Lincoln Follows Luxury Trend With Lincoln Experience Center
Late last month, Lincoln held a party in a California mall storefront on Newport Beach. There was jazz music, finger foods, and conversation. This event was pretty low-key, but it signified a slight shift in Lincoln’s strategy to woo West Coast customers, for that storefront wasn’t a new dealership or a pop-up shop. Rather, it was the all-new Lincoln Experience Center.
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Lincoln is quick to point out that the facility is more of a ‘hangout’ than a dealership. The luxury car brand hopes that its presence will remind the wealthy of Southern California of the legendary luxury of the Lincoln brand. WardsAuto reports that Lincoln chose the location of the center because the area just south of Los Angeles is the third largest luxury market, yet Ford’s luxury arm isn’t well known there.
The Experience Center is geared towards engaging wealthy individuals with cultural events and a relaxing-yet-refined atmosphere. Everything is chosen and organized by an appointed “Event Curator,” and features a mix of performances and hands-on activities.
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If one of the visitors would like to shop for a car, however, they can enter a private room to have a video chat with a Lincoln dealership. Cars will be present in the space, but any test drives and sales will take place in area dealerships.
The idea of a lifestyle space to support a luxury brand is not new. Intersect By Lexus, first launched in the brand’s native Japan, is getting ready to open a location in New York City that features event spaces and a restaurant. Audi is beginning to open virtual showrooms in popular areas where having a traditional dealership would be more difficult. We’ll see if this is a trend that catches on with other luxury brands, or if this will remain a unique customer engagement tool.
News Source: WardsAuto
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