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Buyers ditching expensive European sedans to buy expensive American trucks

The New York Times ended the automotive week with a story that adds numbers and context to a range of other stories, from the crossover craze to the increasing median price of a new car to ever more grandiose pickup trucks. The NYT piece reveals that the shift to larger vehicles isn't merely about the average U.S. buyer swapping the midsize sedan for a Ford Edge. Luxury buyers are migrating from plush sedans to plush SUVs and trucks that creep close to six-figure prices, and the Detroit Three are running Treasury presses because of it. From 2013 to 2017, the truck category — everything from pickups to minivans — climbed from 30 percent of the market to 41 percent. In January of this year, trucks claimed 66 percent of new vehicle sales. At the milk-and-honey end of profits, GMC alone accounted for 11.3 percent of all vehicle sales over $60,000, not just trucks. That puts the luxury truck maker behind Mercedes-Benz and Ford, The Blue Oval's feasting on Lariat, King Ranch and Raptor versions of the F-150, which make up more than half of that pickup's sales, putting it ahead of Chevrolet, Porsche and Lexus on the high-dollar sales list. The average transaction price of a GMC in Denali trim last year was $56,000; it's easy to see why, when one dealer told the NYT he just swapped a 2012 BMW 550i for a $71,000 GMC Sierra Denali. That truck starts at $52,900. The NYT started its story with a buyer who took home a Ford Raptor instead of an Audi A6, and optioned that $50,020 Ford Raptor close to $80,000. Over at Lincoln, the new $72,055 Navigator — the one so popular that Ford will increase production — crossed hands for an average sale price of $77,000 in January. And a Jeep dealer told the NYT that the two $93,000 Trackhawks he had on his lot "won't be here more than a few weeks." While trucks head up in sales volume and price, cars are headed so viciously in the opposite direction that "the Detroit Three and even some foreign manufacturers acknowledge they are now losing money on many of the cars they sell." So ... get ready for a lot more crossovers and trucks. Related Video: Find out what vehicle is right for you. Give our Car Finder tool a try.

2023 Lincoln Navigator makes changes to trim lineup and color menu

Lincoln has been doing its thing out of the way of the big headlines at Ford. The brand hasn't put out an official press release for the Navigator since August 2021, the 2023 Navigator whispering into the new year so quietly we barely noticed. The big SUV got refreshed for the 2022 model year, gaining the brand's ActiveGlide hands-free driving system, Lincoln Enhance over-the-air update capability, a larger 13.2-inch infotainment screen, two new themes for the top-tier Black Label trim called Central Park and Invitation, tweaked front and rear fascias, and a few other bits. For 2023, the changes are mostly decorative and financial. The base extended model known as the Navigator L is gone. The stretched Navigator now comes in Reserve and Black Label only. Flight Blue is no longer on the exterior palette, but Diamond Red Tricoat can be ordered for the base Standard trim as well as the Reserve and Reserve L. The sole powertrain is unchanged, that being a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 with 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque sending power through a ten-speed automatic to either the rear wheels or all four. 2023 Navigator prices after the $1,895 destination charge, and their increases from 2022, are: Standard: $81,620 ($3,215) Reserve: $93,830 ($4,730) Reserve L: $96,860 ($5,090) Standard 4WD: $84,620 ($3,215) Reserve 4WD: $96,530 ($5,090) Reserve L 4WD: $99,555 ($5,090) Black Label 4WD: $111,150 ($6,475) Black Label L 4WD: $114,195 ($6,475) As you can see, there are some healthy bumps compared to launch pricing for the 2022 model year. In 2022, the base model dropped by $5, three other trims rose by a few hundred, one trim rose by $1,760, and five climbed by almost $5,000. For 2023, a $5,000 increase is effectively the norm. Getting a Navigator seems to be a little easier than around this time last year when Lincoln made the model custom order only. Now the warning text reads, "Some models, trims and features may not be available. Please contact your local Lincoln Retailer for updates and assistance." Bring money. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Junkyard Gem: 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III

The story of the Continental features plenty of fascinating plot twists during its off-and-on 1940-2020 history, and one of the most interesting is the car that resulted from the decisions of the Ford Motor Company's mighty warlord during the 1960s: Lee Iacocca. That was the 1969-1971 Continental Mark III, a car that printed bales of money for Ford. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those cars, found in a Northern California car graveyard recently. Iacocca wanted a Lincoln to compete with Cadillac's snazzy new Eldorado coupe, and he wanted to do it on the cheap. Since the original Mustang had been so profitable in large part because it was based on the Falcon compact, the same philosophy would be used for the new Lincoln coupe. The Ford Thunderbird, which had become a well-over-two-ton behemoth by 1967, would provide the Mark III's platform; this had the added benefit of using excess production capacity at the T-Bird's assembly plant in Wixom, Michigan. Focus groups disliked the Mark III, but Iacocca and Henry Ford II ignored them and pushed forward with production. This worked out well; Mark III sales beat the Eldorado's immediately and the platform-sharing with the Thunderbird kept costs low and profits fat. Along with the Mustang and the Chrysler minivan, the Mark III stands as one of Iacocca's greatest business triumphs. These cars used to be reasonably easy to find in wrecking yards, but they've been junkyard rarities for at least the past decade. This one lived a hard life. The 460-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V8, rated at 365 horsepower and 500(!) pound-feet of torque, was gone when I arrived. The chrome received a gold-plating treatment by a customizer at some point. It's possible that this car was once a good-looking lowrider, but that would have been decades ago. About the only remaining hint of its former opulence is the rear seat. The MSRP for this car was $7,281, or about $59,286 in 2023 dollars. The 1970 Cadillac Eldorado cost $6,903 ($56,208 now). Of course, the out-the-door cost for both cars would have been quite a bit higher, after not-so-optional options had been added by the customer. This individually decisive motorcar has no peer.