Kev-Mo Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 But does everyone need a $30,000 vehicle? Is the Explorer really the basic family vehicle? From what I've seen, small families could easily live with a Fusion (sticker price between $22-24,000, and we all know that no one pays sticker) or the new Taurus (I've seen them for well under $30,000, and that's not for a stripped model). And a two year old loaded Explorer lease return with <24K miles is $20k or less!. That is where I will be shopping when the time comes for the next family vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Before some gloat, look up Toyota's and Honda's sales press releases, they are down also. Acura division is down 8%. The blame is the 'housing market'. Corolla down 25%, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Reynolds Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Corolla down 25%, About time......talk about something that has been left to rot on the vine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev-Mo Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 'Housing Market' translates to: People in debt up to their ears extracting equity from their homes as the value increases in the market. If the market does not increase, then there is no cash for them to extract. No cash to extract = no big purchases. I read a while back that 'housing' was responsible for 75% of our nation's GDP. That included; building and materials, sales, mortgages and loans, title insurance etc. That is very scary, and was bound to burst causing a huge economic downturn. Does anyone remember when we as a nation produced our way to prosperity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Does anyone remember when we as a nation produced our way to prosperity? When was that? We buy our way to prosperity now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Ya know how many people pull out equity from their house (something that mostly appreciates), to buy a vehicle (something that definately depreciates)? I just got off the phone with my stock broker, who just told me Countrywide bond took a nose dive an hour ago. Thats always been a strong, decent, conservative stock. When that goes down, watch out for the next few months because it's not going to look good. Also another point, take into account Fords' numbers...Have you realized the majority of Ford sales are vehicles OVER $30K? Particularly the SuperDuties which can hit $50-60K ? In reality Ford has it easy because of that fact. If it weren't for that, Ford would have a hard time saying alive. IN comparison, look at Kia and Hyundai who sales are under $30K for the most part, but what helps them is their cheap Korean labor. But yes, if the economy keeps getting worse, then justification for people to buy $30K vehicles will be less and less, and that would put Kia, Hyundai in better sales. Case in point, Ford needs to focus on the sub-$20K market... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManFord Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 I'm rather curious about that myself. The Trailblazer is taking a huge lead over the Explorer for the year. Actually, the last couple of months the Explorer has outsold the TB. And the Explorer's sales for the year are 85,916 compared to the TB's 77,034. What did the CR-V sell for the month, I wonder if it was down or sold considerably lower than last month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManFord Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Quick update on Edge fleet sales: about 200. Sorry pcsario. Where did you get that information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackHorse Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 I think I have to agree with Kev-Mo on this one. I'm not singling out Ford here, but rather the new car automotive industry as a whole. Costs are too high and for a long time now the industry has gotten by with the use of incentives and creative financing to sell cars (or tucks and SUVs). Either that or a lot of people leased. If anything, Toyota was actually one of the worst with their need to feed their greed in light of the fact that Toyota can afford to build cars cheaper given that they don't have to contend with higher labor costs and health care costs, yet they still price their vehicles pretty close to their American competitors. This of course equals a greater bottom line for them and some would argue thats perfectly fine in a free market system. Maybe it is, but I personally believe in both karma and sin and I think sooner or later one pays for their greed. Eventually you reach a point where your high prices out pace the ability and / or the desire of the consumer to pay them. I don't know if this is "the bubble" necessarily or just a bad month. Right now I'm just looking at it as a bit of karma. Once upon a time there were businessmen who just wanted to make a good product at a fair price so that anyone with a half way decent wage could afford to buy their product. Now we have an automotive industry that marks up their product 100% or more in some cases before the cars ever hit the lots. I'd place that in the realm of greed personally. So anytime they have a really bad month, I don't sweat it so much. I get a little on my face about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 I don't think this is so much about 'greed' in jacking up car prices. I think it's more about stretching the consumer to the breaking point. Honda was running year end closeout specials in July. The auto industry is cyclical--assuming that a 17M clip will continue forever is silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
focus05 Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Where did you get that information George Pipas on the sales call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Damn, after 2006's low sales, you'd think the only place to go is up.. Is there any doubt Ford needs new product out ASAP? The only brand that saw increased sales is LR, and it's being sold. Stuff that hasn't been updated in eons continues to get pounded, what a surprise.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smok Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Actually, the last couple of months the Explorer has outsold the TB. And the Explorer's sales for the year are 85,916 compared to the TB's 77,034. What did the CR-V sell for the month, I wonder if it was down or sold considerably lower than last month. Just looked it up, CRV sold about 20K, up 35% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LincolnFan Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Just looked it up, CRV sold about 20K, up 35% I know Honka doesn't dump to fleets but this is a very bad month, there's no way in hell they can do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smok Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 I know Honka doesn't dump to fleets but this is a very bad month, there's no way in hell they can do that. It's amazing to me, with no Fleets, they almost beat the escape 2:1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LincolnFan Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Sounds "too good to be true", why is my BS detector beeping like hell? :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smok Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Just looked it up, CRV sold about 20K, up 35% http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=698398 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordBuyer Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 These abysmal sales are not surprising considering the housing industry. At least not to me. For month of July, I have noticed that the dealers around me in Western Wayne County have been dead all month. Not much action and things sure didn't pick up last 10 days of month like they usually do. Not many people buying cars right now, at least not in Western Wayne County. No one looking at houses or cars right now. I look for things to bounce back a little at Dealers when October arrives and with it lower fuel prices and new Sync system. I would say many prospective buyers considering Ford would wait until new Sync system arrives. Looks to me only people considering new vehicle purchase are those turning in leased cars and those who have old cars that are at the end of their life span. Not a good time to be new car dealer. It's funny how no one wants to mention recession, but looking at auto and housing, maybe word should be considered. If the Feds raise interest rates, in my mind that would gaurantee recession. If first your house value plummets, and then your investments value plummets, what would you call it? It's getting harder and harder to justify buying a new car unless you have to. Just my two cents worth. I know my investment portfolio has dropped over $20,000 last two months after hitting its highest value at end of May. All down hill since then. Not much of an incentive to buy new right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Total July sales were 195,245, down 19 percent compared with a year ago. Sales to daily rental companies were down 57 percent and sales to individual retail customers were down 17 percent. The company's crossover utility vehicle sales were up 40 percent in July and year-to-date – the largest increase of any major manufacturer. These would be the two shining lights in a very sombre month. Imagine if Ford hadn't cut Daily rental sales and stayed with traditional products, the results would have looked better but been much worse financially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Retail sales for the Focus were up 17% for the month. I am not a fan of the new Focus, but I'm beginning to think that it might be an Escape-esque surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LincolnFan Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Everyone who saw the 08 Focus liked it, wildosvt and Fordbuyer did. I think it will be a sleeper hit if it's priced right because Ford took a lot of std features OUT. I personally like the 08 Focus, but that could be a "grass is always greener on the other side" case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Retail sales for the Focus were up 17% for the month. I am not a fan of the new Focus, but I'm beginning to think that it might be an Escape-esque surprise. The Focus will look new, be affordable and get good fuel economy. Taking all of that into consideration with the current state of fuel prices and other market conditions...it will be a winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Fusion was gaining, what happened? Ford can't just 'let the car sell itself' But Taurus outsold the old 500, so it was worth the update. I bet some people think its an all new car. Camry buyers basically want a safe pruchase, and just follow Consumer Reports and word of mouth. They are petrified to get anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 (edited) Is anybody ready to call the triplets a disappointment yet, or are you all still in denial? Hmm. Corolla numbers were down 25% year over year. Is it a disappointment? Let's take even more numbers out of context, shall we? Taurus numbers month over month? Down about 50%. Is it a disappointment? Focus numbers down 11% year over year, but retail sales up 17%. Is it a disappointment? Escape numbers off about 50% month over month. Is it a disappointment? Edge numbers off about 30% month over month. Is it a disappointment? Finally, year over year the entire industry is off 10%. Is the economy a disappointment? Edited August 2, 2007 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I do agree, people seemed to think Toyota was going to be constantly increasing sales until they got at least 25-30% market share, and Honda was supposed to be right behand them. The only car they are selling like hot cakes is the CRV. Even the Civic Hybrid was down. Ridgleine was up though, hmm? But, Pilot, Element [huge joke], minivan, and Accord down. Acura division is way down, no way will they ever be in same league as Lexus. Other import names are up, maybe people are not willing to pay extra for the T&H 'perceived quality' anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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