Ford has announced that 59% of US Lincoln dealers have signed up to sell electric vehicles. Dealers will opt into a certification program that requires them to spend up to $900,000 on dealership upgrades and charging infrastructure.
There are approximately 600 Lincoln dealers in the country, with 356 agreeing to sell electric vehicles. Most of the dealerships that have opted in are located in highly populated, affluent areas.
In fact, Lincoln divides its dealers into two categories. Those inside the top 130 luxury markets and those outside. Unsurprisingly, it's predominantly Lincoln dealers located in luxury markets that are willing to sell EVs. These dealers typically sell lots of cars and are larger in scale, meaning they can afford to splash out on fast chargers and showroom upgrades.
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As for Lincoln's EV plans, they remain mostly under wraps for now. Plenty of concepts have been revealed, however no production EVs have been shown just yet. An electric SUV co-developed with Rivian was supposed to release in 2022, however it was canceled 2 years ago. Neither Rivian nor Ford gave a definitive answer as to why the project was shelved. Instead, both brands stated they wanted to focus on their own individual projects as opposed to joint developments.
Meanwhile, Lincoln's rivals are racing ahead when it comes to electrification. Cadillac's Lyriq SUV is already on sale, offering superb range and luxury style at a relatively attainable price point ($62,990). Cadillac will also launch a high-end electric sedan in a few months time, dubbed the Celestiq. That said, Lincoln intends to offer four EVs by 2026, the first of which will probably be an SUV based on the Star Concept.
Source: Automotive News