Nothing Spells Luxury Cars Like Amazon

In a bizarre move, Lincoln will sell its cars through online retailer Amazon. Come Monday, while you’re buying a couple of CDs for that favorite niece of nephew for the holidays you can also pick up a new Lincoln MKZ for yourself or that really lucky niece or nephew. Of course, you’ll still have to go through a nearby Lincoln dealer to complete the transaction, so we wonder how different the process will be from building a vehicle on Lincoln’s own site (or on sites like, say, Cars.com) and requesting quotes from dealers in the area.

There are some negative quotes in The Detroit News story with one analyst bluntly calling the concept “absurd.” We also wonder how the company is deciding which dealer gets the lead from Amazon in large markets. Plus, Lincoln is trying to sell itself as a luxury brand; does Amazon have any luxury cachet?

[Lincoln's newest dealership: Amazon.com, The Detroit News]