Ford Motor Company: April 2008 Sales Figures

[kyle]

By people who predicted its failure and were WRONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

 

 

Can you say that again?

[kpc655]

In a nutshell, sales of little crapwagon cars are up, and everything else is down. With gasoline approaching $4 a gallon, people are settling for lesser vehicles.

 

Then whoever makes the best crapwagon will survive

Edited May 1, 2008 by kpc655

[TomServo92]

Murdering?

 

Malibu sold 17,020 in April. Fusion sold 15,059. Less than 2000 units is "murdering"??

 

MURDERING is what the Focus did to Cobalt sales this month.

 

 

You really ought to look up the numbers before you shoot from the hip.

 

Here's a link to GM's April sales:

 

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/..._Deliveries.pdf

 

 

That's because any amount that exceeds the number digits on P71s extremities seems ASTRONOMICAL to him!

[jpd80]

Murdering?

 

Malibu sold 17,020 in April. Fusion sold 15,059. Less than 2000 units is "murdering"??

 

MURDERING is what the Focus did to Cobalt sales this month.

 

 

You really ought to look up the numbers before you shoot from the hip.

 

Here's a link to GM's April sales:

 

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/..._Deliveries.pdf

 

I'll agree, the Cobalt is behind the Focus but it trending the same: Cobalt 18,636 (14,899) 25.1%

[P71_CrownVic]

Hmm. Good for the States, no matter which company it is. :yup:

 

EDIT: Per the numbers just posted, it only shows 11.4% foreign nameplates. Still, though, a good thing.

Here's the article from MotorAuthority:

 

If GM has any hope of regaining its title of world’s biggest carmaker from Toyota its vehicles must not only sell well but they should also regain market share lost to rivals. Until recently, consumers rarely cross-shopped between GM and Toyota but as the quality and reliability of GM products started to catch up with their Japanese rivals now more than ever are consumers trading in their foreign makes for Detroit 3 metal.

 

No car has been more successful for GM at stealing sales from foreign makes than the new Chevrolet Malibu. According to a new J.D. Power and Associates study, close to a fifth (19.8%) of trade-ins for the Malibu were from import brands – an increase from the 12.5% of last year’s previous generation model. According to the results, 9.7% of trade-ins were a Honda, Toyota or Nissan.

 

Overall, the Malibu was ranked in the study as the 17th most popular vehicle in the U.S. for the first three months of the year and the fifth best-selling midsize sedan.

[BORG]

The CD3 program has been magic for Ford. Every product has met or exceeded volume and is sold almost entirely to retail consumers. There has been a year over year increase on all CD3 products since their respective launches. We see that Ford can subsist on sustainable volume that is controlled not by rebates but by limiting production capacity. Not only that, the sedans outrank all competition in quality which has been key in helping Ford turnaround perception. Ford also has never seen conquest levels this high with any product. They are sold profitably and have contributed to increase owner satisfaction for Ford. The CD3 products are something to be admired and an example by which all of Detroit should be measured. Malibu's initial sales boom does not mean Malibu is more successful than Ford.

[jpd80]

One could only wonder what might have been if all the D3 products had also been CD3.

Surely that would have been an accountant's dream, similar to Fox.

Edited May 2, 2008 by jpd80

[P71_CrownVic]

The CD3 program has been magic for Ford. Every product has met or exceeded volume and is sold almost entirely to retail consumers.

 

And yet...still WAY behind the competition.

[danup]

The Malibu seems like a pretty good example of what happens even if you do leapfrog the competition--they're still behind, and they're likely to remain so for this generation, just like Ford. The Fusion has its shortcomings--bland interior, even though it's well-appointed, and terrible engines--but like the Malibu it gave Ford a credible entry where there wasn't one before, and it's improved its sales every year leading into the mid-cycle refresh, which is a neat trick. I don't see how a well-reviewed, solid-selling, platform-shared car can be seen as a failure, and you're discrediting all of your other arguments about Ford's shortcomings by lumping the very successful CD3 platform in with them.

[P71_CrownVic]

The Malibu seems like a pretty good example of what happens even if you do leapfrog the competition--they're still behind, and they're likely to remain so for this generation, just like Ford. The Fusion has its shortcomings--bland interior, even though it's well-appointed, and terrible engines--but like the Malibu it gave Ford a credible entry where there wasn't one before, and it's improved its sales every year leading into the mid-cycle refresh, which is a neat trick. I don't see how a well-reviewed, solid-selling, platform-shared car can be seen as a failure, and you're discrediting all of your other arguments about Ford's shortcomings by lumping the very successful CD3 platform in with them.

How many units did the Fusion move in it's fifth month of sales? Thats right 10,703.

 

How many Malibu's did GM move this past April...MORE upwards of SEVENTEEN-THOUSAND CARS. The Malibu in it's fifth month of sales has already surpassed the Fusion's BEST month...by a lot.

Edited May 2, 2008 by P71_CrownVic

[taxman100]

Then whoever makes the best crapwagon will survive

 

 

Bring on the small wagons, or a true "minivan" that seats three across, ala the original Voyager before it bloated into the pig it became.

 

Of course, total ownership costs include other things than gasoline, but people who trade in a "gas guzzler" for a new car payment are acting somewhat emotionally.

[Edstock]

One could only wonder what might have been if all the D3 products had also been CD3.

Surely that would have been an accountant's dream, similar to Fox.

An accountant's dream? Probably not, probably would've cost pretty much the same. The reason is that the D3 product is wider, and if that kind of track increase is desired, the floor pan change requires complete new dies, and by the time a CD3 goes through this process, it's a new platform, just like developing a D3 out of the Volvo platform as a starting point.

[danup]

How many units did the Fusion move in it's fifth month of sales? Thats right 10,703.

 

How many Malibu's did GM move this past April...MORE upwards of SEVENTEEN-THOUSAND CARS. The Malibu in it's fifth month of sales has already surpassed the Fusion's BEST month...by a lot.

 

Hey, you won't find any argument from me here. The Malibu, as much as I like my Fusion, is a better-executed car, since GM actually had worthwhile engines to give it. But I think CD3, having provided Ford with a best-selling CUV and a mid-size sedan that actually sells at retail more than once a month, still has to be considered a major success, and I think any rational person would see that. Which might be my problem. If you want to see a not-success, look in Chrysler's direction, or at the Five Hundred/Taurus, or the Saturn Aura, or Nissan's B and C cars.

 

In any case, where was Ford going to get their Malibu, or the ad campaign money for that matter? Say what you will about the Mondeo's driving dynamics and its healing powers for young leukemia patients and the elderly, but it's not The Car You Can't Ignore. It's The Car You Can't Ignore If It's Sitting Next to a Contour, but Not an SVT Contour. (The five-month comparo isn't very informative, either, seeing as the Malibu was launched behind a massive and incredibly well-executed ad campaign.)

Edited May 2, 2008 by danup

[suv_guy_19]

How many units did the Fusion move in it's fifth month of sales? Thats right 10,703.

 

How many Malibu's did GM move this past April...MORE upwards of SEVENTEEN-THOUSAND CARS. The Malibu in it's fifth month of sales has already surpassed the Fusion's BEST month...by a lot.

 

Funny, I thought the Malibu had been around as a mid size fwd family sedan for about 12 years....

[2005Explorer]

Murdering?

 

Malibu sold 17,020 in April. Fusion sold 15,059. Less than 2000 units is "murdering"??

 

MURDERING is what the Focus did to Cobalt sales this month.

 

 

You really ought to look up the numbers before you shoot from the hip.

 

Here's a link to GM's April sales:

 

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/..._Deliveries.pdf

 

I have a hunch that Ford made more profit on those 15,059 (1 of those was my new Fusion AWD) Fusions then GM did on those 17,020 Malibus. Of course I don't have any inside information to prove this, but isn't labor cost quite a bit less on the Fusion?

[SVT_MAN]

2005Explorer brings up a good point ...

[630land]

Revenge is sweet, I love seeing the Focus sell, sell, sell and kick sand in the "purists" faces. They crried wanting overrated Euro or boy racer cars. To quote Borg in a Stang forum, "Ford needs to make cars that sell" ... to paying customers, not to make magazine racers drool, but who do not actaully buy new cars.

[630land]

X2! And guess what they make money on...yep...the gas guzzlers.

 

 

Well, those big hogs are losing sales by the crapload, and reasale is shit, now. And Hmm, Ford made $$ while the supposed "money makers" sales are way, way down.

 

Also, dealers are not taking SUV's in trade, the ones they got piled up like left over burgers are being dumped in Russia. Also, the Grand Marq, the only retail Panther car sold, is down 50%, to only 3,201!, near nothingness. :stats: [How is that making any big $$$?] TC and CV basically are cabs or cop cars.

 

Point is the chest thumpers who think "all vehicles have to be big V8 BOF hogs" have to get over it and move on, :happy feet:

[rmc523]

I thought it was interesting to note that the XF alone was able to allow the Jaguar brand to post a sales increase. Other than that....not good for JLR.

[630land]

"How many units did the Fusion move in it's fifth month of sales? Thats right 10,703.

How many Malibu's did GM move this past April...MORE upwards .."

 

Who cares about past #'s, only NOW matters. The Fusion is doing pretty good considering its in its 3rd year. Malibu is a good car, but far, far from 'MURDERING" the CDs. The Saturn Aura is flopping about like a fish in a boat, the 'no haggle' pricing is killing it, priced too f-n high.

 

Point is quit trying keep trying to spin #'s as "gloom and doom" just because the Panther is dying off.

[Noah Harbinger]

I can't really laugh at the fusion, it has been pretty succesful but I'm pretty sure they make less money with it than GM with the malibu (especially if you consider the malibu is built in USA while the fusion in Mexico.. weak US dollar doesn't help ford's case).

 

The dollar has not been weak against the Peso. There's been fluctuation but it's still higher than it was 5 years ago, v. the Peso.

[bb62]

Volume analysis (Ford US Sales):

 

2000 - 4,202,820

2001 - 3,971,364

2002 - 3,623,709

2003 - 3,483,719

2004 - 3,331,696

2005 - 3,168,156

2006 - 2,918,674

2007 - 2,572,599

2008 - 2,366,962 (projection based on regression analysis)

 

A worst case analysis would show that Ford sales could within the next few years drop as low as about 1.9M units in the US (but not really any lower). New product and a revamping of the existing line-up would build on this so they don't reach this theoretical low. I hope they are basing their break even calculations at this level, it they can, it would mean a long term sustainable position. Part of the problem is basing breakeven on the majority of products that historically have not yielded the better part of Ford North America's profits.

[jpd80]

Chasing market share is fool's gold, what's the point of making cars with little or no profit?

That's what GM does and look wher they've landed.

I hope Ford continues to shring loss making US production until profit is reached.

[snooter]

Chasing market share is fool's gold, what's the point of making cars with little or no profit?

That's what GM does and look wher they've landed.

I hope Ford continues to shring loss making US production until profit is reached.

 

can we all agree that currently ford engines suck?...too many posts here reference suck engines..

[351cid]

can we all agree that currently ford engines suck?...too many posts here reference suck engines..

 

 

I'll take a Ford Modular V-8 over any engine produced right now. There is NOTHING any tougher built.