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Ford faces huge challenge as it launches 4 key models at frantic pace


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34 minutes ago, Deanh said:

overkill...keep it simple....perhaps ship them ALL with one grill and then have alternatives avail for easy changeout from the Parts dept...


It's not really that complicated though from an assembly standpoint. Parts like that (along with stuff like headlights, door panels, seats, mirrors, etc.) come from the supplier sequenced in the order that vehicle will be coming down the line. 

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1 hour ago, fuzzymoomoo said:


It's not really that complicated though from an assembly standpoint. Parts like that (along with stuff like headlights, door panels, seats, mirrors, etc.) come from the supplier sequenced in the order that vehicle will be coming down the line. 

Im specifically referring to one of my biggest angsts....TOO MANY CONFIGURATIONS....keep it simple, people want to change something cosmetically...order through parts dept...you have 5 different grills in the ordering guide you are shooting yourself in the foot...Ford needs to seriously refine and trim its ordering choices...ie 2019 Transit  was avail in 172 different configurations...and rather than streamline for 2020....they added AWD!...friggen nightmare... I know that's slightly different  to swapping out a grill, but Im thinking  youll get my drift...

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4 hours ago, rmc523 said:

 

Did you read my post?  I agreed that the 3 Explorers were more body variants than a sub brand.

Correct, Ford didn’t need sub branding when it had another brand, Mercury 

Sub branding is just marketing spin for using one common branding  to connect otherwise  unrelated vehicles.

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2 hours ago, jpd80 said:

Correct, Ford didn’t need sub branding when it had another brand, Mercury 

Sub branding is just marketing spin for using one common branding  to connect otherwise  unrelated vehicles.

 

In today's product marketing environment, consumers are used to recognize and respond to collections over individual products.  The Ford brand is BIG and spans from race cars to dump trucks.

 

Capitalizing on the very stong and favorably-viewed nameplates - like Mustang, Bronco, Continental, etc. - allows these identities to be spread across related products.

 

Done well, as I believe Ford has done so far with both the Mustang and Bronco subs, it's a great way to broaden appeal and accessibility of these icons.

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24 minutes ago, PREMiERdrum said:

 

Done well, as I believe Ford has done so far with both the Mustang and Bronco subs, it's a great way to broaden appeal and accessibility of these icons.

So teasing the Bronco for years and labeling the Bronco Sport as “SMALL RUGGED OFF-ROAD UTILITY” in official product timelines is “done well”?
I get what you are saying...but the marketing plan for the Bronco brand has been anything but “done well”.  I suppose in the near term it doesn’t really matter, the Bronco brand will lead to outstanding products initially, but time will tell if consumer demand is sustainable after the first generation of these products.  

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11 minutes ago, 02MustangGT said:

So teasing the Bronco for years and labeling the Bronco Sport as “SMALL RUGGED OFF-ROAD UTILITY” in official product timelines is “done well”?
I get what you are saying...but the marketing plan for the Bronco brand has been anything but “done well”.  I suppose in the near term it doesn’t really matter, the Bronco brand will lead to outstanding products initially, but time will tell if consumer demand is sustainable after the first generation of these products.  

 

We can't judge the coming Bronco family by the poorly managed programs from which they were finally born. The right team took the reigns a few years back and we all should be thankful. There were some *really* bad ideas floated. 

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1 hour ago, 02MustangGT said:

So teasing the Bronco for years and labeling the Bronco Sport as “SMALL RUGGED OFF-ROAD UTILITY” in official product timelines is “done well”?
I get what you are saying...but the marketing plan for the Bronco brand has been anything but “done well”.  I suppose in the near term it doesn’t really matter, the Bronco brand will lead to outstanding products initially, but time will tell if consumer demand is sustainable after the first generation of these products.  

 

They know if they officially refer to it as Bronco Sport before both are shown that people will be confused and say "THAT'S the Bronco we've been waiting for?"

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37 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

 

They know if they officially refer to it as Bronco Sport before both are shown that people will be confused and say "THAT'S the Bronco we've been waiting for?"


Honestly, no matter what they do there's still always going to be morons out there who confuse the two. 

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36 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:


Honestly, no matter what they do there's still always going to be morons out there who confuse the two. 

Yeah, image what it would be like with a full sized Bronco as well.....

For all those cheering on, there would be people complaining that only one is a real Bronco....

 

I'm now  convinced that Ford has to reveal Bronco and Bronco Sport together to prevent the

public perception of Bronco Sport looking like faux Bronco, a joint reveal will show the synergy

of the two covering compact and mid-sized segments.

Edited by jpd80
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2 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:


Honestly, no matter what they do there's still always going to be morons out there who confuse the two. 

 

oh for sure, but they can work to make it as obvious as possible

 

1 hour ago, jpd80 said:

Yeah, image what it would be like with a full sized Bronco as well.....

For all those cheering on, there would be people complaining that only one is a real Bronco....

 

I'm now  convinced that Ford has to reveal Bronco and Bronco Sport together to prevent the

public perception of Bronco Sport looking like faux Bronco, a joint reveal will show the synergy

of the two covering compact and mid-sized segments.

 

I've said that from the beginning - a simultaneous reveal would be the only true way to show everyone the distinction between the two.  Obviously Bronco Sport will be overshadowed by Bronco itself, but that was bound to happen anyway.  So make it painfully obvious - here are are two different vehicles as part of the new Bronco offroad family within the Ford brand.

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13 hours ago, rmc523 said:

 

Did you read my post?  I agreed that the 3 Explorers were more body variants than a sub brand.


I literally didn't, at least that part; I see you edited your post, I don't think all that was there when I initially replied to you.

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11 hours ago, Deanh said:

Im specifically referring to one of my biggest angsts....TOO MANY CONFIGURATIONS....keep it simple, people want to change something cosmetically...order through parts dept...you have 5 different grills in the ordering guide you are shooting yourself in the foot...Ford needs to seriously refine and trim its ordering choices...ie 2019 Transit  was avail in 172 different configurations...and rather than streamline for 2020....they added AWD!...friggen nightmare... I know that's slightly different  to swapping out a grill, but Im thinking  youll get my drift...

I highly disagree with this, for one reason. Why should someone be forced to buy a grill or any cosmetic body part they don't like from the factory? In this scenario, you're paying for a part you may not want or like, and then you have to pay MORE to replace it.

 

Great way for Ford to make money, terrible for us, especially when it's such an easy and pro-consumer part swap during assembly.  If ford is planning to make all these grills, then they should be on the order guide, AND available at the parts department.

 

I almost want to say there should be two ordering guides:

  • a smaller, more simple guide for those who are easily overwhelmed by choices
  • and a larger open-ended, completely customizable book that lets enthusiasts build their perfect dream Bronco.

Let the salesman start the customer in the basic book, and if the customer expresses interest in lots of options and customization, then he slaps down the big boy with all the sexy possibilities.

Edited by probowler
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15 hours ago, probowler said:

I highly disagree with this, for one reason. Why should someone be forced to buy a grill or any cosmetic body part they don't like from the factory? In this scenario, you're paying for a part you may not want or like, and then you have to pay MORE to replace it.

 

Great way for Ford to make money, terrible for us, especially when it's such an easy and pro-consumer part swap during assembly.  If ford is planning to make all these grills, then they should be on the order guide, AND available at the parts department.

 

I almost want to say there should be two ordering guides:

  • a smaller, more simple guide for those who are easily overwhelmed by choices
  • and a larger open-ended, completely customizable book that lets enthusiasts build their perfect dream Bronco.

Let the salesman start the customer in the basic book, and if the customer expresses interest in lots of options and customization, then he slaps down the big boy with all the sexy possibilities.

and that creates EXACTLY the issues we deal with on a day to day basis...too many configurations leads to you never having the exact unit the customer is looking for on the lot....ship it with one grill, and one grill only, have additional grills and custom parts online through Ford Performance and through the parts dept...plug and play...and you want to add to the confusion with TWO ordering guides...wowzers….

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1 hour ago, Deanh said:

and that creates EXACTLY the issues we deal with on a day to day basis...too many configurations leads to you never having the exact unit the customer is looking for on the lot....ship it with one grill, and one grill only, have additional grills and custom parts online through Ford Performance and through the parts dept...plug and play...and you want to add to the confusion with TWO ordering guides...wowzers….

Ford only complains about complexity of ordering when it suits them like Fusion (33,000 ways)

but completely ignored that with the encyclopaedia ordering guides in front of you....why is that?

Are they afraid to lose any sales? Are sales non uniform across regions of the US?

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4 minutes ago, jpd80 said:

Ford only complains about complexity of ordering when it suits them like Fusion (33,000 ways)

but completely ignored that with the encyclopaedia ordering guides in front of you....why is that?

Are they afraid to lose any sales? Are sales non uniform across regions of the US?

trying to cater to absolutely every buyer in the nation....seriously needs significant streamlining and support from Ford regarding aftermarket...something they havent agressively pursued  semi ignored for years, I have seen glimmers of light lately with the Ranger ( the reflash that's factory backed for 45 hp and 60 ftlbs torque is a HUGE step ) but compared to say Mopar, they still have a way to go. Ive preached for YEARS that Navigation should be plug and play...which it HAS become thx to Sync 3 via Apple I play....but Ford was behind that 8 ball and Nav could only be had in vehicles with much higher content....

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2 hours ago, Deanh said:

and that creates EXACTLY the issues we deal with on a day to day basis...too many configurations leads to you never having the exact unit the customer is looking for on the lot....ship it with one grill, and one grill only, have additional grills and custom parts online through Ford Performance and through the parts dept...plug and play...and you want to add to the confusion with TWO ordering guides...wowzers….

As someone who plans to build my own Bronco, yeah.


I honestly don't understand how that is confusing at all? And if someone is looking through an order book (whether it's simple or not) it seems like they're potentially far past buying something off the lot, so once a customer reaches that stage, why not give them exactly what they want?

 

It just plain doesn't make any sense to me to force ship a car with Grill A when the customer wants grill C, and it would be so easy to just put grill C on at the factory, especially if the customer has already resolved to custom build, versus ordering off the lot. Why make the customer go through the hassle of replacing the part or scheduling an appointment to change something after the fact?

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Reading this post made me think. When Ford introduced the original 5.4 Raptor, who thought it would sell at the price and take rate that it does? Even better, who thought it would sell through soon to be 3 body styles and create a Ranger and most likely Bronco Raptors ? 
 

Out of all the customers Ford has, they are most in tune with their truck customers. I’m not going to doubt how they package them or build them as I know they’ve done their research and studied it thoroughly.

 

I’ll complain on the marketing a little for the slow rollout but will give them a bit of a free pass with Covid and racial tensions that have been on the forefront of what’s been going on.

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1 hour ago, probowler said:

As someone who plans to build my own Bronco, yeah.


I honestly don't understand how that is confusing at all? And if someone is looking through an order book (whether it's simple or not) it seems like they're potentially far past buying something off the lot, so once a customer reaches that stage, why not give them exactly what they want?

 

It just plain doesn't make any sense to me to force ship a car with Grill A when the customer wants grill C, and it would be so easy to just put grill C on at the factory, especially if the customer has already resolved to custom build, versus ordering off the lot. Why make the customer go through the hassle of replacing the part or scheduling an appointment to change something after the fact?


You’re looking at special orders which are probably 10% of sales at most.  What Deanh is saying is they have to maintain dealer inventory with all those unique models and options or risk not having what the customer wants in stock.   Instead of only needing 2 or 3 of one color and trim you now need 8 or 12 to cover all the options.  That drives inventory costs way up.

 

By allowing the dealer to swap out the grille it allows the dealer to keep minimal stock.  Win/win.  You don’t have to pay extra.

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1 hour ago, akirby said:


You’re looking at special orders which are probably 10% of sales at most.  What Deanh is saying is they have to maintain dealer inventory with all those unique models and options or risk not having what the customer wants in stock.   Instead of only needing 2 or 3 of one color and trim you now need 8 or 12 to cover all the options.  That drives inventory costs way up.

 

By allowing the dealer to swap out the grille it allows the dealer to keep minimal stock.  Win/win.  You don’t have to pay extra.

 

That's why I suggested having a basic and an advanced order guide. You have the basic guide which shows off the most common options and packages (the vehicles that dealers actually stock) then you have the advanced guide for that minority 10% who like to customize their vehicles. Is it necessary to keep oddly-speced vehicles on the lot? If the customer wants something weird, I'd just make them order it. Just don't limit what people can order from the factory, nothing makes me more annoyed than for example finding out the red sport leather interior is arbitrarily not available in Package Y.

 

I do really like your idea of the dealer swapping the pieces for no cost, that would be awesome! I still think it's bit of a loss for the dealer who has to spend an hour swapping a part that could have been installed that way at the factory (in the case of a custom order) but it's a great option for someone buying off the lot has found their vehicle, but wants grill C for instance.

I'll always argue in favor of custom ordering but if Deanhs solution can make people happy too and take a car home from off the lot, then I definitely support that option too.

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9 hours ago, rmc523 said:

Wouldn't dealers then complain about having to keep all these interchangeable parts in some sort of inventory on the dealership?


I’ve taken my vehicle to the dealer for numerous repairs/warranty work and they seem to never have the part in stock, but they are usually able to get it shipped to them in a day or two. I’d imagine it would work something like that.

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16 hours ago, probowler said:

As someone who plans to build my own Bronco, yeah.


I honestly don't understand how that is confusing at all? And if someone is looking through an order book (whether it's simple or not) it seems like they're potentially far past buying something off the lot, so once a customer reaches that stage, why not give them exactly what they want?

 

It just plain doesn't make any sense to me to force ship a car with Grill A when the customer wants grill C, and it would be so easy to just put grill C on at the factory, especially if the customer has already resolved to custom build, versus ordering off the lot. Why make the customer go through the hassle of replacing the part or scheduling an appointment to change something after the fact?

 

Deanh understands the situation well from the dealership level and I agree with him as I've been managing the order bank for my dealership for 34 years now. I've argued for years about the need to simplify the ordering process. The more free standing options available the harder it is to order and stock the most desirable inventory mix to satisfy a dealership's market demand. From a production standpoint, it might not make a difference on the assembly line to install different grilles because of the way parts arrive and are sequenced "just in time" but there are other factors involved. Ford has to contract with the suppliers to a production quantity, timetable, etc. Some of the decisions are made based on marketing research and projected demand. Every additional freestanding option adds to overall production costs and makes the dealerships ordering process more difficult. 

 

And forget about dealerships swapping out parts at no charge. Most dealerships are not going to cannibalize their inventory by changing parts that would then make it more difficult to sell the affected vehicle to another customer or Ford Dealer. The larger Ford stores have dedicated accessory departments that stock a wide variety of parts and accessories to meet the demands of their own market. Otherwise, Ford dealers stock the most common parts and accessories for their market and customer base (Bedliners, etc.) and order other parts from Ford or other distribution sources that can either be delivered the same day or next in most cases. 

 

The reality is that probably only 10% or less of new vehicle sales are retail orders from the factory. Most customers don't want to wait for a retail factory order and will buy from a dealership's stock inventory, unless their needs are specific and within the bounds of the vehicle's order guide. Some vehicle order guides are pretty good and allow dealerships to stock similar vehicles in quantity that help the sales rates. Other vehicle lines (F-Series, Transit, etc.) have much more complicated order guides to meet potential commercial requirements that make the whole ordering process more difficult for stock orders. 

 

There is no way that Ford will consider multiple order guides for any vehicle line. The customer can either buy from Dealer stock or place a retail order within the regular order guide requirements!

Edited by ice-capades
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I was looking at the SuperDuty order guide and it is definitely more extensive than the F150.  I think they need to do a better job of grouping options as it seems like there are some things missing from the option groups.  With that said, I’m one of the 10% that generally orders their vehicles, so I would hate to loose that ability.  

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