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Wards Auto News
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Wards Auto News

Ford Motor is the fifth-largest auto maker in the world based on the number of vehicles it sold last year, but it barely cracks the top 15 in stock market value. The gap says everything about how Ford is viewed today—and the potential opportunity for investors.
Once near the pinnacle of global auto-making in reputation, revenue, and profits, Ford these days is considered by many investors and Wall Street analysts as an also-ran.
Ford is betting heavily on new products to boost 2021 sales: the Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach-E and “a not-yet-named vehicle that will fill a whitespace in the market,” the company says.
By this time next year, Ford expects the four new nameplates will outsell its entire previous sedan portfolio that has been decimated by the market swing from cars to utility vehicles and pickup trucks.
Deliveries of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E begin next month, with the First Edition sold out. Starting at $43,895, the Mach-E will reach a whole new set of customers and help usher in the electrification era, the company says.
The redone F-150 also is shipping soon. The fullsize pickup has long been the leader in its segment. Ford says the new F-150’s pre-launch numbers are encouraging: Millions of people tuned in to the reveal and more than half a million visited the launch website in the first week alone.
The Bronco Sport utility vehicle currently is making its way to dealerships. The revived nameplate’s two- and four-door Bronco models – the more serious off-roaders – arrive next summer. Ford boasts of more than 190,000 reservations for the pair.
Ford continues to increase its customization options but says it will simplify the process by relying more on a system centered on dealer-installed options.
Ford says it will offer 149 accessory products for the Bronco Sport’s upcoming launch, and more than 200 when Bronco two- and four-door models make the scene. The automaker says it is preparing to launch dealer-installed options for all of its ’21 models.
“As plant complexity decreases, these options give dealers the opportunity to add accessories to vehicles they order for inventory,” the company says. “Options will appear on the window sticker, and the accessories will be delivered to the dealer for installation on location.”
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