New Nautilus on Ward's 10 Best Interiors List

[Gurgeh]

Just a reminder that lately Lincoln has been putting out arguably the best interiors in the luxury space. Particularly not a surprise with the new 2024 Nautilus:

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“From the moment you enter, when the Nautilus’ sweeping pillar-to-pillar screen comes to life, it’s obvious this is unlike any other production vehicle you’ve ever seen,” said WardsAuto judge David Zoia. “But it doesn’t stop there. A gorgeous color scheme, top-notch materials and well-thought-out features make the Nautilus the complete package – and a Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX winner.” “The Lincoln Nautilus is literally on the leading edge of vehicle cockpit design. Its impressive pillar-to-pillar screen is pushed far forward on the instrument panel so all necessary information can be seen without taking eyes off the road,” added fellow judge Drew Winter.

 

https://fordauthority.com/2024/04/2024-lincoln-nautilus-among-wards-10-best-interior-winners/

[akirby]

And to think they almost killed it for North America…..

[Xbar]

On 4/26/2024 at 10:50 AM, akirby said:

And to think they almost killed it for North America…..

Will China be making an Edge too, or did they just outright kill it?

Edited April 30 by Xbar

[akirby]

14 minutes ago, Xbar said:

Will China be making an Edge too, or did they just outright kill it?

You mean this one that’s been made in China for the last 5+ years?

 

[Xbar]

I guess what I am saying is, where are they building the "24"  Nautilus right now?

[mackinaw]

5 minutes ago, Xbar said:

I guess what I am saying is, where are they building the "24"  Nautilus right now?

 

China.

[Gurgeh]

11 hours ago, Xbar said:

Will China be making an Edge too, or did they just outright kill it?

As others have noted, Ford still makes the Edge in China for the Chinese market. Could they export that still-in-production Edge to North America as they are doing with the Nautilus, which Ford redesigned and initially planned to continue with just for the Chinese market? Technically, they could, but there are two problems. First, unlike the Nautilus which, in its redesigned format, fits well (in fact, extremely well, possibly better than the outgoing Nautilus) with the North American market, the newly-designed Edge for the Chinese market would likely not do well here. It is too big, approaching Explorer size, and many believe the look of its top hat wouldn't sell well. But second and maybe more important, Ford would likely lose money on each Edge imported. There's a 25% tariff on the import of vehicles made in China and the Edge doesn't have the price cushion of being a luxury automobile. Even so, I doubt Ford is making much on the import of the Lincoln Nautilus. They probably did a 180 on bringing it to the North American market mainly to protect the Lincoln brand (from time to time Ford actually seems to care about that) by keeping Lincoln's line-up from dropping down to a measly 3 vehicles. Lincoln has a more robust presence in China, which many now see as Lincoln's main market. They have 5 vehicles there, including a mid-sized sedan, the Zephr. 

Edited April 30 by Gurgeh

[Xbar]

1 hour ago, Gurgeh said:

As others have noted, Ford still makes the Edge in China for the Chinese market. Could they export that still-in-production Edge to North America as they are doing with the Nautilus, which Ford redesigned and initially planned to continue with just for the Chinese market? Technically, they could, but there are two problems. First, unlike the Nautilus which, in its redesigned format, fits well (in fact, extremely well, possibly better than the outgoing Nautilus) with the North American market, the newly-designed Edge for the Chinese market would likely not do well here. It is too big, approaching Explorer size, and many believe the look of its top hat wouldn't sell well. But second and maybe more important, Ford would likely lose money on each Edge imported. There's a 25% tariff on the import of vehicles made in China and the Edge doesn't have the price cushion of being a luxury automobile. Even so, I doubt Ford is making much on the import of the Lincoln Nautilus. They probably did a 180 on bringing it to the North American market mainly to protect the Lincoln brand (from time to time Ford actually seems to care about that) by keeping Lincoln's line-up from dropping down to a measly 3 vehicles. Lincoln has a more robust presence in China, which many now see as Lincoln's main market. They have 5 vehicles there, including a mid-sized sedan, the Zephr. 

That was my end goal question, if they could import the Edge or not. Thank you for the clarification.

[akirby]

1 hour ago, Xbar said:

That was my end goal question, if they could import the Edge or not. Thank you for the clarification.

Chinese Edge is also a 3 row which isn’t needed here.  But it wouldn’t take much to give it a new 2 row top hat with better styling.