If you’re interested in a large luxury SUV with a stunning interior and up to 8,700 pounds of towing capacity, Lincoln can meet your needs. But only if you’re willing to wait. Ford’s luxury brand will no longer attempt to keep its full-size 2022 Lincoln Navigator SUV in stock on dealer lots, the company has announced.
Its website now reads, “The 2022 Lincoln Navigator is only available for custom order. Some models, trims, and features may not be available. Please contact your local Lincoln Retailer for updates and assistance.”
Custom ordering a car helps you get exactly the color and feature combination you want. But it can mean waiting months for your new vehicle to be built.
Blame the ongoing microchip shortage and Ford’s long-term strategic plan.
A global shortage of microchips has left automakers unable to build cars fast enough to meet demand. Tech-heavy models like the Navigator can have as many as 150 of the tiny processors. With the chips in short supply, Lincoln has been trimming features from the big SUV.
2022 Navigator models leaving the factory today ship without the optional Active Park Assist system. Instead, Lincoln installs the sensors and hardware with a promise to add the chips to activate it at a later date.
But it’s not just the chip crisis. Ford has long planned to move toward a custom-order model where buyers order the car they want before the automaker builds it, rather than the traditional model where buyers choose from a stockpile of cars at the dealership. The Navigator may simply be going order-only earlier than planned.
It joins several of Ford’s more successful new models in taking the catalog approach. The Ford Bronco, F-150 Lightning, and Maverick small pickup are all available almost exclusively through pre-orders.
