JasonM Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 From DetNews: "No other Ford vehicle is stronger at attracting buyers who never considered owning a Ford, " "No Ford model has a higher buyer-retention rate." 28,000 units moved in 2012 http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130406/AUTO03/304060302/1148/auto01/Ford-s-free-spirit-Flex-lives-up-its-loose-name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 (edited) Our Escape is on it's last legs, not sure what I'll replace it with, but Ford doesn't really have anything to offer that appeals to me in that segment. Our Flex has been the perfect car for us. We may replace it (with a new Flex) sooner than we would otherwise if/when Ford stops making them. There really isn't another Ford we'd consider when replacing it either. I've half thought about a second Flex to replace the Escape. Edited April 7, 2013 by sullynd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Here's another stat about the Ford Flex, which was chosen by AAA as a Top Vehicle for Commuters recently: TrueCar.com reports the Average Price Paid on the Flex was 15.4% below MSRP. For comparison, the TrueCar.com Average Price Paid figures for the Toyota Highlander and Honda Odyssey (which were also top picks by AAA) were 6.3% and 5.8% below MSRP, respectively. So in addition to software programmers and "anyone else with more eccentricities than pockets on their orange corduroy pants", as stated in the review, the Flex should delight bargain hunters as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Here's another stat about the Ford Flex, which was chosen by AAA as a Top Vehicle for Commuters recently: TrueCar.com reports the Average Price Paid on the Flex was 15.4% below MSRP. For comparison, the TrueCar.com Average Price Paid figures for the Toyota Highlander and Honda Odyssey (which were also top picks by AAA) were 6.3% and 5.8% below MSRP, respectively. So in addition to software programmers and "anyone else with more eccentricities than pockets on their orange corduroy pants", as stated in the review, the Flex should delight bargain hunters as well. That's right, and that's the legacy of building decades of crappy cars and minivans. At least the amounts on the hoods aren't as big as they used to be, and inventories are kept fairly tight. O/T: doing a lot of driving these days, and it seems that there are lots of brand-new cars where the model names and numeric hoo-ha aren't put on straight. Saw an "Equus" last week that had a noticeable off-level positioning. So much for PDI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbalek Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 That's right, and that's the legacy of building decades of crappy cars and minivans. At least the amounts on the hoods aren't as big as they used to be, and inventories are kept fairly tight. O/T: doing a lot of driving these days, and it seems that there are lots of brand-new cars where the model names and numeric hoo-ha aren't put on straight. Saw an "Equus" last week that had a noticeable off-level positioning. So much for PDI. This a Ford Flex I saw at my local dealer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 This a Ford Flex I saw at my local dealer. I don't know what it is about that badge, but the one on my Escape Titanium is peeling. I'm not gong to worry about it, it's a lease, but I've never seen that before. As for the Flex, this sounds like Mercury. Mercury's existence was defended this way, and it sucumb anyway. I don't think the Flex earns enough of those customers to justify its existence, although I'm a fan of the car and would love to see it stick around. But it won't, so I'm moving on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Mercury died when Ford's products basically ate Mercury's retail market share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 (edited) Mercury died when Ford's products basically ate Mercury's retail market share. It's pretty easy to replace marketshare (and the Flex has very little), replacing customers is another story. Edited April 7, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 It's pretty easy to replace marketshare (and the Flex has very little), replacing customers is another story. WTF? You can't have one without the other...we all know that the Flex and MKT aren't long of this world...so its a moot point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) WTF? You can't have one without the other...we all know that the Flex and MKT aren't long of this world...so its a moot point You can sell more of one car to the same demographic of customers, but earning new customers is harder. How valuable that is another question. Edited April 8, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) Mercury died when Ford's products basically ate Mercury's retail market share. And the Flex will die because Explorer is basically eating all of it's retail market share. I just don't see how a business case could be made for an all new Flex at it's current sales rate. Edited April 8, 2013 by 2005Explorer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) Borg's view of market share and customers is quaint but overly simplistic. There's much more to market share and the "quality" of the customer, as well as the location of that market share and the location of the customer......but that complexity seems to be lost on some. Ford Flex SUV sales rev up in California The Ford Flex, with a distinct look and tinges of retro styling, doesn't sell well nationally but is one of the bestselling full-size SUVs in California. LA Times : "Yet, in one of the quirkiest trends in the auto industry, the massive Flex is one of the bestselling full-size sport utility vehicles in California this year." RL Polk: Flex leads all vehicles offered by Ford, General Motors and Chrysler as the model with the highest share of its registrations nationally in California. California accounts for 13.5% of all Flex sales in the U.S. through the end of September but for just 8.2% of Ford's sales nationally. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/20/business/la-fi-autos-ford-flex-20121020 10/20/12 Edited April 8, 2013 by JasonM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) This a Ford Flex I saw at my local dealer. There is just no excuse for that. It does remind me of a car one of my friends had in college. It was a mid 60s Buick Wildcat convertible. When it came back from the paint shop, the letters on the rear end spelled M I L D C A T. Edited April 8, 2013 by Mark B. Morrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 other misc stats: Ward's Auto: The CUV’s one-of-a-kind design resonates with some, specifically married, college-educated women whose annual earnings hover near or above $100,000. Strategic Vision: Women account for 42% of all Flex sales, eight percentage points higher than the Ford brand’s tally. Flex buyers tend to be more affluent than the average Ford customer Most Flex buyers are college graduates who earn more than $98,000 a year. One out of two Flex buyers has never driven a Ford before Ninety percent say they would recommend the Flex, compared to 84% of other Ford owners According to San Diego-based Strategic Vision Total Value Index, which gauges consumer sentiment on 442 vehicle attributes, the Flex is the market’s favorite midsize CUV. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Mercury was mismanaged into insignifigance before it was killed. No decent effort was put into giving it any identity for its last decade. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Mercury died when Ford's products basically ate Mercury's retail market share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2b2 Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) ^^ ^^ Mercury died when Ford's products basically ate Mercury's retail market share. tail meet dog & it took the KillMerc Fomoco faction a decade and a half to accomplish their goal & maybe POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC? Edited April 8, 2013 by 2b2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Gotta love how Mercury conversion comes up in a Ford Flex thread. Lets create another brand that is barely different than Ford that costs more $$$ development wise instead of just making a more expensive Ford that create better profits...umm ok... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) Gotta love how Mercury conversion comes up in a Ford Flex thread. Lets create another brand that is barely different than Ford that costs more $$$ development wise instead of just making a more expensive Ford that create better profits...umm ok... But unlike a Mercury, the Flex is a completely unique product, how affrodable/sustainable is that when volume is low? This is not a premium luxury car. Edited April 8, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 But unlike a Mercury, the Flex is a completely unique product, how affrodable/sustainable is that when volume is low? This is not a premium luxury car. Completely unique!??! You might want to try again...a new top hat and a couple of inches added to the Freestyle/Taurus X platform don't make it completely unique. It shares engines with Taurus and Explorer, who are also platform mates. This isn't a Volt vs a Cobalt platform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Completely unique!??! You might want to try again...a new top hat and a couple of inches added to the Freestyle/Taurus X platform don't make it completely unique. It shares engines with Taurus and Explorer, who are also platform mates. This isn't a Volt vs a Cobalt platform. And since Lincoln has had such a hard time transitioning to unique tophats due to the expense, what makes you think tophat differentiation is trivial? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 And since Lincoln has had such a hard time transitioning to unique tophats due to the expense, what makes you think tophat differentiation is trivial? The only two products that didn't have significant different top hats where the first gen MKZ and MKX....and guess what? both were developed when Ford was short on money... You can argue the point that all the Flex is another Freestyle/Taurus X... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 I wonder if a "regular" station wagon version of the next Taurus sedan might be the way to go, with a raised-height "Allroad" version available, like Volvo did with the V-70, and Audi, with the A-6 Avant, or whatever they called it? Like the Flex, an alternative to the mini-van, but maybe more acceptable to the "market"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordBuyer Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 I wonder if a "regular" station wagon version of the next Taurus sedan might be the way to go, with a raised-height "Allroad" version available, like Volvo did with the V-70, and Audi, with the A-6 Avant, or whatever they called it? Like the Flex, an alternative to the mini-van, but maybe more acceptable to the "market"? Or how about something simpler and less expensive to develop like a Fusion wagon with AWD available and way over 30mpg highway? No more 4500 pound wagons that get 24mpg highway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Or how about something simpler and less expensive to develop like a Fusion wagon with AWD available and way over 30mpg highway? No more 4500 pound wagons that get 24mpg highway. And be DOA on the market place even worse then the Flex and MKT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Or how about something simpler and less expensive to develop like a Fusion wagon with AWD available and way over 30mpg highway? No more 4500 pound wagons that get 24mpg highway. Dafuq? The Flex is not a station wagon dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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