BORG Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 (edited) Unfortunately, the Flex is not doing well and Ford has cut production to control supplies. A new ad campaign will hope to improve matters. Is this another failed Ford People mover? http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-cancels-t...ds-jobless.html http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-to-launch...d-campaign.html Edited September 5, 2008 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 (edited) Never mind. Edited September 5, 2008 by TomServo92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Back on the July conference call Farley & Pipas both said the major media launch wasn't due till Sept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marginal Economist Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 It is too early to call the Flex a flop. I can't recall specific number, but I remember Edge getting off to a slow start in late 2006. With the auto industry in its current state, not much is going to launch well. Lets see the National ads and let a bit more inventory land at dealerships before we put a fork in the Flex. I drove one last week and was stopped at the grocery store by a lady who had no idea what it was. When I made it to the door there were handprints all over the front and back windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 Back on the July conference call Farley & Pipas both said the major media launch wasn't due till Sept. But they didn't expect demand to be so low that they canceled a 3rd shift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 I JUST saw the new commercial in High Def, a little better than the first. The only Youtube I could find of it is this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Ford Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Two full months of sales data seems too early to declare an all new model a flop. Crossover sales are down (in line with total auto sales) as opposed to increasing as was predicted. The bad market is definitely affecting Flex sales, but the Edge and MKX aren't immune either. Even though the Edge sales are up, in all likelihood it isn't meeting expectations, and played some role with the shift cancellation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I JUST saw the new commercial in High Def, a little better than the first. The only Youtube I could find of it is this. I just saw it too. Law and Order on TNT. Anyway, the ad looks good. I personally don't care for it, but hopefully, they start selling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 (edited) I really like the Flex, I don't' think I'll like the MKT however because it looks generically swoopy and seems to be a Buick knock-off. The Flex has some bite with a nicely cut body design. Therefore, I predict the Flex to flop by the MKT will win! I have always feared that since the Flex was born as a concept rather than a consumer driven neccessity, the car would be a substantial risk for Ford since the green light process largely meant finding a customer. Most products are developed to meet customer and market trends and then go to concept form to tweak the final product. The Flex started purely as a design exercise! These almost always fail in production! If the FLex doesn't fail, it will have bucked the trend! Even the 2004 Mustang concept was based on the production version! Edited September 5, 2008 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang84isu Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I love it, two months of sales figures and people are already writing an epitaph for the Flex. Ford just can't win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenCaylor Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I JUST saw the new commercial in High Def, a little better than the first. The only Youtube I could find of it is this. If you saw in Hi Def, you should link it in Hi Def (&fmt=18) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 If you saw in Hi Def, you should link it in Hi Def (&fmt=18) I can't find a better version of this, anybody know of one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadOx23 Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I'm not really the target audience for a Flex I guess, because I don't need the 7 passenger seating. I'd like the additional space for when it is necessary, but I don't need it. So for me, it comes down to price on this. I really like the Flex. I like it a whole lot. And I realize I could get a base model for under $30K, but I would rather get an Edge SEL with the SYNC and Vista roof for around $30K. Or get a completely loaded Escape Limited for around $28K.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danup Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Saw the ad on TNT today--along with an all-out MKS blitz. It was nice (though not as nice as the MKS "starships don't need keys" ad) and getting it out there is good but I think this is going to be a slow starter. Bad climate for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcsario Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 It is too early to call the Flex a flop. Two full months of sales data seems too early to declare an all new model a flop. Not here, just go to the Competition forum. If it was a Toyota or Honda, the cheerleaders would've already started a "Flex deathwatch" thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Remember what happened to that guy who predicted after 2 months of sales data that the Edge would be a flop... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 But they didn't expect demand to be so low that they canceled a 3rd shift. Didn't expect the economy to tank either. I assume that Ford had planned on a midsummer launch blitz, until the economy soured. They pushed it back as far as they reasonably could (Sept), but because the consumer economy still sucks (lending standards are very tight--consumers are caught in a credit crunch that they'll just have to work through), they've still had to adjust production. Per the July conf. call, awareness of the Flex among crossover shoppers was relatively low (20% maybe? can't recall exactly), but that among those aware, positive impressions were higher than for the F150 & Edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Not here, just go to the Competition forum. If it was a Toyota or Honda, the cheerleaders would've already started a "Flex deathwatch" thread. Number of threads in the Competition forum with the word "Deathwatch" in the title? Zero. THough to be fair, I only searched through one year's worth of posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 If you saw in Hi Def, you should link it in Hi Def (&fmt=18) It's exactly the same. What are you smoking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Here's an August review of the Flex: http://www.canadiandriver.com/ctc/blog/tru...9-ford-flex.htm It is much better than I had ever anticipated: it rides great, it is comfortable, it handles like a car and it can carry a ton of passengers or cargo if need be. The gas mileage over the week wasn’t stellar, but for such a large vehicle, it wasn’t bad. I averaged 13.4 L/100km for the week, including carrying a full load of passengers on a few trips, and with six people in the car, that is a lot of extra weight to carry around. Don’t overlook the Flex if you are in the market for a CUV or minivan. I will admit minivan doors make loading passengers or cargo a whole lot easier, but the Flex stands out and may still provide the flexibility you are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcsario Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Number of threads in the Competition forum with the word "Deathwatch" in the title? Zero. THough to be fair, I only searched through one year's worth of posts. "Sorry, the administrator has taken the search engine offline for the moment. Please try again later" Nice try. Next in line, the Traverse... just wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 "Sorry, the administrator has taken the search engine offline for the moment. Please try again later" Nice try. Next in line, the Traverse... just wait. Believe it or not, I clicked on each of the first 20 pages, and did a search in the browser for "deathwatch". That's why I specifically referred to the titles. Yes, I'm a little obsessive about being accurate and truthful. Which is more than I can say for SOME people around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcsario Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 (edited) Some people here were saying the Malibu would be a flop months before launch, some going as far as saying they "could already smell the rebates" for it. Fact of the matter is... I'm not even complaining about that, just saying it's fair game for others to use the same standards for Ford products. Here it's being called a flop months AFTER launch, not months BEFORE. People just don't have any interest right now for anything big & large, and Ford's plans to sell this box of shoes as a personal cruiser are obviously a pipedream now. Call it a people mover, a minivan replacement, whatever... for everyone else it's no different from buying a Lambda, Expedition, etc. Hell, most people keep thinking "it's just another Ford SUV". Just be thankful it's selling better than the Taurus X and bringing in more money. Edited September 5, 2008 by pcsario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixt9coug Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 (edited) Some people here were saying the Malibu would be a flop months before launch, some going as far as saying they "could already smell the rebates" for it. 08s at the local dealer have $1000 rebates and low APR. 09s have low APR specials along with pretty much the rest of the line. Its not unexpected. Hey, in fact i might go check out a G8 this weekend. (much as i hate to say it) it IS vehicle that pretty much flopped. http://www.sjchevrolet.com/CorporateIncentives Edited September 5, 2008 by Sixt9coug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazerdude20 Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 this seems wierd because out here we cant keep them in stock. same with other dealers around us. people keep coming in and ordering them from the factory. on a side note i think we have the first used flex in the country Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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