'21 October Sales

[ANTAUS]

Ford Motor Company

 

Sales Chart

[Oac98]

1 hour ago, ANTAUS said:

Ford Motor Company

 

Sales Chart

Best month all year for the Edge, OAC yard almost emptied of all those chip repairs. You can’t sell em if they ain’t at the dealer so Edge although going out isn’t quite dead yet.

[FordBuyer]

Looks like Escape sales were about 4,000 better than BS sales, although BS inventory is pretty low. But the Escape inventory is low, especially hybrids and no plugins in stock. At least don't have to listen to BS outselling Escape for a month.

 

Looks like Maverick is going to be huge seller....Mullinax can't keep them on the lot. Ford may have to think about a 2nd plant next couple years or so as Maverick sales explode. 

[bzcat]

I think Farley enjoys selling cars at MSRP too much to want to add more supply. I do agree that Hermosillo will start to bump into some constrains if Bronco Sport, Maverick, and Transit Connect all hit or exceed sales projections.

[jpd80]

6 hours ago, bzcat said:

I think Farley enjoys selling cars at MSRP too much to want to add more supply. I do agree that Hermosillo will start to bump into some constrains if Bronco Sport, Maverick, and Transit Connect all hit or exceed sales projections.

I think this is the new norm for Ford, Farley will take Mulally’s Right Sizing sales philosophy to Right Pricing sales, avoiding incentives by running tighter inventory……well it feels that way because other manufacturers seem less interested in aggressive competition due to their own supply constraints.

Edited November 4, 2021 by jpd80

[rmc523]

Colored charts:

 

 

 

8 hours ago, FordBuyer said:

Looks like Escape sales were about 4,000 better than BS sales, although BS inventory is pretty low. But the Escape inventory is low, especially hybrids and no plugins in stock. At least don't have to listen to BS outselling Escape for a month.

 

Looks like Maverick is going to be huge seller....Mullinax can't keep them on the lot. Ford may have to think about a 2nd plant next couple years or so as Maverick sales explode. 

 

The remainder of the year (and likely beyond) is seemingly just going to be whatever product is on the lots sells.  Not questioning the sales results, just saying the ebbs and flows per month make sense in that view.  The important thing too is last year, segment sales were around 148k with Escape only.   This year, combining BS and Escape totals around 215k YTD in a supply constrained market, an increase of 67k units.

 

I'd pump the brakes on talking about a second Maverick plant just yet after its second month of sales haha.  I think it'll do great, but I don't think that's necessary.

[CKNSLS]

29 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

Colored charts:

 

 

 

 

The remainder of the year (and likely beyond) is seemingly just going to be whatever product is on the lots sells.  Not questioning the sales results, just saying the ebbs and flows per month make sense in that view.  The important thing too is last year, segment sales were around 148k with Escape only.   This year, combining BS and Escape totals around 215k YTD in a supply constrained market, an increase of 67k units.

 

I'd pump the brakes on talking about a second Maverick plant just yet after its second month of sales haha.  I think it'll do great, but I don't think that's necessary.

For every manufacturer I may add........

[bzcat]

It's premature to be talking about adding another plant to build Maverick. But Ford does have two C2 plants in North America so plenty of space to meet demand if pricing/margin holds up.

 

Louisville will start to lose volume once Escape and Corsair EV switch to MEB and moves to Canada leaving just the old one in Louisville. Ford can add Maverick or Bronco Sport overflow there easily. But I suspect they would add another product (like Evos or Fusion Active) before they go down the road of building more Maverick.

Edited November 4, 2021 by bzcat

[akirby]

15 minutes ago, bzcat said:

It's premature to be talking about adding another plant to build Maverick. But Ford does have two C2 plants in North America so plenty of space to meet demand if pricing/margin holds up.

 

Louisville will start to lose volume once Escape and Corsair EV switch to MEB and moves to Canada leaving just the old one in Louisville. Ford can add Maverick or Bronco Sport overflow there easily. But I suspect they would add another product (like Evos or Fusion Active) before they go down the road of building more Maverick.

I agree.  I think they’ll be happy selling whatever they can make in Hermosillo on 3 shifts for the near future.  Same for MAP.  Minimal incentives.

[FordBuyer]

17 minutes ago, akirby said:

I agree.  I think they’ll be happy selling whatever they can make in Hermosillo on 3 shifts for the near future.  Same for MAP.  Minimal incentives.

 

Ford reported today that new Mavericks stay on lot no more than 5 days tops, and already outselling the Santa Cruz. Better yet, many buyers are in 18-35 year old range. I know in last few weeks Mullinax has gotten 30 or so and they are gone day after they come in. This is truly one hot vehicle. The reviews are extremely good. Too bad plant is closed this week. 

[rmc523]

 

 

 

Seems like production is sorting it self out.

[silvrsvt]

I'm impressed that the Bronco Sport and Escape are virtually neck and neck with one another sales wise 

[2005Explorer]

14 hours ago, FordBuyer said:

 

Ford reported today that new Mavericks stay on lot no more than 5 days tops, and already outselling the Santa Cruz. Better yet, many buyers are in 18-35 year old range. I know in last few weeks Mullinax has gotten 30 or so and they are gone day after they come in. This is truly one hot vehicle. The reviews are extremely good. Too bad plant is closed this week. 

My dad ordered a Maverick and he is 84. I think you might also get some of that 65+ crowd with these as well.

[FordBuyer]

34 minutes ago, 2005Explorer said:

My dad ordered a Maverick and he is 84. I think you might also get some of that 65+ crowd with these as well.

 

It seems to me that Ford has always done OK with the oldsters like myself, but has struggled attracting the young. The young are more attracted to affordability like the Focus and Fiesta, but with those gone the Maverick is the new star of bang for the buck. 

[silvrsvt]

1 hour ago, 2005Explorer said:

My dad ordered a Maverick and he is 84. I think you might also get some of that 65+ crowd with these as well.

 

There are alot of older folks (like my father in law) that have been clamoring for an inexpensive pickup truck-The Maverick nails that. 

Its "cheap" but it seems like most of the ones I've seen on the lot (which aren't hybrids) are in the 30K range-which is 10-15K more then the Focus or Fiesta could ever do.

Plus the Hybrid model can cost as much as an entry level civic or corolla and is so much more practical. 

 

Ford really nailed it, I just wonder how much profit they are making on it. 

[jpd80]

19 hours ago, bzcat said:

It's premature to be talking about adding another plant to build Maverick. But Ford does have two C2 plants in North America so plenty of space to meet demand if pricing/margin holds up.

 

Louisville will start to lose volume once Escape and Corsair EV switch to MEB and moves to Canada leaving just the old one in Louisville. Ford can add Maverick or Bronco Sport overflow there easily. But I suspect they would add another product (like Evos or Fusion Active) before they go down the road of building more Maverick.

BEV Escape and Corsair are still three or four years away, I think that Escape sales will continue to decline and that Louisville will be back to one shift by then much like we’re seeing with Edge now. Ford may not even need LAP once BEV sales take off. 

 

There is talk from VW that MEB is proving costly to build compared to Tesla and some Chinese brands, so I wonder how this will affect Ford’s profitability buying into a toolkit that’s aging and perhaps behind the curve in terms of costs and battery tech by the time it arrives. Hopefully, Ford is getting the evolved and upgraded version of VW’s technology.

 

Theres plenty of production space for Maverick, Bronco Sport and Transit Connect at Hermosillo, a few upgrades may be needed but 360k -400k total production is not un realistic, excluding supply constraints.

Edited November 4, 2021 by jpd80

[Oac98]

4 hours ago, jpd80 said:

BEV Escape and Corsair are still three or four years away, I think that Escape sales will continue to decline and that Louisville will be back to one shift by then much like we’re seeing with Edge now. Ford may not even need LAP once BEV sales take off. 

 

There is talk from VW that MEB is proving costly to build compared to Tesla and some Chinese brands, so I wonder how this will affect Ford’s profitability buying into a toolkit that’s aging and perhaps behind the curve in terms of costs and battery tech by the time it arrives. Hopefully, Ford is getting the evolved and upgraded version of VW’s technology.

 

Theres plenty of production space for Maverick, Bronco Sport and Transit Connect at Hermosillo, a few upgrades may be needed but 360k -400k total production is not un realistic, excluding supply constraints.

We’re not on one shift at OAC. Many down weeks because of microchip shortage. Is it possible YES. We’re not there yet.

[jpd80]

11 hours ago, Oacjay98 said:

We’re not on one shift at OAC. Many down weeks because of microchip shortage. Is it possible YES. We’re not there yet.

Forgive me for going a step too far.

[Anthony]

Older people may like the Maverick because frankly the Ranger and F-150 are somewhat too hard to get in for the mobility impaired.  The Mav you can just slide into whereas the other two trucks you have to climb into.  They can once again have a truck as a first vehicle if they want.

[Oac98]

1 hour ago, jpd80 said:

Forgive me for going a step too far.

That’s ok I believe it’s a possibility going forward towards retooling time. I hope not but before we changed from the freestar to the edge in 2006 and they closed the Ontario truck plant which is now also OAC we worked 2 weeks on 2 weeks off each shift only working days. The edge is hanging in there and the nautilus is doing well so time will tell!

[GearheadGrrrl]

That's a market sector Ford and much of the auto industry has ignored. Having become a gimp thanks to MS three decades ago and now an elder too, how the heck I'm going to get in and out of a vehicle is pretty important to me. My 7 years younger brother just lost a leg to post-COVID complications and now covets a Ford much lower than an F series or Ranger. For the average elder, pickups and body on frame SUVs are too tall and a unit body crossover or SUV like the Escape or Edge is about the tallest thing they can handle. For wheelchair users who can transfer from wheelchair to car seat, most wheelchairs have a seat height of 20-24 inches and anything higher than that means having to lift their body weight with arms and shoulders alone. Then there's the problem of stowing the wheelchair, which explains why wheelchair users like 2 door coupes and bought a lot of compact pickups with suicide back doors like the original S10- GM even featured a wheelchair using employee demonstrating the ease of use in an ad as he slid off the wheelchair, folded it, and eased it into the cab behind him.

 

Nowadays with the all Ford's sedans gone and the pickups too tall, about the only thing Ford has to serve this market is the FWD/AWD crossovers which are still too tall and the Transit Connect. Ford could serve this market better- They lowered the last generation Escape by a couple inches and called it the C-Max, even marketed it as a car in some markets. A lowered Escape with AWD would appeal to the GTI market too- VW dealers have a couple years worth of customers lined  up to buy their GTIs and Golf Rs. The Transit Connect checks a bunch of boxes for physically challenged drivers- low seats for easy transfer, sliding 2nd row doors for easy wheelchair stowing, and plenty of space for mobility scooters... But Ford doesn't know this market exists and ignores it so the customers don't know the Transit Connect exists.

[akirby]

Older people like me prefer crossovers to sedans for precisely that reason - so much easier to get in and out.  Most cars are too low.

 

Wheelchairs present a unique challenge.  I saw a product on tv that is a remote operated lift arm that mounts to a pickup bed.  It picks up the chair and stores it in the bed.   Maverick would be a perfect fit.

Edited November 5, 2021 by akirby

[silvrsvt]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

Older people like me prefer crossovers to sedans for precisely that reason - so much easier to get in and out.  Most cars are too low.

 

I never really noticed this till I got my Fusion over the summer-

 

I had my Mustang and SHO at the same time and yeah the Mustang was lower then SHO in seating position, but it wasn't that hard to get out of. 

 

The SHO has a higher seating position-but its lower then Escapes we've had and not nearly as bad as the first gen Five Hundred or the reskinned/renamed Sable or Taurus-I felt like I was sitting in a high chair with my parents old Sable.

 

When I got the Fusion a few months ago, I noticed that the seats where pretty low-I'm not "that" old, still under 50, but yeah its a slight pain in the butt to get in or out of vs the Escape we have or my SHO I used to have. 

[twintornados]

The fact that E-Series / Econoline is still selling in respectable numbers is amazing since it is only available as cut-a-way cab and stripped chassis and as E-350 SRW, E-350 DRW and E-450 DRW only.

[GearheadGrrrl]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

Older people like me prefer crossovers to sedans for precisely that reason - so much easier to get in and out.  Most cars are too low.

 

Wheelchairs present a unique challenge.  I saw a product on tv that is a remote operated lift arm that mounts to a pickup bed.  It picks up the chair and stores it in the bed.   Maverick would be a perfect fit.

Same here- I'm walking now but I won't even consider an F series, Ranger, Bronco, Excursion, or Transit because they just sit too high and the Super Duties and Transit won't even clear my 7 foot tall garage door. Haven't sampled the Bronco Sport or Maverick yet, but I suspect they're too tall too- Ford built them tall to boost sales even though there's no functional reason to jack them up. Ford has built  most of their vehicles too tall to appeal to a significant market segment. The wheelchair lifts and seats that rotate and drop are just expensive bandaids- The seats cost $10k + installation, and a lot of insurance plans don't cover them. Ford will kick back up to $1k for mobility adaptations, that will cover hand controls or a manual ramp but not the more expensive modifications to bandaid Ford's styling mistakes.