2010 Ford Sales: Good News

[Paul Vincent]

http://www.themustangnews.com/content/2011/01/ford-sets-sales-record-for-2010/

[Cobrar]

Sure is. :thumbsup

I read the various analyst coverage summaries, and they are comical. My favorites characterize the Ford recovery as a 'Cost' story, others as a 'Revenue' story. The truth is, it's closer to a 'Margin' story - and going forward, led by global product. There is one line in that attachment that kinda speaks to it: "And before you go thinking they boosted their sales to fleets to make the grade, they actually reduced sales to daily rental agencies by some 40%." -- that translates to greater retail volumes, which are more 'profitable' sales. And if you think the F series sales numbers look good on a volume basis, it gets even better when you discover that those same F series volumes are heavily biased to option rich - read: margin. Too many analysts trying to project F earnings looking at traditional metrics of SAAR, net year/year volumes, market share, et.al.

[2112]

This is up an astounding 19% over 2009 and the leading increase in sales of any full-line manufacturer. Additionally the Blue Oval saw the second year in a row of high market share.

:thumbsup :biggrin

[AJB]

Just ordered :
1. a new 2011 F-Series with the 5.0 L V-8....I will use it to tow to RallyVI in SaltLake City in August.
2. a new 2012 Focus for the 'little-fuel-efficient'' car in the stable...
GO FORD !
AJB andy

[DB4-12K]

Just ordered :
1. a new 2011 F-Series with the 5.0 L V-8....I will use it to tow to RallyVI in SaltLake City in August.

Nice! Should be a major, major upgrade over the 5.4.

[Sinovac]

Where is my F150 with the 6 cylinder diesel?

[AJB]

The 6-cylinder will be gas with the Eco-boost twin - turbo I believe.
AJB

[Cobrar]

Where is my F150 with the 6 cylinder diesel?

Curious -- Diesel powertrain because you are thinking - fuel economy, future fuel price, towing, or just personal preference?

[Sinovac]

Curious -- Diesel powertrain because you are thinking - fuel economy, future fuel price, towing, or just personal preference?

All of the above. I think Ford (and the other manufacturers) are really missing the boat on this. Perhaps Ford has determined a 6 cylinder diesel F150 would cannibalize too many F250 sales, but I still want one.

[BlackICE]

The 6-cylinder will be gas with the Eco-boost twin - turbo I believe.
AJB

I was looking at the specs of the V6 eco-boost, on the surface looks like I would prefer the eco-boost.

What are the pro and cons of the eco-boost vs. the 5.0

[DB4-12K]

The 3.5L GTDI V6 is the premium motor in the F150 lineup. It costs more than the 5.0 because it has the highest towing capacity in the lineup. It's also better than any of the V8's from competitors. I have yet to drive one but would be interested to see how different it behaves compared to the setup in the SHO. I hear the torque curve is just about a straight line.

[GTdrummer]

The 3.5L GTDI V6 is the premium motor in the F150 lineup. It costs more than the 5.0 because it has the highest towing capacity in the lineup. It's also better than any of the V8's from competitors. I have yet to drive one but would be interested to see how different it behaves compared to the setup in the SHO. I hear the torque curve is just about a straight line.

And the avatars continue to confound. Must be a generational thing....(:

[BlackICE]

The 3.5L GTDI V6 is the premium motor in the F150 lineup. It costs more than the 5.0 because it has the highest towing capacity in the lineup. It's also better than any of the V8's from competitors. I have yet to drive one but would be interested to see how different it behaves compared to the setup in the SHO. I hear the torque curve is just about a straight line.

The specs seem very nice an awesome setup. From what I can see that engine is not available for sale yet, but read early 2011. I don't see this engine option on Fords build a car web site.

[KMCBOSS]

The 3.5L GTDI V6 is the premium motor in the F150 lineup. It costs more than the 5.0 because it has the highest towing capacity in the lineup. It's also better than any of the V8's from competitors. I have yet to drive one but would be interested to see how different it behaves compared to the setup in the SHO. I hear the torque curve is just about a straight line.

I'm looking to buy a new F150 also - thought about the ecoboost but I like the new 6.2L V8. I want to stay gas and this engine has 7700 GVRW capability.

[tpraceman]

I will step out on a limb and say If I am not "thee" then I am "one of" the biggest long time Ford fans.
The company's improvements are outstanding.
Car design, upper management focus and the enthusiasm is as good as it gets in today's world.

However.
I see something I don't like creeping in at the plant level. Corruption big time getting in the way of innovation, long term quality and cost savings.

I saw it in the early1980's after that big recession and house cleaning. The Indians left without wise chiefs ran wild. It will take a few years but unfortunately I know first hand it is going to haunt them again.

I just hope history doesn't repeat its self this time.

[2112]

I will step out on a limb and say If I am not "thee" then I am "one of" the biggest long time Ford fans.

+1


I just hope history doesn't repeat its self this time.
+1 Hopefully Mullaly can keep it under control?

[ChipBeck]

Gentlemen,

GM also had a sales increase BUT, it consisted of all fleet and rental car sales. GM's retail market share (excluding fleet & rental cars) actually dropped almost 2%!! Uncle Sam is buying a TON of Government Motors cars, especially hybrids.

Last weekend Charley and I travelled to Jimmy Graham's dealership in California, Santa Margarita Ford, where I ordered him a brand new red 2112 Mustang (Mustang Club of America Special Edition) to take to Texas A&M next year. I told Charley if he kept his grades up and worked hard on the field I'd send him off to college in a new ride. It worked as his first semester senior year GPA was 4.2 and he is the only football player at his school that made this seasons Arizona All-State Football Team!! Way to go C4 and FORD!!!

Chip

[2112]

Chip, Did you say you used to be an Olds/Pontiac (Lotus) dealer?

How did you become such a Ford man? Not that I am complaining!

[DB4-12K]

GM also had a sales increase BUT, it consisted of all fleet and rental car sales.

Hate to disagree when someone is taking a dump on GM, but their retail sales were up big too. You can argue how much of their sales numbers were just people moving from Pontiac to Chevy or similar, but no matter how you slice it, their year over year retail sales were up 27%.

[HHGT]

Sorry guys but I guess I am the spoiler here. I never understood Brand Loyalty. When it comes to Automobiles, I buy Value. To me that means Price, Performance, Comfort, Resale and Appeal all in one package. Having said that, thank God Ford built the GT and way to go Sales Wise.:thumbsup:thumbsup

And no Clinton, BMW has little Value the way I defined it, so don't bother...

[NJGT]

Drove the F150 EcoBoost during the recent test drive tour where they would come to your door - nice concept. Flat diesel torque curve but despite more HP and TQ than my SHO a lot more weight to pull around so a little sluggish not only vs my SHO as would be expected but vs my 5.4 Saleen blown Expy tow vehicle.

While Ford quality has improved after my experience with the 10 SHO I would still not buy a first year product intro and the durability of EcoBoost in the F150 is a major unknown.

Ford sales numbers were great but Lincoln had dismal sales growth. Lincolns are like Mercury was - a Ford with an expensive trim package backed with shoddy dealer service. With Lincoln prices approaching low end MB levels Ford needs to step up product quality and dealer service level if they are serious about turning the Lincoln brand around

[BlackICE]

Sorry guys but I guess I am the spoiler here. I never understood Brand Loyalty. When it comes to Automobiles, I buy Value. To me that means Price, Performance, Comfort, Resale and Appeal all in one package. Having said that, thank God Ford built the GT and way to go Sales Wise.:thumbsup:thumbsup

And no Clinton, BMW has little Value the way I defined it, so don't bother...

IMO, some BMWs have performance and comfort but fall short on price and resale.

[ChipBeck]

Hate to disagree when someone is taking a dump on GM, but their retail sales were up big too. You can argue how much of their sales numbers were just people moving from Pontiac to Chevy or similar, but no matter how you slice it, their year over year retail sales were up 27%.

Here where I got that info Dave, from Newsweek. They say that if you just look at Buick, Chevy, Cadillac, & GMC, sales are up for those individual divisions, but with the loss of the 4 other divisions, GM's retail market share is down 1.8% in 2010 and that GM is relying far more on fleet & rental car sales than Ford is.

Newsweek Magazine
Bailout Update: GM's Glass is Half-Bull!
by Mickey Kaus
January 06, 2011

General Motors sold 2,211,699 vehicles in 2010, a 7 percent gain compared with sales in 2009. But sales from all manufacturers combined grew 11 percent—meaning that because it failed to keep pace with its competitors GM lost market share. So how does the new, bailed-out and IPO'd GM portray the latest sales figures as a triumph? By focusing on the sales of the four "core brands" that are left after its 2009 bankruptcy—and ignoring lost sales at the four junked or sold-off brands (Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Hummer).

Does this spin make sense? Take the logic to its extreme. If GM sold 2 million cars with eight brands, and then shut down seven of them leaving only Buick—but, hey, Buick grew 20 percent from, say, 200,000 to 220,000—would you say, "Gee, GM's core brand grew 20 percent," or "Sh--, GM has collapsed to a shadow of its former self"? You could have both reactions, but I suspect the latter would dominate.

That's especially true because, after the four-brand cull that actually took place, you'd expect GM to capture a lot of the buyers who used to choose Pontiacs and Saturns (if not Saabs). So some people who used to buy midsize GM cars labeled "Pontiacs" now buy similar cars labeled "Buick." That's no net gain for GM, but to hear GM tell it Buick has surged! (Pontiac? We're ignoring Pontiac, remember.) Lots of Pontiac and Saturn buyers also apparently went to other manufacturers.

Things may be even worse when you look at sales to actual consumers, as opposed to fleets. As The Truth About Cars points out, those retail sales are highly prized because they reflect what people actually want to buy. And GM’s "retail market share fell a full 1.8% in 2010, from 18.6% to 16.8%," according to TTAC.

P.S.: Yes, market share isn't everything. You can make money on a smaller market share if you cut costs disproportionately, or if you're able to raise prices (and there is some evidence GM is making a bit of progress on the latter front). But I'm not the one making a big deal about market share. GM is. Outgoing Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs is too, bizarrely. Yesterday, Gibbs twittered

General Motors Co.'s sales were up 21 percent in 2010 for its four core brands http://is.gd/k5NgN

If you are going to crow about a company's market share as a presidential aide, you probably shouldn't use the same cheap gimmicks the company uses. People might think you were a corporatist shill! ... Also, the press shouldn't buy it.

P.P.S.: GM is doing very well in China. It now sells more cars over there than over here. But it doesn't manufacture the cars it sells over there over here. If GM just becomes a company selling Chinese-made cars in China and India and elsewhere, why did U.S. taxpayers bail them out again? Was it just to save Michigan manufacturing jobs for a couple of years before they went overseas? I think we were promised more.

P.P.P.S.: If only they built Cadillacs this well: Note how meticulously crafted GM's press release is:

GM’s four brands sold 118,435 more vehicles this year than the company did with eight brands in 2009, and will gain total and retail market share for the year.

Almost makes you think that the GM "company" gained "total retail and market share," until you diagram the sentence and realize that the subject of "will gain" is not "the company" but only "four brands."

[ChipBeck]

Chip, Did you say you used to be an Olds/Pontiac (Lotus) dealer?

How did you become such a Ford man? Not that I am complaining!

I was a Pontiac, GMC Truck, KIA, & Lotus dealer in Scottsdale, AZ for 20 years. My father was the dealer for 10 years before that. The last 10 years were so frustrating as I watched GM make one idiotic move after another. When I started out Pontiac was selling 900,000 cars a year. 15 years later they had added a bunch of dealers and they were selling 300,000 cars a year. They always blamed the dealers. When I could have sold 100 Suburbans a year they gave me 10. When I took on KIA they threatened to cancel my GMC & Pontiac franchises even though I was an LA Zone Top 10 volume Master Dealer. Then with sales at an all time low they tried to put a 2nd Pontiac/GMC store in Scottsdale. I held that off with legal action long enough to sell out and I vowed to never buy a GM car for the rest of my life. After I sold out GM did put a 2nd store in Scottsdale which changed hands 4 times in 6 years before shutting down for good. My old store (owned by Auto Nation) was shut down the next year long before GM's bankrupsy. There was then NO Pontiac, Buick, or GMC Truck dealership in Scottsdale nor is there one to this day.

I busted my a** selling GM cars & Trucks for 20 years and they showed me ZERO loyalty. Both of the managers that strong armed me trying unsuccessfully to get me to give up KIA are retired and unlike the protected union members, they lost most of their pensions with GM's Bankrupsy. My momma told me that what goes around comes around.

Chip

[KJD]

Loyalty.

Not much of that around in many places.

Mostly, what have you done for me (very) lately.

And what can you do for me now.

And this is more than a bit of a thread hi-jack but it's way too late for that anyway:

http://www.flixxy.com/gm-hy-wire-concept-car.htm

Hope it's not a re-post. Hydrogen fuel mebbe OK. Minimal driver involvement via on-board electronics and drive-by-wire not so OK for me. I should be dead by then anyway. Wonder how these concepts if produced will do at the mile events??

[AJB]

All FGT Forum Members..... you are all my friends. If you ever want a Ford Product...I can still obtain 'Friends and Family' Discount.
Just let me know..
andy (AJB)

[RALPHIE]

Thanks, Andy!!

You're a great guy!! :thumbsup