Ford January 2018 Sales Down 6.6%; Lincoln Sales Plummet 27%

[rmc523]

 

 

Fusion is still very competitive on looks and features. That's not the problems. The problem is it's virtually unchanged in appearance for 5 years.

 

This. People want the "new" Camry or "new" Accord. Otherwise, if they're so reliable, why would they get another? When the 2013 Fusion buyer drives by the Ford lot, and sees the "new" Fusion that you have to squint and use a magnifying glass to figure out what they changed, coupled with much worse lease rates, why would they buy another?

[MY93SHO]

What is the deal with the Expedition? Something tells me they cant make enough. All hot selling vehicles on 1 line does not sound like a good plan to me.

Dealer in town still doesn't have an Expy or Navigator. Only Lincolns are two 2017 Continentals.

 

Sioux Falls Ford only has 2 Expy's on the ground and no Navigator.

 

Not a lot out there.

[akirby]

Dealer in town still doesn't have an Expy or Navigator. Only Lincolns are two 2017 Continentals.

 

Sioux Falls Ford only has 2 Expy's on the ground and no Navigator.

 

Not a lot out there.

 

I suspect most that are sold right now are customer orders so they're not parking those on the lot.

[grbeck]

The closest Ford dealer has only two new Expeditions on the lot.

 

I've already seen another one parked in downtown Harrisburg - and not sporting dealer plates.

[snooter]

My take on their cars is extremely negative right now. This thread has made me angry because this is further proof that Ford pushed the pause button on virtually everything except the F150 as far as real development for a while there. Fiesta I believe is a dead man walking. Taurus is a dead man walking. Focus (see above) really needed to be replaced last year. The Fusion offers nothing class leading or innovative (maybe AWD). For those that say cars aren't selling look at Toyota and Honda. People are buying cars, just not as many as before. Those folks that are buying cars don't want a car that is just average or ok, when they can go to their Honda or Toyota dealer and get class leading for the same price. Look at the specs of the Camry and Accord and compare it to the Fusion (which just got updated for 2017) and tell me there wasn't some really poor decision making going on with that update.

 

I've heard mixed reviews on Hackett so far. I will withhold judgement for a while but one things is for certain, he is going to have his hands full. Trying to keep current products competitive and class leading, while trying to get hybrid/electrics ready for take off can't be easy but that's why they pay him millions.

I agree hatcklett needs some time..but this is not all fields doings...i have seen this multiple times in the evil empire i work at..new guy always blames guy he replaced with issue sometimes being created by the guy 5 years back and now he is long gone Edited February 1, 2018 by snooter

[blwnsmoke]

As far as Navigator is concerned.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/02/01/ford-is-selling-90000-suvs-faster-than-it-can-make-them.html

 

Ford is selling the high-end Lincoln Navigator so fast it is having trouble keeping up with demand.

 

The second-largest U.S. automaker has only been rolling out the 2018 Navigator to dealerships since the end of November, but Ford is already straining to produce enough vehicles, executives said on a conference call Thursday.

 

Navigator sales form a tiny share of Ford's total slightly less than 1,300 out of the 161,000 cars the company sold during January. But they were up 97.5 percent over the same month in 2017, even though Ford's overall sales dropped 6.6 percent, and total Lincoln SUV sales fell almost 20 percent.

 

 

"We could have sold a lot more in January if we had had them," said Mark LaNeve, vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service.

 

Furthermore, 84 percent of Lincoln buyers opted for the two most expensive trim levels, the Reserve and the Black Label. Those packages can bring the price of the SUV up to roughly $90,000 and $100,000, respectively.

Edited February 1, 2018 by blwnsmoke

[Deanh]

grbeck....Dealer Principal called me for input as we got allocated two, and we were NOT allowed any Platinums or Limiteds as they are on commodity issues. All we were allowed to order was 200 or 201 packages, either length...so we spec'd out two units...both Expeditions were kicked back FX4 package N/A, and 20 inch wheel upgrade also N/A..............

[akirby]

I agree hatcklett needs some time..but this is not all fields doings...i have seen this multiple times in the evil empire i work at..new guy always blames guy he replaced with issue sometimes being created by the guy 5 years back and now he is long gone

This wasn’t happening with Mulally. It changed after Fields took over. There is no question about that based on first hand reports from employees.

[The Handler]

They are pricing themselves out of the market. To many recalls don't help.

Yup. I just looked at the new Expeditions and nearly had a heart attack. A whopping $52k for a base XLT. The slightly cheaper Yukon SLE I looked at had a far nicer interior.

[akirby]

Nicer interior in a Yukon?

[fuzzymoomoo]

Yup. I just looked at the new Expeditions and nearly had a heart attack. A whopping $52k for a base XLT. The slightly cheaper Yukon SLE I looked at had a far nicer interior.

You are literally the first person Ive heard say that

[Trader 10]

The Handler" Yup. I just looked at the new Expeditions and nearly had a heart attack. A whopping $52k for a base XLT. The slightly cheaper Yukon SLE I looked at had a far nicer interior.

 

 

How did you feel when you looked in the back and saw the ridiculous load height and lack of room? It’s amazing GM can sell so many of these flawed SUV’s with the space robbing solid axle.

[ice-capades]

 

My take on their cars is extremely negative right now. This thread has made me angry because this is further proof that Ford pushed the pause button on virtually everything except the F150 as far as real development for a while there. Fiesta I believe is a dead man walking. Taurus is a dead man walking. Focus (see above) really needed to be replaced last year. The Fusion offers nothing class leading or innovative (maybe AWD). For those that say cars aren't selling look at Toyota and Honda. People are buying cars, just not as many as before. Those folks that are buying cars don't want a car that is just average or ok, when they can go to their Honda or Toyota dealer and get class leading for the same price. Look at the specs of the Camry and Accord and compare it to the Fusion (which just got updated for 2017) and tell me there wasn't some really poor decision making going on with that update.

 

I've heard mixed reviews on Hackett so far. I will withhold judgement for a while but one things is for certain, he is going to have his hands full. Trying to keep current products competitive and class leading, while trying to get hybrid/electrics ready for take off can't be easy but that's why they pay him millions.

 

Perhaps Ford decided to keep the Fiesta in the lineup since the Focus will be out of production after May while production is moved to China. The problem for Dealers is that there's no profit in the Fiesta and sales are minimal. At the same time the Focus reputation was damaged years ago thanks to the transmission issues and Dealers are limited in the number of 1.0L EcoBoost vehicles they can get from Ford with the "good" 6-Speed Automatic. The Fusion has now gone 6 model years without any substantial updates. Ford's tried pushing the Fusion AWD's but they're a tough sell as marketed by Ford. Dearborn executives are making decisions that are being rejected by customers and Dealers but Dearborn knows best!

 

Okay, CEO Hackett inherited the damage done by Fields but he's not giving anyone a reason to be enthusiastic about Ford's direction going forward. All Dealers are hearing is talk about Ford's commitment to "mobility motoring" while they seem to be ignoring the core business of selling vehicles. The core business has to be successful and generate the necessary profits to invest in future product development.

[ice-capades]

Our dealership went a number of years without stocking Expeditions because we couldn't sell them in a market dominated by GM & GMC's full sized SUV's. Others (Dealer Principal & GEM) decided that we should stock one loaded, high end model which ended up being the Dealer Principal's "Demo" unit. Our store depreciates "Demo" vehicles each month they're in service and even so our Dealer Principal had to drive his Expedition for at least 6 months before it was written down enough to make the price attractive enough to a customer to buy.

 

So far, we've sold and delivered three or four 2018MY Expeditions just in the past two months which is a major change in our store's Expedition sales rate. Today we received an XLT model with the #202A package... Leather, Power Moonroof & Navigation and the MSRP was nearly $66,000... for an XLT!

[jasonj80]

Our dealership went a number of years without stocking Expeditions because we couldn't sell them in a market dominated by GM & GMC's full sized SUV's. Others (Dealer Principal & GEM) decided that we should stock one loaded, high end model which ended up being the Dealer Principal's "Demo" unit. Our store depreciates "Demo" vehicles each month they're in service and even so our Dealer Principal had to drive his Expedition for at least 6 months before it was written down enough to make the price attractive enough to a customer to buy.

 

So far, we've sold and delivered three or four 2018MY Expeditions just in the past two months which is a major change in our store's Expedition sales rate. Today we received an XLT model with the #202A package... Leather, Power Moonroof & Navigation and the MSRP was nearly $66,000... for an XLT!

How long do you think that one will sit on the lot? I wonder if people that will spend $66k for an XLT will be the same people that would rather get $72k and get a Limited and those XLT will sit longer.

[justins]

I'm so far removed from the US market here in Oz it isn't funny, but to me it looks like Ford are happy to sell less and less "Cars" and focus more and more on CUV / SUVs (I read Hackett has said as much). So while the sales numbers may be down mainly due to cars, I imagine the profit margins on those CUV / SUVs will more than make up for those lost on the cars.

 

And it's those profit margins that will fund Hackett's grand plan for electric vehicles and the "connected world" that he showed off at CES.

 

It's probably the greatest advantage Ford has over the likes of Tesla - profit to cross subsidise development of future directions.

 

Whether that pays off in the long run only time will tell.

[tbone]

 

This. People want the "new" Camry or "new" Accord. Otherwise, if they're so reliable, why would they get another? When the 2013 Fusion buyer drives by the Ford lot, and sees the "new" Fusion that you have to squint and use a magnifying glass to figure out what they changed, coupled with much worse lease rates, why would they buy another?

I think this pretty much sums it up.

[tbone]

Yup. I just looked at the new Expeditions and nearly had a heart attack. A whopping $52k for a base XLT. The slightly cheaper Yukon SLE I looked at had a far nicer interior.

Although I am a Ford fan I can objectively look at something a competitor has done and concede it is better, but in this case I think you are mistaken. But hey, to each their own right.

[tbone]

 

Perhaps Ford decided to keep the Fiesta in the lineup since the Focus will be out of production after May while production is moved to China. The problem for Dealers is that there's no profit in the Fiesta and sales are minimal. At the same time the Focus reputation was damaged years ago thanks to the transmission issues and Dealers are limited in the number of 1.0L EcoBoost vehicles they can get from Ford with the "good" 6-Speed Automatic. The Fusion has now gone 6 model years without any substantial updates. Ford's tried pushing the Fusion AWD's but they're a tough sell as marketed by Ford. Dearborn executives are making decisions that are being rejected by customers and Dealers but Dearborn knows best!

 

Okay, CEO Hackett inherited the damage done by Fields but he's not giving anyone a reason to be enthusiastic about Ford's direction going forward. All Dealers are hearing is talk about Ford's commitment to "mobility motoring" while they seem to be ignoring the core business of selling vehicles. The core business has to be successful and generate the necessary profits to invest in future product development.

I havent weighed in on Hackett since the related threads have popped up because I think it is way too early to comment on him, however it does appear his communication skills regarding the core products could use some improvement. Time will soon tell if he knows what the heck he is doing.

[The Handler]

Nicer interior in a Yukon?

 

I thought the cloth felt premium, and the dash is much more "civilized" than the industrial-looking dash of the F-150. In case you're wondering, I do have sour grapes over the price increase. These things are already overpriced to begin with. Some of us just want a truck with a wagon body. Now it's become some kind of status symbol. It's so absurd and unnatural for there to be a sizable market for $50-$80k trucks and SUVs. This wouldn't be possible without middle class debtors.

 

The Handler" Yup. I just looked at the new Expeditions and nearly had a heart attack. A whopping $52k for a base XLT. The slightly cheaper Yukon SLE I looked at had a far nicer interior.

 

 

How did you feel when you looked in the back and saw the ridiculous load height and lack of room? It’s amazing GM can sell so many of these flawed SUV’s with the space robbing solid axle.

I completely agree. The Expedition has always been the superior choice for hauling cargo and people. And towing. It can do just about everything. Unfortunately, none of that has translated into more sales and even market dominance. It's truly an underappreciated vehicle.

Edited February 2, 2018 by The Handler

[jpd80]

I completely agree. The Expedition has always been the superior choice for hauling cargo and people. And towing. It can do just about everything. Unfortunately, none of that has translated into more sales and even market dominance. It's truly an underappreciated vehicle.

That could be about to change and yes, Ford is cashing in on current desirability of full sized SUVs.

It sucks that every manufacturer is doing it and yeah, they will keep going until the market stalls.

 

Given Ford's restricted production of Expedition and Navigator, they were always gong to build the super rich mix first

for all those early gotta have buyers, I just don't see how Ford will resolve this dilema in paradox to roaring Super Duty

production at the same plant.....perhaps some super saturday build days are coming in the next few months

[2b2]

...Given Ford's restricted production of Expedition and Navigator, they were always giong to build the super rich mix first

for all those early gotta have buyers...

except it doesn't sound like they did

http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/64486-fords-rating-outlook-downgraded-by-moodys;-investors-concerned/page-2&do=findComment&comment=1021445

[jniffen]

Lincoln was giving $10K back to the dealers for the 2017 stock in Jan.

Why didn't they don that in Dec?

I almost bought an AWD, Navagation and Climate package MKX for $37K, after the discounts, but no HD Radio...

If I'm dropping in that range the HD Radio should be included, but that's just me.

It did get sold over this weekend.

 

Not seeing much 2017 MKXs left, many low $40Ks up after the discounts.

[bdegrand]

I havent weighed in on Hackett since the related threads have popped up because I think it is way too early to comment on him, however it does appear his communication skills regarding the core products could use some improvement. Time will soon tell if he knows what the heck he is doing.

Didn't many of us say that about Mark Fields....not including me....I said he was a mistake before he was hired. Just saying....

[bdegrand]

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2018/02/general-motors-january-2018-sales-figures-numbers-results-united-states/

 

GM January 2018 Sales ...their cars were not that impressive!

Edited February 2, 2018 by bdegrand