Ford November 2009 Sales

[Ford Jellymoulds]

Holden stopped exports to USA in December 2008, they are remnant sales from a dead brand, Pontiac.

I have no doubt that Chevy Commodore and Caprice/Statesman would have sold much better

but then again, this is GM we're talking about......

 

Falcon would have kicked its butt but would have been internal competition to Taurus and split the market.

Ford were smarter than GM, they had a plan and stuck to it.

 

G8 Holden has had shit sales and has been a remnant ever since it first arrived in the US in 2008 JPD, another loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog production run history from GM in the US.

 

If only the Mustang had lasted this loooooooooooooooooooooog.

[ausrutherford]

North American Production

 

Ford plans to build 550,000 vehicles in the first quarter 2010, an increase of 201,000 units (58 percent) compared with the first quarter 2009

 

 

Holy Cow! Seems as though Ford might be planning on a return to profitability before 2011?

 

New Super Duty and Fiesta have big part of that I bet.

[peterstern]

Well this is good to see.

 

Ford is getting conquest sales.

 

What's interesting is Truck/SUV sales are back to taking a bit of a hit now that gas prices have gone up again somewhat.

 

Now the thing to watch for is the point when Ford is fully recovered. And what I mean by recovered is that Ford regains the position it had in the mid 1990s... before Jac Nasser took over and when Ford had a top selling midsize car.

 

Given that the Camry outsells the Fusion 2 to 1, there's still a lot of recovery that needs to happen.

 

Ford also needs a proper minivan. While the minivan segment isn't growing, it's still meaningfully large.

 

Back in the mid 1990s, they had a strong line up that measured up quite well against anybody. Now... they have the Flex... which isn't even a true van... and the Sienna outsells it on a 3.5 to 1 basis.

 

Certainly Ford, at the very least, has the ability to beat the Kia Sedona.

 

On the small car end, Ford is still weak... but that likely be fixed by the next Focus and the Fiesta that's coming.

 

On the small pickup truck end, the Ranger is just crying out for an update.

 

And on the Luxury end, all is NOT well... and Lincoln still needs a proper flagship model. This is highlighted by the fact that Lincoln sales are down while Lexus (as one example) is up.

 

 

I don't consider Ford to be recovered until:

-it is selling as many Fusions as Toyota sells Camrys or Honda sells Accords

-has a competitive contender in every major segment

-Lincoln is back to being a top seller in the Luxury segment... and doesn't rely on Town Car fleet sales to achieve it.

 

Ford still has a way to go but at least the company looks like it's on the right path.

[Harley Lover]

I don't consider Ford to be recovered until:

-it is selling as many Fusions as Toyota sells Camrys or Honda sells Accords

-has a competitive contender in every major segment

-Lincoln is back to being a top seller in the Luxury segment... and doesn't rely on Town Car fleet sales to achieve it.

Ford might not ever sell as many Fusions, because they are capacity constrained (at least until the EUCD based cars debut, and that chassis might be built at more than one plant, which could potentially open more capacity for the Fusion). Also, don't confuse volume with profitability. Ford doesn't need to match Camry or Accord sales, as long as the plant is fully utilized, and the sales mix is properly managed.

 

Ford might not ever have a competitior in every major segment again. They will compete where there is opportunity for profit, not simply opportunity to sell units.

 

No argument that Lincoln must shoulder its share of the burden in bringing Ford's profits back to snuff. Since the TC is toast in a year or two, Ford certainly isn't planning on it for any profit contribution.

Edited December 1, 2009 by Harley Lover

[snooter]

mustang again down...guess camaro (the 09 mustang design while good just screams for engine upgrades..ie BOSS) wins the battle..what are camaro's #'s?

[mackinaw]

mustang again down...guess camaro (the 09 mustang design while good just screams for engine upgrades..ie BOSS) wins the battle..what are camaro's #'s?

 

6,867 for November.

[bzcat]

North American Production

 

Ford plans to build 550,000 vehicles in the first quarter 2010, an increase of 201,000 units (58 percent) compared with the first quarter 2009

 

 

Holy Cow! Seems as though Ford might be planning on a return to profitability before 2011?

 

 

I guess part of the huge increase in production is due in part to replenish stock at dealers who are apparently out of many hot selling models (I heard Escape and Fusion is hard to come by pretty much across the country)... so that implies Ford is optimistic about the economy at least.

 

But the bulk of the increase must be new model build up: let see... Fiesta, Super Duty, Mustang with new engines, Edge, Explorer... Still, seems like a crazy number (200k units) when not long ago, all the news was about reducing capacity.

[nelsonlu]

Ford also needs a proper minivan. While the minivan segment isn't growing, it's still meaningfully large.

 

I am still not sure what, really, a minivan does that a Flex doesn't. Certainly, with my cousin about to add twins to her family, I recommended to her husband that he look into the Flex...

[Mr. Gumby]

I don't consider Ford to be recovered until:

-it is selling as many Fusions as Toyota sells Camrys or Honda sells Accords

I don't think Ford should be chasing sale #s but rather profit #s. Now, if Ford can make as much money (or more) than Toyota makes off the Camry, then that is a HUGE win.

-has a competitive contender in every major segment

Once again, I don't think Ford should be chasing every niche, but if they can maintain top quality in all their vehicles that cover the most popular segments (subcompact-full size cars, trucks, CUVS, etc...) then they can play around with more halo/niche products, like the Raptor.

-Lincoln is back to being a top seller in the Luxury segment... and doesn't rely on Town Car fleet sales to achieve it.

It would be nice to see Lincoln compete with at least Cadillac.

 

Ford still has a way to go but at least the company looks like it's on the right path.

Totally agree.

[move4ward]

Ford's days of chasing market share at the expense of profit are gone. Thank goodness for great management!

 

I was about to say the same thing, but you put it so eloquently.

If we had a rep sytem, I would give you +1.

 

 

Ford might not ever sell as many Fusions, because they are capacity constrained (at least until the EUCD based cars debut, and that chassis might be built at more than one plant, which could potentially open more capacity for the Fusion). Also, don't confuse volume with profitability. Ford doesn't need to match Camry or Accord sales, as long as the plant is fully utilized, and the sales mix is properly managed.

 

Ford might not ever have a competitior in every major segment again. They will compete where there is opportunity for profit, not simply opportunity to sell units.

 

No argument that Lincoln must shoulder its share of the burden in bringing Ford's profits back to snuff. Since the TC is toast in a year or two, Ford certainly isn't planning on it for any profit contribution.

Edited December 2, 2009 by move4ward

[rmc523]

mustang again down...guess camaro (the 09 mustang design while good just screams for engine upgrades..ie BOSS) wins the battle..what are camaro's #'s?

 

Yes, but down only 1.1%, which is a lot better than it's been in past months. And Camaro has plenty of rental sales too - I saw at least 6-7 in the Avis lot alone at the Nashville Airport this past weekend.

 

I am still not sure what, really, a minivan does that a Flex doesn't. Certainly, with my cousin about to add twins to her family, I recommended to her husband that he look into the Flex...

 

Has sliders, that's about it...

 

-Lincoln is back to being a top seller in the Luxury segment... and doesn't rely on Town Car fleet sales to achieve it.

It would be nice to see Lincoln compete with at least Cadillac.

 

GM/Caddy sure did invest a lot of money to get an extra 3332 sales over Lincoln...

[FordBuyer]

Ford trucks are down big because of very short days supply of trucks(especially F150) on dealerships lots..that's the biggest reason imo.

 

Anyone notice that Explorer sales were barely down from last year? When is the last time that happened. Maybe the demise of the Chevy Trailblazer has helped.

[PREMiERdrum]

Anyone notice that Explorer sales were barely down from last year? When is the last time that happened. Maybe the demise of the Chevy Trailblazer has helped.

 

I actually have seen a TON of new Explorers on the roads recently... probably 10 to 15 a day in my rather short commute to work.

[rmc523]

I actually have seen a TON of new Explorers on the roads recently... probably 10 to 15 a day in my rather short commute to work.

 

I see a lot of new Explorers around too, quite a few of which are either Eddie Bauers or Limiteds with the 20" wheels.

[Hawk00]

New Super Duty and Fiesta have big part of that I bet.

 

Where is the Fiesta being built?

[silvrsvt]

Where is the Fiesta being built?

 

Mexico

[jpd80]

G8 Holden has had shit sales and has been a remnant ever since it first arrived in the US in 2008 JPD, another loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooog production run history from GM in the US.

 

If only the Mustang had lasted this loooooooooooooooooooooog.

Next year, the Falcon celebrates it 50th Anniversary - not bad for an exiled convict.

 

Couldn't care less about G8/Commodore, GM butchered a golden opportunity for their RWD sedan,

the fact that sales dragged on 12 months after importing ceased speaks volumes of GM's stupidity.

I just hope Ford shows them how it's done in a few years time, there's room for a good vehicle.

Edited December 2, 2009 by jpd80

[mettech]

"...Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Hyundai Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. led the first monthly gain in U.S. auto sales since government stimulus measures ended, signaling buyers are returning to showrooms as the economy stabilizes.

 

Hyundai’s sales surged 46 percent in November..."

 

 

Bloomburg

[jpd80]

Without sounding rude, I wonder how many of those Hyundai sales go straight to fleet sales?

Fleets have been doing it tough too the last 12 months, maybe their new vehicles are overdue?

 

Surprising that Nissan had a pretty good month too, good to see more showroom activity in the US.

Edited December 2, 2009 by jpd80

[elkarlo]

Without sounding rude, I wonder how many of those Hyundai sales go straight to fleet sales?

Fleets have been doing it tough too the last 12 months, maybe their new vehicles are overdue?

 

Surprising that Nissan had a pretty good month too, good to see more showroom activity in the US.

 

I think what is also helping Korea while at the same time hurting the Japanese companies is the relative strength of the currencies. The Won is worthless, while the yen is pretty strong. So Hyundai can make cars for much cheaper and dissaemble them and reassemble them in the US for cheaper than Toyo/Honda.

[Anthony]

I'm interested in the Flex's numbers. I would never have thought the Explorer would be outselling it (much less the Expy...at least at the monthly level). It's yearly numbers are quite poor as well. I truly wonder if it will survive past the unibody Explorer's debut.

[StevenCaylor]

Anyone know what the overall industry average was?

 

Nevermind. Figured it out myself. Industry average was up 0.02%. Ford was up 0.1%. So, officially, Ford can claim that their market share increased, even if only by a fraction of a percent. Biggest winner was the Fusion at +55%. Biggest loser was the Dodge Ram at -37%.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/12/...os-graphic.html

Edited December 6, 2009 by StevenCaylor

[RichardJensen]

I'm interested in the Flex's numbers. I would never have thought the Explorer would be outselling it (much less the Expy...at least at the monthly level). It's yearly numbers are quite poor as well. I truly wonder if it will survive past the unibody Explorer's debut.

:rolleyes:

 

The Fiesta has a broader brand awareness than the Flex does, and Ford has said that they're content to let it find its own niche.

 

The thing probably has the highest transaction price of any Ford vehicle apart from the Super Duty, maybe.

[2b2]

I'm interested in the Flex's numbers. I would never have thought the Explorer would be outselling it (much less the Expy...at least at the monthly level). It's yearly numbers are quite poor as well. I truly wonder if it will survive past the unibody Explorer's debut.

OTOH having the new-Explorer's new-customers wandering around the showroom is an added opportunity to up-sell

[rmc523]

I'm interested in the Flex's numbers. I would never have thought the Explorer would be outselling it (much less the Expy...at least at the monthly level). It's yearly numbers are quite poor as well. I truly wonder if it will survive past the unibody Explorer's debut.

 

Ford has also done minimal advertising for the Flex since the 'ok' debut ads. They just now started running 2 of those customer spots with the Flex. I have been seeing a TON of them around lately too, along with 4 MKTs in the past 3 days.