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New Ford Inventory at Over 100 Days' Supply in January 2024 https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/new-ford-inventory-at-over-100-days-supply-in-january-2024/ Following a period of years when new Ford inventory – and automotive inventory levels, in general – remained at or near record-low levels, things have changed dramatically over the past few months. In fact, last November, Ford had the highest inventory levels of any mass market brand, and it remained above the industry average at the conclusion of 2023 as well. The recent release of new inventory data from Cox Automotive reveals that this situation hasn’t changed much either, though Ford inventory levels are at least a bit lower than The Blue Oval’s luxury brand, Lincoln – which currently sits at more than double the national average in that regard at the moment. In January, Ford inventory levels closed out the month at a 104 days’ supply, which ranked as the eighth highest in the industry, as well as far higher than the national average of 80 days’ supply. That placed it behind only Ram, Genesis, Infiniti, Jeep, Buick, Nissan, and Audi, and significantly higher than some of its rivals such as Chevrolet, Toyota, and Honda. At the beginning of February, the total U.S. supply of available unsold new vehicles stood at 2.61 million units, which is 870,000 units or 50 percent more than a year ago, though inventory was down from 2.66 million at the start of January. Meanwhile, the aforementioned 80 days’ supply mark is 38 percent higher than January 2023, though sales also increased by nine percent. In an effort to reduce these quickly-rising inventory levels, automakers have begun to reintroduce incentives, which helped average new vehicle pricing decline by one percent, year-over-year. As for Ford, specifically, that brand has been busy doing precisely that, even introducing a “stair step” program for the Ford Bronco recently to reduce inventory. Regardless, some models are worse offenders than others, as the Ford F-150 Lightning and Ford Mustang Mach-E, specifically, have some of the highest inventory levels of any Blue Oval vehicle at the moment.

The manufacturers didn't learn much in managing their inventory at the lower levels caused by the supply chain and other related issues. They've now just gone back to maximizing inventory levels and putting themselves back in the position of being dependent on incentives to move inventory. It's not a critical factor for most vehicles now but headed back in that direction. When inventory was lower, dealerships didn't hesitate to take advantage of the situation by inflating sales prices beyond MSRP with the use of ADM's. The excuse was that they had no choice but to do so to compensate for the reduced inventory for sale. It'll force customers that financed to keep their vehicles longer as a result of the inflated sales prices and monthly obligations. There have been recent media reports about the large increase in the default rates for customers that can no longer afford the high monthly payments. The high vehicle costs including financing are not the only factors as inflation, cost of living and other factors are also part of the equation. Selling vehicles at MSRP or higher affects Ford the least and benefits dealerships the most. Ford's direct customers are the dealerships that order and buy their inventory from Ford. Ford sells the inventory to dealerships at the Dealer Invoice price noted on the vehicle invoice. The dealerships profit from their sales price to the customer at any amount above their Dealer Invoice cost, including the margin at MSRP if applicable, plus any ADM fees and the Holdback paid to the dealership after the vehicle is sold. In simple terms, Ford makes the same profit regardless of what profit the dealership makes or doesn't make depending on the sales price the customer agrees to pay. Ford incentives, implemented to increase sales and/or reduce in-stock inventory, are a cost to Ford which reduce profits but directly benefit the customer.

It says a lot about Tesla's product development that after years of delays, the CyberTruck finally goes into production and they're just now discovering that there's a "rust" issue just after rain and other environmental exposure.

Both Ford and the UAW are responsible for a number of reasons including a lot of short-sighted decision making by Ford executives and a lot of other factors that hurt Ford, its customers and its shareholders long term. The UAW bears just as much of the responsibility for the current situation and is not a victim. A respectful discussion, pro and con, based on individual experiences and knowledge on both sides can be beneficial in learning more, as long as the parties involved can agree to disagree.

This morning's gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven) $3.19 Regular (Cash) @ Gulf $3.39 Regular (Cash) @ Citgo

Ford has had communication and reputation problems with its Dealers for decades. There are far too many management layers causing decisions made for job and career preservation instead of what's right for the company long-term including its customers and shareholders. On the sales side, the Dealers are the end customer with the Ford Zone Managers primary role being to sell inventory and allocation to Dealers. The order scheduling is not random and relies primarily on dealership management of its USOB (Unscheduled Order Bank). Unfortunately, few dealerships monitor or manage their USOB effectively. Much of this is due to unqualified staff and managers involved and simply telling their retail order customers what they think they want to hear. Many or most Dealers don't realize or fail to utilize the resources available to them regarding retail order management and scheduling. Ford issues almost daily updates regarding commodity restraints and supply chain issues but most Dealers don't review or ignore these resources which can cause the dealership to lose scheduling allocation for both retail customer and stock orders. The priority code and scheduling process works. If Dealer don't know how to do their job, it's not Ford fault. Dealership incompetence is not an excuse!

To a big extent, the "Big 3" OEM's have only themselves to blame for the situation. With the exception of the UAW concessions resulting from the economic/recession situation in 2008-2009 and the bailouts (which Ford refused) granted to GM and Chrysler, and for decades the OEM's have generally agreed to most of the UAW demands through negotiations. The current contract was based on UAW demands with no negotiations and the companies basically caving in to those demands. The companies have no one to blame but themselves for not demanding concessions from the UAW. You want a 30-40% wage increase, then you (UAW) forfeit profit sharing as an example. UAW members are employees that get paid to do a job. That doesn't entitle them to profit sharing. Just an example as there are other terms in the UAW contract that should never be included. Unfortunately, Ford has billions of dollars committed to the new BOC facility and others that are an issue with the UAW. Hopefully, Ford is in the process of securing sites in Mexico for future vehicle production that it will be able to utilize and replace US facilities that are deemed expendable at some point in the future.

The forecast here (Hamden, CT) was for 6-11" but the storm track shifted and now it looks like we'll only get 4" of snow. CT DOT plows 2 long, main arteries in town (Hamden, CT) here which are state roads. Unfortunately, I don't remember what HD trucks are in the CT DOT or Hamden municipal fleets.

This morning's gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven) $3.29 Regular (Cash) @ Gulf $3.39 Regular (Cash) @ Citgo Typical New England weather... 59 degrees yesterday, 47 degrees today and the forecast is for 6-11 inches of snow tomorrow!

This whole back and forth about the 48V vs. 12V is getting very tired. As such, I skim through or skip those posts as I feel that I have nothing of substance to add.

Over the past 30-40 years, there's been a dramatic decline in the maintenance that can be performed by vehicle owners, let alone anything that's electronics related which is a lot. Dealership service technicians have to continuously take courses in order to keep up to date with all the technology and to maintain or upgrade their certified status with Ford. There's also been a dramatic decline in the number of independent technicians that can service modern vehicles due to the constantly evolving technology. For those independent technicians or "mechanics" there are fewer jobs available as the majority of the gas stations that provided vehicle service have been converted to convenience stores, eliminating their service bays.

2021 Ford Super Duty Named Most Dependable Large Heavy-Duty Pickup https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2024/02/08/ford-super-duty-honored-as-americas-most-dependable-large-heavy-.html DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 8, 2024 – The 2021 Ford Super Duty is the most dependable large heavy-duty pickup in the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, based on feedback from drivers after three years of ownership. “Every day, F-Series trucks are put to the test to get the job done, whether it be work or recreation,” said Tim Baughman, general manager, North America, Ford Pro. “Like all Ford trucks, Super Duty is Built Ford Tough. It’s more than a moniker for us, it’s our purpose. We are proud to receive this important recognition. It means we are building dependable trucks our customers can rely on.” Across segments, many owners keep their vehicles longer than ever before and expected reliability is among buyers’ top considerations, according to J.D. Power. “The Ford Super Duty is a deserving winner in the Large Heavy-Duty Pickup segment, and it exemplifies outstanding dependability in the first three years of ownership,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking, J.D. Power. The 2024 Super Duty was named 2024 North American Truck of the Year™️ by the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year jury in January.

Ford May Postpone New EV Launches Amid Strategy Reboot https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/ford-may-postpone-new-ev-launches-amid-strategy-reboot/ Amid slowing demand, Ford recently announced that it was pushing back $12 billion in planned EV investments, though it certainly isn’t giving up on all-electric vehicles. Rather, the automaker is shifting its strategy and working on new, low-cost EVs as it works to drive prices down and overcome one of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of sales growth – and profitability. Now, it seems as if Ford may also push back some of its planned new EV launches in the coming months as part of this strategy reboot as well, according to Automotive News. This news comes straight from Ford CEO Jim Farley, who noted that the company “may delay some upcoming EVs” and also look at securing batteries from additional suppliers as a way to cut costs. Farley noted that the automaker expects to lose around $5 billion in its all-electric Model e unit this year – 15 percent more than 2023 – and is also delaying its previous goal of reaching an eight percent margin on EVs by 2026. Ford still expects EV sales to continue to grow moving forward, but Farley admitted that the company is rethinking its strategy on those types of vehicles as thus far, the demand curve has proven to be quite different from traditional ICE models. This became clear after early adopters strained the automaker’s ability to build enough EVs to meet demand at first – but once those buyers exited the market, both demand and sales cratered. This change in philosophy is also clear from Lincoln’s recent moves, which include delaying its planned transition to all-electric vehicles and putting its EV dealer sales program on indefinite hold. As a result, Lincoln expects that its revamped ICE lineup will help the brand hit 100k sales in 2024 – a mark it hasn’t reached since 2020.

I don't know if it's changed in the past few years, but for decades Ford ran marketing research in markets all across the country and could pretty accurately forecast the impact of pricing changes on sales. They used the marketing as part of the decision-making process related to changes on incentives, rebates in particular. But with these large Lincoln price increases, it's anyone's guess! Part of it is probably the 10% profit margin standard they're trying to meet, but still?

This article is a lot of "smoke and mirrors" and distorts the facts. "Select" Ford Dealers have always had priority, expedited scheduling for retail orders regardless of allocation.

Ford Active Park Assist to Lose Parallel Parking Feature https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/ford-active-park-assist-to-lose-parallel-parking-feature/ Back in August 2022, Ford CEO Jim Farley stated that the automaker’s ICE lineup was “too complex,” which is both confusing to customers and a financial drain on the company itself. Last April, Jim Baumbick – Ford’s vice president, product development operations and quality – added that the automaker planned to begin simplifying its lineup starting with the 2024 model year, and thus far, that’s exactly what it has done with the refreshed 2024 Ford F-150, not to mention the refreshed 2025 Ford Explorer and its counterpart, the 2025 Lincoln Aviator. Now, the automaker is set to potentially remove a specific function of its Ford Active Park Assist feature as its latest cost-cutting measure, according to Automotive News. That feature is automated parallel parking, which is part of Ford Active Park Assist that takes over the steering, shifting, braking, and acceleration of a vehicle to navigate parallel or perpendicular parking spaces. The system also includes Park Out Assist, which provides assistance when exiting a parallel parking spot. However, Ford COO Kumar Galhotra noted on the automaker’s Q4 2024 earnings call with investors that this is one of a few seldomly-used features that the automaker plans to remove as it aims to trim another $2 billion in costs from its bottom line. “Connected vehicle data here is very important because it helps us see what we’re providing, whether the customers are using it or not,” Galhotra said. “So one example is an auto-park feature that lets the customer parallel park automatically. Very, very few people are using it so we can remove that feature. It’s about $60 per vehicle.” It’s unclear if Ford intends to do away with Active Park Assist altogether or simply remove the parallel parking functionality component of it, but according to Galhotra, such a move could save the automaker a whopping $10 million annually.

Small Ford Dealers to Benefit from Allocation System Tweaks https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/small-ford-dealers-to-benefit-from-allocation-system-tweaks/ The past few years have been rather tough on Ford dealers, as those entities have dealt with near-record low inventory levels, a struggle to secure new and used inventory, and the controversial Model e Certified program, which is now required for dealers that wish to sell EVs. While CEO Jim Farley recently met with a group of Ford dealers at this year’s NADA Show and noted that he’s open to feedback, some still feel a bit left out in the cold, regardless, after the automaker didn’t stick around to answer questions that some had regarding the company’s stance on EVs and other hot topics. However, at that same event, FoMoCo also told its smaller dealers that it’s going to tweak its allocation system to benefit them, according to Automotive News. “We were missing an opportunity to engage with the dealers on their unique issues,” said Matt Atkenson, Ford’s U.S. field operations manager. “It’s just different in these rural areas. Our allocation system for decades has been based off an earn-and-turn; the more you sell, the more you get. If you’re a smaller-volume store, it’s hard to sometimes get that one-off unit to handle that specific customer.” Now that production is ramping back up to normal levels and inventory has improved substantially, however, FoMoCo plans to tweak its allocation system and bring back an old program that benefits small dealers, specifically – otherwise known as U300 dealers, which sell fewer than 300 vehicles annually. The program will prioritize verified retail orders from these small stores, even if they don’t have any allocations at that time. Atkenson noted that the specific details of this program still need to be worked out, however, though he did note that the automaker is working to simplify and streamline its processes at the same time. “When supply got low, we had to suspend that program, and we weren’t sure if we’d bring that back,” he said. “But now that inventory levels are getting more stable, we brought that back. There’s a co-op program they can claim money for. We’ve basically said they’re self-approved from now on if they provide an itemized invoice. They don’t need the bureaucracy from us.”

This morning's gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven) $3.19 Regular (Cash) @ Gulf $3.29 Regular (Cash) @ Citgo Prices up and down lately at the Citgo station.

Ford Considers Axing Car Feature That Could Save Company Millions Per Year Ford's COO says few customers are using its park-assist feature https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/ford-considers-axing-car-feature-could-save-company-millions-per-year Ford Motor Co. is considering getting rid of the automated parallel parking feature in its vehicles as part of its cost-cutting measures in 2024, saying few customers utilize it anyway. Ford COO Kumar Galhotra said during a call with analysts Tuesday that the automaker plans to make some material and design changes aimed at improving efficiency and saving money. Galhotra said connected vehicle data has helped the company determine whether customers are using certain features, and from assessing that data, it makes sense to scrap the auto-park feature. "Very, very few people are using it, so we can remove that feature," Galhotra said, saying the move would save around $60 per vehicle, amounting to roughly $10 million per year. All told, Ford expects to save around $2 billion this year through efficiencies, executives said on the call. The automaker forecast $10 billion to $12 billion in pretax profit for 2024, after earning $10.4 billion before taxes last year. Profit from Ford's Pro commercial vehicle business and Ford Blue combustion vehicle units offset steep losses from Model E electric vehicle operations. Ford is slowing investment in new EV capacity to match slower demand following a seismic change in EV pricing over the past year, Ford executives told analysts.

Separate issues that need to be addressed independent of each other.

I'd recommend dealing directly with the sales manager or general manager so that they can contact their Ford Zone Manager to have your order re-prioritized to expedite scheduling considering the length of time you've been waiting, even considering all the commodity and supply chain issues that were major factors during the wait. In addition, review your order specifications carefully to make sure that there are no errors prior to the order being re-prioritized. Most sales representatives, especially rookies, are not familiar with the retail order process or have access to the resources available.

Ford Dealers Left Hanging by Company Executives https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/ford-dealers-left-hanging-by-company-executives/ Ford dealers have faced quite a bit of adversity over the past few years, much of it driven by the controversial Model e Certified program, which is now required for entities that wish to sell EVs. In fact, Ford continues to modify that program based on dealer feedback, most recently pushing back EV charger installation requirements due to supply issues. As for Lincoln, it has delayed its entire EV sales program indefinitely as it aims to focus on driving sales and profit in 2024, too. However, with Ford CEO Jim Farley recently on a Ford dealer tour in which he’s seeking “open and honest” feedback, it seems as if that wasn’t the case at the recent NADA Show, according to Automotive News. After Farley’s comments on Friday – coupled with an acknowledgment from Elena Ford – FoMoCo’s chief dealer engagement officer – regarding the fact that the company is well aware that its dealer network isn’t happy, Saturday apparently conjured up some controversy when executives reportedly didn’t quite follow those words up with action. According to some Ford dealers in attendance, those executives – minus Farley – didn’t provide much information on topics like how the company plans to improve quality or its future EV plans, and also failed to take questions from those same individuals, which is something that it typically does. Those same executives did offer to stay after the meeting and speak with dealers individually, but that didn’t apparently settle well with some. “It’s very disappointing when you have a town hall setting and you don’t get to have your voice heard,” one dealer said. What’s particularly interesting about this omission is that it seems as if the Ford dealers in attendance were prepared to have their voices heard as a collectible group. “We’re going to have a dealer panel at the make meeting, and there’s going to be more Q&A from the dealer body,” David Wilson, chairman of the Ford National Dealer Council, said prior to the NADA Show. “We’re going to have more of a two-way conversation.”

Farley Says Skunkworks Team Created Low-Cost EV Platform https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/farley-says-skunkworks-team-created-low-cost-ev-platform/ Nearly three years ago, Ford announced that it was developing a trio of new, dedicated EV platforms set to underpin a wide variety of future all-electric models, which is a key component of the automaker’s plan to make those types of vehicles more affordable. Since then, the topic of affordability has become even more critical to the success of EVs in general, with a number of surveys showing that pricing remains a high barrier standing in the way of mass EV adoption. Ford CEO Jim Farley is well aware of this fact, and during the automaker’s Q4 earnings call with investors, revealed that the automaker has been working on a low-cost EV platform for some time. “Now this is important because we made a bet in silence two years ago,” Farley said. “We developed a super-talented skunkworks team to create a low-cost EV platform. It was a small group, small team, some of the best EV engineers in the world, and it was separate from the Ford mothership. It was a start-up. And they’ve developed a flexible platform that will not only deploy to several types of vehicles but will be a large installed base for software and services that we’re now seeing at Pro.” This new EV platform sounds like it’s different from the three that FoMoCo announced years ago, and is also seemingly unrelated to the company’s second-generation EV platform as well. As Ford Authority previously reported, those next-gen models will ride on dedicated platforms and be both fully updatable and simplified compared to the existing EVs currently in the automaker’s lineup. FoMoCo also previously hinted that it’s working on a platform specifically designed to underpin its future EVs in Europe as well. Regardless, aside from public sentiment regarding the high cost barriers presented by the current crop of EVs, automakers like Ford are also well aware of the threat posed by affordable Chinese all-electric vehicles, too. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently stated that Chinese EV automakers will “demolish” their American counterparts when they wind up being sold in the U.S., and Farley also noted that he believes those same companies are Ford’s biggest rivals moving forward, too.

2025 Lincoln Aviator Prices Up Significantly Over 2024 Model https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/2025-lincoln-aviator-prices-up-significantly-over-2024-model/ Following a bit of a delay, the refreshed 2025 Ford Explorer was just revealed last week, ushering in updated exterior and interior styling for the popular crossover, along with a handful of new tech features. Thanks to a series of equipment changes, the refreshed Explorer is actually cheaper than its predecessor in some instances, which isn’t often the case in today’s world. However, that isn’t the case with the Explorer’s more luxurious counterpart – the 2025 Lincoln Aviator – which was just revealed yesterday. Rather, the 2025 Lincoln Aviator has received some significant price changes compared to the outgoing 2024 model, and that applies to all three trim levels as well. The Premiere has risen by $5,155, in fact, along with a whopping $8,490 increase for the Reserve and $7,770 for the Black Label, which now starts out at nearly $80k. On the bright side, destination and delivery charges remain unchanged at $1,395 at least. As one would imagine, there are a few valid reasons for these increases, aside from the typical jump associated with the launch of a refreshed or redesigned vehicle. The 2025 Lincoln Aviator now comes standard with a bevy of features including the new Lincoln Digital Experience infotainment software, along with a new, larger 13.2-inch infotainment screen and 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster. The 2025 Aviator also gained standard BlueCruise for four years, Auto Air refresh, the Panoramic Vista roof, a heated and powered steering wheel, heated and ventilated front-row seating, an adaptive suspension, and the Class III Trailer Tow Package, to name just a few. Additionally, the Reserve and Black Label trims now get the Illumination Package as standard equipment, all of which helps somewhat explain these rather significant price increases.