Following a successful pilot scheme in Miami, Ford’s premium marque Lincoln is this week launching its chauffeur service in San Diego. The idea is simple. If you own a Lincoln and have signed up to the brand’s client membership program, you can reserve the services of a fully qualified chauffeur who can not only drive you, in your own car to appointments but who can also run errands on your behalf.

“This service is generating a lot of interest among Lincoln owners,” said Eric Cin, Lincoln client services manager. “They’re using it for dinner dates, for doctor appointments; they’re recognising just how convenient it is to have this option available

After several years of struggling to stand out against other luxury car marques, Lincoln’s fortunes have been reversed as it’s hit upon the realisation that in the modern world, time is just as precious a commodity as a walnut-veneered dashboard.

For example, it already offers a pickup and delivery service that automates the issue of car maintenance. Rather than take your car into the dealership, a representative comes to you, collecting and returning the car at a time that’s convenient to you and leaving you with a loaner vehicle while your car’s being serviced.

And Lincoln is not alone in looking to turn owning a car into a full-service, luxury experience. For example, in the US, Bentley owners can now order fuel via an app. A truck comes to the car and refills the tank at a time and place that’s most convenient, while Cadillac is now offering owners the chance to switch between models—i.e., a sporty convertible during the summer and a chunky SUV in the dead of winter—for a flat monthly fee via its app-managed Book by Cadillac service.