Jump to content

Ford March 2012 Sales


Recommended Posts

With all the growth of our current models where is the future growth going to come from?

 

More of everything, Ford will want to make plenty of vehicles yes but limiting production also helps keep ATPs higher and residuals

up making leasing very attractive. The trick is to get the balance right and not under produce or overproduce in the wrong direction.....

 

GM will be strong and surge back with fresher vehicles, Ford will go with them to an extent but seeking more profit than sales.

This is interesting because the two companies now clearly have different philosophies and agendas with profit and sales numbers.

 

A lot of people still don't get it but Ford makes more profit by not chasing the sales crown...................

Edited by jpd80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with this completely.

 

So many people are hung up on percentage of increase per month..................... market share.................. sales titles................... etc. The 800lb Gorilla in the room being, how much are they making per vehicle??

 

Honda/Toyota used to have such a great resale/residual because they did not overproduce. This way, there was a demand for every one they built. They didn't have to fire sale or rental fleet dump. GM and Ford were just the opposite. Ford took the economic downturns opportunity to greatly reduce their over capacity................... in both manpower and plant capacity, while GM just did a more streamlined version of same ol, same ol. At the same time, Toyota started developing the old GM/Ford model of too many vehicles.

 

So now, you have Ford and Honda which are worried more about profit per vehicle and not overproducing, and GM and Toyota being the production whores, but to a lesser degree then times of old.

 

One way protects you better from the ebbs and flows of the industry......................... the other puts your model in distress should auto sales dump again.

 

Ford will be very careful about how much capacity they add. If it hurts sales titles or marketshare, who cares.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

More of everything, Ford will want to make plenty of vehicles yes but limiting production also helps keep ATPs higher and residuals

up making leasing very attractive. The trick is to get the balance right and not under produce or overproduce in the wrong direction.....

 

GM will be strong and surge back with fresher vehicles, Ford will go with them to an extent but seeking more profit than sales.

This is interesting because the two companies now clearly have different philosophies and agendas with profit and sales numbers.

 

A lot of people still don't get it but Ford makes more profit by not chasing the sales crown...................

serge....and judging by GMS Impala, i dont have a lot of hope...its HORRIBLE

Edited by Deanh
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with this completely.

 

So many people are hung up on percentage of increase per month..................... market share.................. sales titles................... etc. The 800lb Gorilla in the room being, how much are they making per vehicle??

 

Honda/Toyota used to have such a great resale/residual because they did not overproduce. This way, there was a demand for every one they built. They didn't have to fire sale or rental fleet dump. GM and Ford were just the opposite. Ford took the economic downturns opportunity to greatly reduce their over capacity................... in both manpower and plant capacity, while GM just did a more streamlined version of same ol, same ol. At the same time, Toyota started developing the old GM/Ford model of too many vehicles.

 

So now, you have Ford and Honda which are worried more about profit per vehicle and not overproducing, and GM and Toyota being the production whores, but to a lesser degree then times of old.

 

One way protects you better from the ebbs and flows of the industry......................... the other puts your model in distress should auto sales dump again.

 

Ford will be very careful about how much capacity they add. If it hurts sales titles or marketshare, who cares.

Hondas up the creek as well, their current stylistic trait is just plain bad......as for ford...color me impressed, they/ we have some groundbreaking product coming this year....5, count em 5 drivetrains avail in the fusion ( which looks pretty amazing ) and thats just one product, Escape, C-max, ST Focus....the list is growing.....pretty awesome, I may be able to afford Import Beer sometime this year....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hondas up the creek as well, their current stylistic trait is just plain bad......as for ford...color me impressed, they/ we have some groundbreaking product coming this year....5, count em 5 drivetrains avail in the fusion ( which looks pretty amazing ) and thats just one product, Escape, C-max, ST Focus....the list is growing.....pretty awesome, I may be able to afford Import Beer sometime this year....

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but you gotta admit the Honda Odyssey did a mighty good job of copying the MKT kink. And the new Civic would make a dandy vehicle for Granny. :stirpot:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my guess is focus sales will drop due to supply issues....we are pretty much out of them.... :angry2:

 

I'm sitting at the small dealer I bought the Flex from, waiting on an oil change for the Escape, and just walked the lot. They have more than a dozen Focii in various colors and trims. Both sedan and hatch.

 

Now to get the wife to look at the Black SE Sport hatch.

 

Drool...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sitting at the small dealer I bought the Flex from, waiting on an oil change for the Escape, and just walked the lot. They have more than a dozen Focii in various colors and trims. Both sedan and hatch.

 

Now to get the wife to look at the Black SE Sport hatch.

 

Drool...

reality check...lol....12 isnt exactly the motherload.....lol....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

reality check...lol....12 isnt exactly the motherload.....lol....

 

It's not exactly out of stock either. This is a small store. If I go by the big store that I would not accept a free car from they probably have 2-3x as many.

 

They have a white 2013 SHO here too. Double drool.

Edited by sullynd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

reality check...lol....12 isnt exactly the motherload.....lol....

 

The dealership here as 17, which is about the normal amount and the lowest it's been in a long time. They have been averaging around 30 and having a hard time moving them. All except 4 of their current offering are the sedan as the hatch seems to be the more popular version here.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took issue because it wasn't a "correction" or "more accurate". If you had simply said "It's tiny, but it's growing" I wouldn't have commented on it. Even if it's growing, it's still tiny.

 

Don't think 600,000 unit per year. is tiny in a 14 million unit market. it was tiny 5 years ago, today it is not.

 

in march 78,000 b-cars were sold.

 

The Escape would be able to ride on its own platform just fine if it had to. The Mustang is doing it with far less volume. They share platforms because they can and it simply makes sense to do so. They really don't have to. And frankly, the current Escape hasn't shared a platform with a Ford car for years now.

 

without the Focus the escape would have continued to ride on a 1998 Mazda 626 platform. FYI the 2008 escape shared heavily with both the 2008 Focus and the mustang, from IP to interior fittings, alot of under skin mechnicals were common between them

 

the mustang is a separate case, completely different from the escape, wel will see in the next year or so how the global mustang turns out.

Top 20 vehicles in march sales notice there are only 3 trucks on the list, the rest are all either cars or based on cars.

Ford F - Series PU

Toyota Camry / Solara

Nissan Altima

Chevrolet Silverado PU

Honda CR-V

Toyota Prius

Ford Fusion

Ford Focus

Toyota Corolla / Matrix

Honda Civic

Dodge Ram PU

Honda Accord

Chevrolet Malibu

Hyundai Sonata

Ford Escape

Chevrolet Cruze

Chevrolet Equinox

Hyundai Elantra

Chevrolet Impala

Toyota RAV4

 

The only Escape ever to be based on the Focus platform is the new 2013, so that's entirely untrue.

 

the E-series, panther and ranger rode their platform into the sunset. without a suitable volume platform to replace it the escape would have done the same.

 

Fusion and Edge platform sharing is pretty minimal really. And one could argue there would be no Taurus if there was no Volvo XC90.

 

yet CD3 was greenlighted based upon the idea that they would be on a shared platform.

 

Fact is, most of those vehicles would have existed anyway. Sharing platforms simply makes profits that much better.

 

I don't think ford could have to afford to develop the Taurus and Freestyle separately. without D3 It i likely the explorer would have continued on it BOF indefinitely.

 

without car platforms likeD3 and C/D3 ford would have gone out of business.

 

look at Toyota, Venza, highlander, and RAV4 are based on the Camry platform.

the only stand alone Unibody CUV platform is the Grand Cherokee, and even it shares Alot with the large RWD sedans.

 

 

I don't recall ever calling the Fiesta a failure. In fact, I've been saying the exact opposite. In its class (which is still pretty small, despite growth) it performs admirably.

 

you never said that, I agree, the fiesta is doing well, 78,000 b-cars were sold last month in the US, and over 14 million sold worldwide, there is nothing tiny about that market.

also realize how much larger B-car sales are in canda, mexico central and south ameica, to most automakers consieder total sales in all those markets not just the US market when making product decisions, look at Honda's and Mazda's decision to build a factory in Mexico, it wasn't based on us volume alone but the entire hemisphere.

 

 

that said, I like to wrap this up by saying, the B-car segment is not tiny but small and growing in the US.

Edited by Biker16
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of people still don't get it but Ford makes more profit by not chasing the sales crown...................

 

It all depends on what vehicle line you are talking about. The F-Series being the best selling pickup for 34 years isn't a title they want to give up any time soon.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't that why you keep improving your products? Most of the time you can't read between the lines on whats going to be "hot" and what isn't going to be....for Every Explorer sized hit, you have a Crosstour turd hit the market, trying to figure out what will resonate with the consumer.

 

you have to try new things to find that next hot product.

 

I prefer ford not return to the days of counting on selling 400,000 cars per year. I would prefer if Ford would sell a greater variety of models. than one model at super high volumes, that vareity allows for more opportunity to grow emerging markets and less risks when mature markets begin to decline.

 

look at the Camry, they no longer innovate, they are afraid to innovate because they have so much volume invested in that product. the same thing happend to Ford and the Taurus, they became too comfortable and the more aggressive Asian rivals, were more willing to change.

 

Being a leader can make you too cautious, and unwilling to make the hard choices that must be made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not exactly out of stock either. This is a small store. If I go by the big store that I would not accept a free car from they probably have 2-3x as many.

 

They have a white 2013 SHO here too. Double drool.

we have seven, lack of selection can kill sales....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The dealership here as 17, which is about the normal amount and the lowest it's been in a long time. They have been averaging around 30 and having a hard time moving them. All except 4 of their current offering are the sedan as the hatch seems to be the more popular version here.

as soon as Ford released competitive lease programs and upgraded rebates we went crazy, beforehand they were moving, but at a tepid pace....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

we have seven, lack of selection can kill sales....

 

Well, I get to go back and drool some more tomorrow, they broke my ABS in the process.

 

Just checked, big store has 50, their other store has 35. (From their website, with real photos at the store).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...