[awalbert88]

With most of the aging car fleet at Ford being replaced in the next two years, I'm not surprised to see sales slowing a bit right now. Ford's strategy is about long-term success, even if things have to suffer a little bit in the short-term.

 

[awalbert88]

Originally posted by doh@Mar 4 2004, 05:02 PM
Ford's market share has slipped because they are not in the game as far as incentives go.
Lease a SilveradoLS ext 4x4 for $24/m less than a F150 2wd super cab XLT
or$4750 off a Venture LS compared to $1000 off a Freestar
or $1500 off a Taurus compared to $2250 off an Implala
or$500 off a Focus compared to $2250 of a Cavilier VL
(Canadian)

These reasons are the drop in Fords market share, and GM keeps saying that they want out of the Incentive games?

GM, Ford and DCX aren't fighting only each other any more Toyota,Kia,Hyundi are all gaining momentum and taking it from the Big Three.

The Big Three should join together to fight against the Imports.

The F-150 doesn't need incentives to sell. Sales have been growing consistently every month since the introduction of the new model. If they can make more money, grow market share, and do it with a vehicle that the press loves, why not? Less expensive vehicles aren't necessarily going to sell better than higher priced ones. The Cavalier is pretty much the cheapest non-Korean car you can buy these days.

You can grow market share in the short term with incentives, but what happens when your vehicles start costing more to build? What happens when your margins get cut thinner and thinner? All of these companies are in the game to make money, not just to grow market share (though by doing this, they make money, just not as efficiently). If not for the incentives, do you really think that a lot of these GM vehicles would be selling nearly as well as they are?