Two full-size crossovers are making a surprise on the market. We already know that sales of the Lincoln Navigator are good, but the vehicle exceeded expectations. In average, the SUV is in salons for a week or so, before it is sold. But, even the bigger wonder is the same story coming from Ford Expedition. As the final result, the company will boost the production by about 25 percent.
Two crossovers are built in Ford’s plants in Kentucky. In future, the company will invest $25 million in these factories. The main plan is to build new robots and 3D printers. With these machines, workers will be able to make more parts. Also, it is going to speed up the process.
Buyers of 2018 Lincoln Navigator are in Love With Black Label models
The 2018 Lincoln Navigator is still fresh vehicle on the market. However, buyers know what they get. Although it is comfortable and reliable, the SUV is not cheap. But, the strange thing is that the most popular trim is Black Label – the most expensive version. According to reports, 85 percent of sold Navigators belong to the top of the class model. That increases the average price paid for crossover.
With new machines, Ford plans to boost production of this model by 25 percent. We still doubt this can satisfy the market’s needs. Whatsoever, more buyers will have a chance to get their Lincoln Navigator.
2018 Ford Expedition to Add More Platinum Vehicles
The similar situation is with 2018 Ford Expedition. Almost 30 percent of overall sales belongs to top of the class Platinum trim level. Buyers are interested in high-end versions that bring more of everything. Purchases of the Platinum model increases average price paid for Expedition for around $8,000. For Navigator, this sum is around $21,000.
The competition should be aware of this. We found out that most of the buyers used to drive Land Rover and Mercedes SUVs. Not only these, but all companies producing luxury crossovers are alerted and we can expect a quick response.
Ford Invest $25 Million in Machines
Most of the investment will be spent on machines. Ford plans to buy 400 robots and a 3D printer. These machines are not making parts of vehicles. Instead, a 3D printer is making tools and parts for other machines in plants to speed up the entire process of production.
At first place, the printer is taking far less time to produce a part for machines in the factory. Usually, it takes many weeks, sometimes up to 100 days, to get a prototype of the part. With 3D printer, time is reduced to a couple of days. Sometimes, it is just matter of hours when it makes wanted the part.
On the other hand, the entire process is much cheaper. For example, some of the new parts can make machines cost over $200,000. Again, this is why the company invest in 3D printers. With this baby, the entire cost drops to about $10,000 or less. These two reasons are a strong foundation for further investment. Not only that current vehicles will have benefits of it, but also upcoming 2019 Ford Expedition and 2019 Lincoln Navigator.
