• by Tanya Gazdik , April 12, 2017

NEW YORK — Ahead of its official unveiling this morning, The Lincoln Motor Company hosted small groups of media Tuesday afternoon at the Trunk Club, a posh men’s store on Madison Avenue, to show off the all-new 2018 Lincoln Navigator.

The space was reconfigured to have the feel of a Hamptons home in recognition of a partnership the automaker announced with Hamptons hot spot The Surf Lounge. The collaboration will include a 10-date concert series at the Montauk beachfront resort, Lincoln president Kumar Galhotra told reporters. 

A custom “Lincoln bedroom” within The Surf Lodge was inspired by the new Lincoln Navigator Black Label Yacht Club theme immersing guests in nautical-inspired design elements and materials; available for select guests from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

“'The Lincoln Way' delivers warm, human, personally crafted experiences to clients through both products and services,” Galhotra says. “Lincoln x Surf Lodge is the latest exclusive experience to be offered through The Lincoln Way.”

The automaker also announced a new premium service being pilot tested in Miami. The Lincoln Chauffeur program offers owners the opportunity to schedule a driver to come to their location and drive them in their own vehicle. The chauffeur can also be assigned other tasks, like picking up children and running errands. 

Owners in the test market are being given eight hours of complementary service, after which they can pay $30 an hour to continue using it, Andrew Frick, Lincoln director of sales and service operations, tells Marketing Daily.

The program will expand to San Diego later in the spring and then continue to roll out to the rest of the country thought the remainder of the year, Frick says. 

Another program is being tested in Houston and Dallas which allows remote test drives. A Lincoln sales person will bring the desired vehicle to home or work.

Lincoln also unveiled the new Navigator, which goes on sale in late January. Pre-launch marketing will emphasize social media. Lincoln spokesman Matthew McConaughey will return in the TV portion of the campaign, which will break early next year. 

The automaker conducted observational research facilitated by trained anthropologists to help inform the marketing approach, Galhotra says, adding that “quiet luxury is both a look and a feeling.”

The luxury vehicle includes new advanced technology allows drivers to adjust Navigator with the twist of a knob to make driving easier and more enjoyable in any weather or terrain. Unique split front seats in the front allow for positioning to better support the thighs and will curtail driver fatigue, Galhotra says.