Lincoln to Open Standalone Showrooms by 2021

In the steadily growing luxury segment of the automotive industry, Lincoln is working hard to stand out as a brand, away from the shadows of its parent company, Ford. Part of its efforts is operating
standalone showrooms in the hopes of improving its sales and branding image.

Lincoln first brought the idea to the table in 2018 when it asked 150 Ford-Lincoln dealerships in its 30 biggest markets in America to construct a showroom exclusive to the brand beginning July 2019. By then, the showrooms were slated for inauguration in July 2021.

A total of 72 stores agreed to Lincoln’s proposals then, while the rest resisted, saying it would require millions of dollars in investment. By December 2018, Lincoln shelved the plan.

Fast forward to the second half of 2019, it was revealed that Lincoln is preparing to relaunch the idea after agreeing on a compromise with company executives and store owners.

According to reports, dealers are now given more freedom to choose how big they want their stores to be. Lincoln is no longer requiring the stores to have a pre-determined size based on market size. Lincoln also agreed to reduce financial penalties and make deadlines more flexible for dealers who fail to comply with the rules. Following the delay, standalone showrooms are now expected to be completed by July 2022.

The construction of standalone stores does seem beneficial for Lincoln as research shows that dealers with their own showrooms sell more cars and have faster sales increase compared to those who don’t.

For most of its years on the market, Lincoln has always been tied to other brands such as Mercury and De Tomaso Pantera in the early 1970s before it moved under Ford’s roof in 2011. In the early 2010s, it started experimenting with standalone stores.