Lincoln Aviator Sales Take Flight, But It’s No Match For Chinese-Made Nautilus

Thanks to a facelift, Aviator sales soared nearly 300% in the third quarter

The Biden Administration recently proposed a new rule that would effectively ban all Chinese-made vehicles from being imported into the United States. This poses a serious problem for a number of automakers, but Lincoln is undoubtedly feeling the heat as the Nautilus was once again their best-selling vehicle in America.

The premium crossover extended its sales success in the third quarter as dealers sold 8,799 units. That’s up 34.5% from a year ago and Lincoln noted the Nautilus had its best third quarter in 17 years. Customers have also embraced the hybrid variant, which accounted for 46% of sales.

More: 2025 Lincoln Aviator Has A Prettier Face, But Prices Soar Up To $8,500

Thanks to another strong quarter, year-to-date sales are up 39.2% to 26,303 units. To put that number into perspective, Lincoln only sold 24,334 Nautilus crossovers in all of 2023. Furthermore, the brand’s best-selling model last year was the Corsair, which only racked up 24,384 sales.

The good news doesn’t end there as the facelifted Aviator is off to a strong start. Dealers moved 5,543 units in the third quarter and Lincoln said the model only spent an average of 16 days on lots. That’s a quick turnaround, so it’s not surprising to see sales are up 278.9% from a year ago.

Even the Navigator, which is getting a facelift next spring, remained strong. Sales were down less than 1% to 4,484 units. Of course, that’s roughly half of the Cadillac Escalade’s total of 8,788.

Last but not least, Lincoln Corsair sales were off 12.3% to 6,887 units. However, the entry-level crossover is up 12.9% for the year.

Lincoln US Sales