that far behind Cadillac as the second best selling premium marque in the US.

The new model Town Car that was released in 1990 proved extremely popular. The Continental went from 1988 to 1994 and sales fell as it aged. The Mark VIII came in 1993 and it improved its sales remarkably, although not a big selling model.

Model	1994	1993	1992	1991	1990
Town Car	120,191	110,046	115,075	116,900	148,689
Continental	32,145	31,746	38,458	52,450	62,732
Mark VII/VIII	26,830	31,852	8,115	9,351	20,239
Total US Sales	179,166	173,644	161,648	178,701	231,660

1995-1999:

For the 1998 model, the Town Car went for a more rounded shape. Sadly sales barely fluctuated as you would expect with a new model. The Mark VIII soldiered on until 1999, when it was replaced by the LS sedan. It was only a replacement in category size but not body style. A new Continental model came out in 1995 and sales took a bit of a spike as a result. 

The Navigator was a large SUV that took Lincoln into new territory and it sold in reasonable numbers. It was necessary as in 1999, Lincoln was bumped out of second place by both Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. The imported premium marques were increasing sales speedily.  

Model	1999	1998	1997	1996	1995
Town Car	84,629	97,547	92,297	93,598	92,673
Navigator	39,250	43,859	26,831
LS/Mark VIII	26,368	10,505	16,023	15,859	17,433
Continental	26,246	35,210	31,220	32,019	40,708
Total US Sales	176,493	187,121	166,371	141,476	150,814

The 1998 Town Car

For the 2000-09 period, just click here.