October 2007: Ford Motor Company

[mustang84]

Note that Mercury sales are up quite a bit vs. last October. The Milan seems to be selling pretty well around here since I see them on the roads quite a bit.

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=27105

RECORD SALES FOR NEW CROSSOVER VEHICLES FUEL SOLID RETAIL SALES MONTH FOR FORD

* All-new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers combined to achieve their highest monthly sales ever.

* Redesigned Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner crossovers posted double-digit increases compared with year ago.

* Overall, sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury crossovers were up 145 percent.

* Lincoln’s winning streak continues with sales increase of 17 percent, marking the 13th straight month of higher sales, with more good news on the way.

* Land Rover dealers report record October sales.

* Ford, Lincoln and Mercury retail sales nearly matched year ago; total company sales were 195,462, down 10 percent, primarily reflecting planned reduction in daily rental sales.

* Ford updates second half North American production.

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 1 – Ford Motor Company’s (NYSE:F) all-new crossovers continued outpacing the competition in October, achieving their highest monthly sales to date.

Combined sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury crossover vehicles in October were 36,852, up 145 percent compared with a year ago. Year-to-date through October, crossover vehicles were up 59 percent, the largest increase of any major manufacturer.

Ford Edge sales were 14,133 and Lincoln MKX sales were 3,787. Over the last six months, the Ford Edge has been the top-selling mid-size crossover vehicle in the U.S. The redesigned Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner crossovers posted higher sales than a year ago. Escape sales were 12,174, up 27 percent. Mariner sales were 2,554, up 19 percent.

“Our new and redesigned crossovers continue to surprise and delight customers, demonstrating that Ford is building more products people really want,” said Mark Fields, president, The Americas. “We’re building quality into the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX and are equipping them with features rivaling the best in the business, including SYNC, our industry-first in-car connectivity technology that fully integrates Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and MP3 players into customers’ daily drives.”

In October, Lincoln continued winning. October marked the 13th straight month of higher sales for the premium brand. The month’s sales totaled 10,229, up 17 percent compared with a year ago, with retail sales up even more – 38 percent. Lincoln’s next new product will debut at the Los Angeles International Auto Show later this month.

The company’s mid-size sedans also contributed to the strong retail showing. Total sales for the Ford Fusion were up 13 percent, Mercury Milan 45 percent, and Lincoln MKZ 29 percent.

Land Rover dealers reported record October sales of 4,237, up 6 percent.

In October, Ford reduced sales to daily rental companies by 12,000 units, a 38 percent decline compared with last October. Year-to-date, Ford sales to daily rental companies were 142,000 units lower than the same period a year ago, reflecting planned reductions.

Edited November 1, 2007 by mustang84

[Dsuupr]

I think this is something we all expected, and I'm guessing this will be the theme for the next year plus. It's sad to see Ford take such a hard hit, but reducing their dependency on fleet will only help in the long run.

[AxelTheRed]

Halfway good news for Ford.

[regfootball]

taurus+taurusx+freestyle+montego+500 sales is up vs. 500+freestyle+montego last year.

most of fords newer products and cars and crossovers are UP! note-FOCUS is up too.

Lincoln+Mercury = up! Kill them? UM NO.

anything truck based is down.

more proof that Ford would be in rebound mode if Nasser hadn't starved them of decent product for like 5 years.

[mustang84]

I think this is something we all expected, and I'm guessing this will be the theme for the next year plus. It's sad to see Ford take such a hard hit, but reducing their dependency on fleet will only help in the long run.

Nah, most are saying sales will be flat in November and December and then up in '08. Most of the loss for October is attributed to the Taurus, which was 95% fleet at its death. Ford's new cars and crossovers are picking up the SUV slack.

[mustang84]

taurus+taurusx+freestyle+montego+500 sales is up vs. 500+freestyle+montego last year.

most of fords newer products and cars and crossovers are UP! note-FOCUS is up too.

Lincoln+Mercury = up! Kill them? UM NO.

anything truck based is down.

more proof that Ford would be in rebound mode if Nasser hadn't starved them of decent product for like 5 years.

People will say that the Taurus' 5,000 sales looks bad, but when you add the Taurus X in it comes out to 9000 which really isn't that bad, especially considering the Fusion is taking away 11,000 potential sales. That's 20,000 Ford midsize-large car sales which fill the void left by the last Taurus, and the last Taurus was a major fleet queen. People always seem to forget this and call the Taurus / Five Hundred a flop, but when you put things into perspective Ford is just offering more diversity in its lineup while still getting the sales (without heavy reliance on fleets). Edited November 1, 2007 by mustang84

[regfootball]

well, 4,000 taurus X = 50,000 units on top of the edge. that's not bad, and C/D just had a positive review of the taurus X so who knows if over time the taurus X might outsell the taurus itself, and to think they almost killed it. It won't surprise me if it does outsell the sedan one of these days. The freestyle was only ever available with the CVT, which may have prevented sales.

the question is whether all ford's crossover success is coming at the expense of explorer and expedition sales. And it probably is. at least GM is increasing tahoe sales i think. the inverse of that is Ford could potentially have that much more market to tap into, conquests of other makes. pacifica was put to pasture so look there is a chance for gains there.

face it folks, crossovers are where its at. i was projecting the flex to be a sales dud, but they only expect 50,000 sales per year once that hits the floor. Nowhere near the Lambda projections.

strange as it sounds even though so many want 3 row vehicles......because the edge and mkx are unashamed 2 row vehicles, i think it becomes a great choice for someone who is 'anti' third row and doesn't want the extra length and volume of the 3rd row.

what ford needs is an effective media push. I have a theory, they are deliberately holding off on a big push until they get the UAW issue resolved. I think once the contract is signed, and year end rolls around, we'll see a great big push. I heard ford was working on more buyouts too.

also ahead, i believe on BON there was lots of info on 09 Fusion updates. For the Fusion to maintain sales right now while it is becoming dated is good. I do know some folks that have fusions and they seem to like them. Ford has many things planned for the Fusion which will make big sales increases.

The Mustang sales drop is troubling. They need to get a decent 6 cylinder in the car and maybe update the interior. the mustang will get crucified when the camaro hits.

I just wish I could see and sit in a production spec Flex very soon. I want to know if its worth waiting for.

Edited November 1, 2007 by regfootball

[mustang84]

what ford needs is an effective media push. I have a theory, they are deliberately holding off on a big push until they get the UAW issue resolved. I think once the contract is signed, and year end rolls around, we'll see a great big push. I heard ford was working on more buyouts too.

I've heard the same too, and it makes sense if it is true. Ford wants the UAW to see it as weak, so if sales continue to stay down like they have they can push the UAW to give them a better deal.