Lincoln is the luxury vehicle division of American automobile manufacturer Ford. Lincoln Motor Company was founded in 1917 by Henry M. Leland, naming it after Abraham Lincoln. Marketed among the top luxury vehicle brands in the United States for nearly its entire existence, Lincoln has competed closely against its General Motors counterpart Cadillac. The division has the distinction of establishing the personal luxury car segment with the 1940 Lincoln Continental; more recently, the 1998 Lincoln Navigator was the first full-size luxury SUV.