$5,000 discount is offered for trade-ins of Lincoln Navigator for 2018 Cadillac Escalade

The battle for dominance in the market for large, luxurious body-on-frame sports utility vehicles is already heating up even before Ford commences sales of its new Lincoln Navigator SUV. This comes as GM decided to offer a trade-in deal that sees $5,000 off a new Cadillac Escalade.

Ford is all set to begin sales of the new Navigator SUV sometime next week. It is a massive improvement over the current iteration. There is also a massive step-up in price, with the new Lincoln Navigator having a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $72,055. As a new generation vehicle that boasts of being a far cry from the current version, the Lincoln Navigator is attracting a lot of attention, and that could potentially translate to huge sales.

On the other hand, GM is offering the Cadillac Escalade for the 2018 model year. While it is not an outgoing model, the 2018 Cadillac Escalade hasn’t received major enhancements since the 2015 model year. Although the Cadillac Escalade is expected to remain a dominant force in its segment, its sales superiority is being challenged heavily by the new Lincoln Navigator. In short, GM will be having its hands full defending its position in the luxury SUV segment until it rolls out a new generation -- or even a major update -- of the Cadillac Escalade.

Now, to keep consumers from decidedly going for the new Lincoln Escalade, GM is upping the tempo by offering a tasty trade-in deal across the United States, according to report by Bloomberg News, citing a memo sent to dealers. This nationwide deal applies to any buyer who would trade his or her Lincoln Navigator – from 1999 model year or newer – in for a new Cadillac Escalade. The $5,000 incentive would be applied to the purchase or even the lease of a new 2018 Cadillac Escalade. This means that a buyer of a new Escalade (MSRP of $73,995) could get a brand new unit for as low as $68,995. According to the memo, the discount could also be grouped with several other deals that GM is offering.

GM sees this trade-in deal as an effective way to move inventories of the 2018 Cadillac Escalade while making consumers think twice about buying a new Lincoln Navigator. The appeal of the new Navigator comes with the fact that it comes loaded with 75 new features like standard Wi-Fi, six USB ports, four 12-volt power outlets and a 110-volt plug as well as an available wireless phone charger. The new Lincoln Navigator employs a high-strength aluminum-alloy body to shed nearly 200 lbs of weight. Power is served from a twin-turbo V6 engine that could deliver around 450 hp of output through a 10-speed transmission.