robertlane Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) Ford U.S. February Retail Sales Driven by Strong Demand for F-Series, Transit, Explorer and Mustang F-Series, America’s best-selling truck, posts retail sales increases of 7 percent – driven by all-new F-150; Transit drives 30 percent increase in Ford van sales versus year-ago Explorer sales increase 32 percent in February – best in 9 years; Mustang sales up 32 percent, for best performance since 2007 Lincoln February retail sales results up 3 percent Ford Motor Company U.S. sales of 180,383 vehicles for February represent a 2 percent decline compared to a year ago Click here for full release with tables DEARBORN, Mich., March 3, 2015 – Ford Motor Company U.S. sales totaled 180,383 vehicles in February, down 2 percent from a year ago. F-Series retail sales increased 7 percent, as the all-new F-150 remains one of Ford’s fastest-turning vehicles on dealer lots. The training of employees in the new manufacturing process at Kansas City Assembly Plant – the second plant building the new F-150 – is now under way, with production scheduled to begin this month, as planned. “Strong customer demand for the all-new F-150 drove strong February F-Series retail sales results in February,” said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “The all-new F-150 continues to be the hottest vehicles on dealer lots, turning more than four times faster than the industry’s overall full-size pickup segment.” Transit drove a 30 percent increase in total Ford van sales of 13,936 vehicles for the month, including E-Series and Transit Connect. This marks Ford’s best February van sales performance since 2007. Explorer sales of 17,027 vehicles were up 32 percent, marking the SUV’s best February sales results since 2006. Mustang sales increased 32 percent with 8,454 vehicles sold – representing its best February sales since 2007 and making it the best-selling sports car in America since the launch of the all-new model last fall. Lincoln retail sales increased 3 percent versus last year. Lincoln MKC continues to build momentum for the luxury brand, along with Navigator, which posted a 96 percent sales increase. https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/03/03/february2015sales.html Edited March 3, 2015 by robertlane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 http://www.autoblog.com/2015/03/02/generation-z-prefers-ford-fuel-efficiency/ Fear not the future, dear green-car enthusiast. For the youngest drivers like good gas mileage. And they don't really like SUVs or trucks. Breathe easier.About 80 percent of drivers ages 16 to 21, part of what's known as 'Generation Z,' prefer cars more than any other type of larger light-duty vehicle, with about half of that group preferring compact cars, The Detroit News says, citing data company MaritzCX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Lincoln's number are ugly. Thank goodness for Navigator's refresh! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Too bad they can't get the Taurus out of Chicago because I honestly think they could sell even more Explorers if they had the capacity to build them. If it's doing this well now the refresh is only going to help for next year. Lincoln did pretty bad, but the new MKX should help things when it shows up. I'm waiting for the MKT to drop into the 100s in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Too bad they can't get the Taurus out of Chicago because I honestly think they could sell even more Explorers if they had the capacity to build them. If it's doing this well now the refresh is only going to help for next year. Lincoln did pretty bad, but the new MKX should help things when it shows up. I'm waiting for the MKT to drop into the 100s in the near future. Taurus and MKS are moving to Flat Rock later this year 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertlane Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Lincoln's number are ugly. Thank goodness for Navigator's refresh! Ugly or hideous? The new Continental and Aviator can't come soon enough. Too bad they can't get the Taurus out of Chicago because I honestly think they could sell even more Explorers if they had the capacity to build them. If it's doing this well now the refresh is only going to help for next year. Lincoln did pretty bad, but the new MKX should help things when it shows up. I'm waiting for the MKT to drop into the 100s in the near future. I'm betting that once the Aviator returns, the MKT is dead. Flex is in a nose dive too. Taurus and MKS are moving to Flat Rock later this year That's what I am hearing too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Reynolds Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I'm surprised that more units of the MKC aren't moving (unless I missed something). I find it to be very competent and class competitive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I'm surprised that more units of the MKC aren't moving (unless I missed something). I find it to be very competent and class competitive I wonder how much incentive there is for dealers to push the Lincoln version. In our small city, there is ONE Lincoln dealer, and it also sells Fords. The dealership always has the Escapes and Explorers placed front-and-center along the main road during the winter. There is not a Lincoln to be found in the front row. You have to enter the lot and look in the back rows for the Lincolns. Not a good way to merchandise and promote the brand, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I wonder how much incentive there is for dealers to push the Lincoln version. In our small city, there is ONE Lincoln dealer, and it also sells Fords. The dealership always has the Escapes and Explorers placed front-and-center along the main road during the winter. There is not a Lincoln to be found in the front row. You have to enter the lot and look in the back rows for the Lincolns. Not a good way to merchandise and promote the brand, in my opinion. And that's part of the problem. I wonder if there is a way to incentivize dealers to separate the Lincoln dealer from the Ford dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Ford needs more and innovative products that won't get lost in the meat of the market. over the last 4 quarters now Ford has been hemorrhaging market share. now that all of our mainstream models have been redone, where is the growth going to come from? and don't say the new F150, it cannot make up for the lack of growth in Cars and Lincoln. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang84isu Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 February 2014 was a terrible month for auto sales after a harsh month of frigid weather. The fact that Ford still declined in the YOY comparison for 2015 is disappointing. Lots of red, and the bright spots were few and far between.It sounds like fleet reductions were a big portion of the decline, so hopefully next month we will see Ford regain some ground in lost market share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 And that's part of the problem. I wonder if there is a way to incentivize dealers to separate the Lincoln dealer from the Ford dealer. Only if Ford is willing to fund part of the buildout and they may already be doing that. Franchise laws prevent Ford from forcing dealers to do anything they don't want to do with regards to their dealership. But if the dealer doesn't want to do it then Ford has no real option to force them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertlane Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 You know what would be HOT? A new Ford Bronco. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Only if Ford is willing to fund part of the buildout and they may already be doing that. Franchise laws prevent Ford from forcing dealers to do anything they don't want to do with regards to their dealership. But if the dealer doesn't want to do it then Ford has no real option to force them. That's the beauty of it, they don't have to force anything. Mind you, not every dealer has the resources to spin Lincoln off to a second, separate lot, however if there was some incentive on the table, it might be easier to pull off should the dealer choose to take the offer. What that might take, I don't know, maybe someone with experience running a dealer could shed some light on what that might take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Ford needs more and innovative products that won't get lost in the meat of the market. over the last 4 quarters now Ford has been hemorrhaging market share. now that all of our mainstream models have been redone, where is the growth going to come from? and don't say the new F150, it cannot make up for the lack of growth in Cars and Lincoln. I can't speak to the cars, but Edge is about to be replaced, so not much to worry about there. As for Lincoln, the MKZ numbers are a bit troubling - it needs a refresh to bring it in line with the MKC. The new MKX, like Edge is around the corner. That should help increase sales. Lincoln's strength will lie in leveraging Ford's utility expertise, which they're in the process of doing. MKC was the first step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Say there's a series of different options presented to dealers with combined Ford/Lincoln lots. Option 1: Spin the Lincoln branch off to a separate lot, You can keep it nearby as long as it is a separate parcel of land. Offer a percentage towards construction and moving costs Option 2: Keep them both on the same lot with the same parcel of land, but treat them like completely different stores. Not like GM does with Caddilac/GMC where Caddilacs are sold out the back door, but there is a distinct difference between the Ford side and Lincoln side, and its all visible to passing traffic. This may only work with dealers who have larger lots and could expand their showroom or build a second showroom to accommodate. Again, offer a percentage towards construction costs. Option 3: Should the first 2 options not be feasible for whatever reason, Buy out whichever end (be it Ford or Lincoln) the owner of the dealership feels is best for His/Her business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Say there's a series of different options presented to dealers with combined Ford/Lincoln lots. Option 1: Spin the Lincoln branch off to a separate lot, You can keep it nearby as long as it is a separate parcel of land. Offer a percentage towards construction and moving costs Option 2: Keep them both on the same lot with the same parcel of land, but treat them like completely different stores. Not like GM does with Caddilac/GMC where Caddilacs are sold out the back door, but there is a distinct difference between the Ford side and Lincoln side, and its all visible to passing traffic. This may only work with dealers who have larger lots and could expand their showroom or build a second showroom to accommodate. Again, offer a percentage towards construction costs. Option 3: Should the first 2 options not be feasible for whatever reason, Buy out whichever end (be it Ford or Lincoln) the owner of the dealership feels is best for His/Her business. You forget step 0 - get billions of dollars to spend on this effort.......... it ain't cheap. They've been working with the dealers on upgrading their facilities for several years now. It will take some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 You forget step 0 - get billions of dollars to spend on this effort.......... it ain't cheap. They've been working with the dealers on upgrading their facilities for several years now. It will take some time. Right, I'm not trying to insinuate that it's an overnight fix. However, now that the business side of Ford has shown it can be consistently profitable, now might be the time to at least consider setting aside some resources for a plan like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBirdStangSkyliner Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 The most important of these numbers has to be the out of box success of the F150. This is the "hugest" thing that could have happend last month given the F150's financial importance to Ford and that it came to market during an unexpected free-fall in fuel prices. I am honestly stumped by this love for the Explorer. It seems to be the least competitive of the higher sales-volume Fords within a market segment. It feels less space efficient than several competitors (Pathfinder, GM Lambda triplets, Durango) as it fits on its old bones while trying to look more like the SUV it used to be. No one of any physical stature wants to ride behind the front row in the one in my employer's fleet. Space for laptops and lunch boxes in the cargo area gets tight quickly. It seems to offer less handling prowess and ride quality on the highway than other CUV's while appearing to shake, float, and flex more on gravel roads (well, except for the Lambda's). It's fuel economy isn't much better than the V6 Durango. The Durango can do a lot more things better; such as usually keeping fairly-well crushed gravel on the outside of the factory tires. I just don't see where the Explorer fills any niche or combination of niches as well as its competition. It gives way noticeably in important areas without picking up a fair return on utility in other areas. On the upside, it does have pleasantly low NVH on the highway. It also shows the power of a corporation doing well on many fronts. I can't imagine it isn't being buoyed by the overall success of the Ford brand and the sales volume of more class-leading products, like the F150 and Fusion. I think we see in these sales numbers that Lincoln is still a viable brand, hurray!, but the current product stategy and styling direction is still falling short of being able to maintain prolonged sales for new models. This doesn't mean that the MKZ isn't an important stopgap to the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Right, I'm not trying to insinuate that it's an overnight fix. However, now that the business side of Ford has shown it can be consistently profitable, now might be the time to at least consider setting aside some resources for a plan like that. They've been doing that for at least the last 3 years. It's already in progress and some dealerships are already upgraded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Reynolds Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) Maybe this is happening already, but Ford could stand to do a better job selling Lincolns to exisiting Ford customers looking for a premium nameplate. I will say this much, at least a boat load of money wasn't dumped into the brand only to net nothing from it (like Cadillac). Edited March 3, 2015 by Michael Reynolds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 You know what would be HOT? A new Ford Bronco. I sure wish you could fully spill the beans instead of just letting one or two drop....... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pictor Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 It will be interesting see who the other Automakers do In Feb. In New England auto sells plain an simply sucked. My Audi dealer told me they were done over 50% from a typical month. The weather really kept people in. There was hardly anyone at my Ford dealer when we bought the Escape over President's day weekend, snowing if I recall but that was norm for the month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I sure wish you could fully spill the beans instead of just letting one or two drop....... What if he's just been trolling us this whole time? I would laugh 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 over the last 4 quarters now Ford has been hemorrhaging market share. What's Ford's capacity utilization right now? And what are the subprime portfolios like at GM and Chrysler? I'll just hang up and listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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