---
title: "Lincoln Can’t Produce Range-Topping Navigators Fast Enough"
description: "It seems the all-new Lincoln Navigator is on its way to steal the Cadillac Escalade's crown."
date: "2018-02-03"
modified: "2018-02-03"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/article/18214/lincoln-cant-produce-range-topping-navigators-fast-enough"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Auto Manufacturing"
  - "Cadillac Escalade"
  - "Lincoln"
  - "luxury"
  - "Navigator"
  - "New Car Sales"
  - "suv/crossover"
---

# Lincoln Can’t Produce Range-Topping Navigators Fast Enough

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/02/lincoln-navigator-hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The full-size luxury SUV segment has seen the emergence of a supreme ruler in recent times: the Cadillac Escalade. As a result, it's safe to assume that when [Lincoln](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/16562/lincoln-hops-on-the-car-subscription-bandwagon>) announced the return of the Navigator for 2018, many folks at GM probably had a few laughs. Well, I bet you they aren't laughing now.

According to [*CNBC*](<https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/01/ford-is-selling-90000-suvs-faster-than-it-can-make-them.html>), the Lincoln Navigator is selling so well that Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant can't keep up with production. Making matters even worse for Cadillac, it's the range-topping Reserve and Black Label trims that are selling best, meaning that customers aren't thinking twice about dropping $100,000 on the Ford-based SUV.

![message-editor%2F1517685843434-18lincolnnavigator\_06\_hr.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1517685843434-18lincolnnavigator_06_hr.jpg>)
*Lincoln Motor Company*

![message-editor%2F1517685852739-18navigatorl-bl-destination\_03\_hr.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1517685852739-18navigatorl-bl-destination_03_hr.jpg>)
*Lincoln Motor Company*

Furthermore, it's not only the [Cadillac Escalade](<https://thestore.thedrive.com/>) that is feeling the heat of the Lincoln Navigator, but the new Ford Expedition has also shown up at the party in full force, ready to threaten the Chevy [Tahoe](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/17469/2018-chevrolet-tahoe-rst-premier-test-drive-review-the-best-tahoe-at-the-worst-price>) and Suburban.

"We could have sold a lot more in January if we had had them," Mark LaNeve, vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service told *CNBC* regarding Navigator inventory. The 2018 Navigator launched Lincoln's push to gain market share and appeal to a broader audience, something that was reinforced with the debut of the [all-new Nautilus](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/16447/2019-lincoln-nautilus-revealed-captain-nemo-your-crossover-is-ready>) at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show.

With plans to redo its naming hierarchy and launch more models that appeal to younger audiences, Lincoln will be a force to watch in coming years. *The Drive* reached out to Lincoln for comment but has yet to hear back.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)