Lincoln Dealer Says People Are Swapping BMW 7-Series For New Continental

The Lincoln Continental is back after nearly a decade and a half, and according to company officials, it’s showing early signs of long-term growth and success.

Apparently, the new Continental isn’t just selling well, it’s also gaining market share while boosting the image of other Lincoln products.

“It’s become a springboard to selling our other products,” says Chris Poulos, general manager of West Point Lincoln in Houston. “When you look at what it does for people coming into the store, it’s huge. I think it brought us fully back to relevance. Lincoln is growing because of it.”

Through the first 8 months of 2017, Lincoln sales went up by 3.2% with 13,281 Continental models sold in the U.S. and 6,319 units in China, as reported by Autonews.

Poulos also says that his used-car lot is full of BMW 7-Series models traded in for the new Continental.

“It’s been hands down the easiest conversation we’ve had,” he adds, while Lincoln president Kumar Galhotra will gladly point to how the Continental’s month-over-month market share gains have been extremely impressive.

Through August, the Continental has a 14% market share of the large luxury sedan segment, trailing just the Cadillac XTS and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

“It’s been consistently punching above its weight,” concludes Galhotra.