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Ford Crossovers Soar Again In September; Overall Monthly Vehicle Sales Decline

6K views 22 replies 7 participants last post by  megeebee 
#1 ·
FORD CROSSOVERS SOAR AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER; OVERALL MONTHLY VEHICLE SALES DECLINE


  • Sales of Ford’s all-new and redesigned crossovers spiked 96 percent in September; year-to-date sales were up 52 percent. Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX post highest retail sales to date.
  • Overall sales totaled 189,863, down 21 percent compared with a year ago; daily rental sales were down 62 percent and sales to individual retail customers were down 15 percent.
  • Lincoln registers 12 th month in a row of higher retail sales; total Lincoln sales up 33 percent (retail up 40 percent) in September and 15 percent (retail up 17 percent) year-to-date.
  • Land Rover dealers report record sales of 4,190, up 21 percent, reflecting all-new LR2.

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 2 – Demand continues to grow for Ford Motor Company’s all-new and redesigned crossover vehicles, even as overall sales declined in September.


Total September sales were 189,863, down 21 percent compared with a year ago. Sales to daily rental companies were down 62 percent and sales to individual retail customers were down 15 percent.


Ford, Lincoln and Mercury’s all-new and redesigned crossover utility sales were up 96 percent in September and up 52 percent year-to-date – the largest increase of any major manufacturer.


“We continue to be encouraged by customers’ strong response to our new products, which we’re launching with high quality,” said Mark Fields, president, The Americas. “Demand for our new crossovers continues to grow and contributes to our efforts to stabilize U.S. retail market share.”


In September, Ford Edge sales were 11,632 and Lincoln MKX sales were 3,805. Both new crossovers achieved their highest retail sales month to date. The Edge and Lincoln MKX were introduced in December 2006 and already are among the best sellers in the mid-size and premium CUV segments.


Sales for the redesigned 2008 model Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner crossovers were higher in September. Escape sales were 11,132, up 10 percent, and Mariner sales were 2,699, up 4 percent.


The Lincoln brand posted its 12 th month in a row of higher retail sales. In September, total Lincoln sales were up 33 percent (retail up 40 percent). Year-to-date, total Lincoln sales were up 15 percent (retail up 17 percent). Lincoln’s rebound reflects the new Lincoln MKX crossover, the new Lincoln MKZ sedan (up 25 percent in September) and the redesigned Navigator (up 38 percent in September).


“We’re building a strong foundation for future growth at Lincoln,” said Fields. “This is the early phase of an aggressive plan to restore Lincoln as America’s choice for luxury vehicles.”

Land Rover’s September sales were 4,190, up 21 percent, reflecting the addition of the all-new LR2 crossover. Land Rover sales were up 8 percent year-to-date.


LINK to source.
 
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#2 ·
Mostly a poor showing from older models.
Good news for Edge, Escape, Fusion, Mariner, MKX, MKZ, Navigator.
Notes:
Town Car must be running low on supply as it shifts plants.
Taurus needs advertising quickly!
Mustang needs something major before Camaro launches.
F150 may be settling at this sales rate. With gas high, only people who need trucks will buy them until MPGs improve.
Explorer is losing sales to Edge, but that's better than losing them to others.
 
#3 ·
ok, not all is bad.....

Good: crossover sales up rocketing...... midzise car sales up again....Lincoln sales up again.......

Bad: Mustang sales down...needs urgent "Nip-Tuck" touch
F-150 down again....Ford need to acelerate the new truck development??????
 
#4 ·
Logans Run said:
Mostly a poor showing from older models.
...Town Car must be running low on supply as it shifts plants.
...Taurus needs advertising quickly!
...Mustang needs something major before Camaro launches.
falcon lover said:
ok, not all is bad.....
Bad: Mustang sales down...needs urgent "Nip-Tuck" touch


major +1 re: poor showing from older models ....tho not particularly for Ford.
One of these days, I gotta get around to a real anal-ysis cuz it seems to me Everybody depends to a huuuge degree on new models for Any chance at an increase.
and
I really hope once the UAW negotiations are over, some of the odd practices
- like launching the Taurii months before they intended to do practically ANY advertising -
will be a thing of the past.
and
yeah, I believe the TC is in the process of moving to St.Tom
however
seems to me the Mustang is doing fine:
ytd-Sept
'05 128,485
'06 133,269
'07 109,803 _ -14.5% vs '05; -17.6% vs '06
contrasted with (not 'compared' exactly) just for perspective
_'07ytd____'06ytd__
__9,474 __ 25,806 _ -63.3% _Scion xA < discontinued* right?
_33,832 __ 50,532 _ -33.0% _Scion xB
_52,063 __ 63,257 _ -17.7% _Scion tC
__5,287 __ ------ _ _ _------ _Scion xD < doesn't seem to be making-up for anything;
totals
100,656 _ 139,595 _ -27.89%
yet the media hypes these as a success? :confused:


* media's Ford-translation: quit/dropped/gave-up/abandonned


ps to NDW & Sobe re: "F-150 down again....Ford need to accelerate the new truck development?"
looking at the frontpage, thought it might be time for a new POLL
like: "if you could pull One Model forward..."
just haven't gotten around to selecting future vehicles & pix
( tho imho fantasy/speculative euro-imports shouldn't be included)

edit - shucks, almost got by without an edit but just saw your new Poll, Sobe. "Great minds"...
;)
 
#7 ·
Lincoln numbers are really impressive. Its not only the MKX but also the Navigator and the MKZ are doing very well.

Whatever they are doing they must find a way to do it for the rest of the company. The Fusion though, posted an impressive recovery and the Expedition, even though its showing a decline, had consistently posted gains in the months prior.

They really need to start pushing that Taurus, though.
 
#11 ·
I think they should fill some fleet lots with Taurus.
It is not the same car it was last generation, and people need to drive it to see that. Just don't fill them with stripped models. They should offer it as a large premium car, loaded with sync and all.

I've wondered if (for limited time?) it'd be feasible to negotiate the price with the rental companies
THEN
deliver the vehicles with a free upgrade to trim-level & options
?

so the renters come away with a "SH!T that Ford is a nice car!" reaction.
 
#13 ·
I think they should fill some fleet lots with Taurus.
It is not the same car it was last generation, and people need to drive it to see that. Just don't fill them with stripped models. They should offer it as a large premium car, loaded with sync and all.

Don't worry. Rental lots around here are well stocked with them and have been all summer.
 
#15 ·
Great news.

As long as they don't flood them all as much as GM has been doing lately, also with many other models that don't speak as positively toward their product, like GM has been doing.
Uh, oh! Someone is going to get mad with that comment . . . . :D

Wingsnut, megeebee has an eye for Fords in rental lots. Maybe that is because they are more conspicuous than their GM or Chrysler counterparts. Probably there are three Tauri for every 30 Impalas so they are more noticeable.

I live in Miami the land of rentals, and I don't see that very many Tauri, and so far I have seen only one Sable and only one TaurusX. That is good news because it means that the rental lots are not that stacked up with Tauri and also not so good news because it means that dealer lots probably are.

That advertising and marketing push that you and igor are announcing can't come a minute too soon.
 
#16 ·
Uh, oh! Someone is going to get mad with that comment . . . . :D

Wingsnut, megeebee has an eye for Fords in rental lots. Maybe that is because they are more conspicuous than their GM or Chrysler counterparts. Probably there are three Tauri for every 30 Impalas so they are more noticeable.

I live in Miami the land of rentals, and I don't see that very many Tauri, and so far I have seen only one Sable and only one TaurusX. That is good news because it means that the rental lots are not that stacked up with Tauri and also not so good news because it means that dealer lots probably are.

That advertising and marketing push that you and igor are announcing can't come a minute too soon.
You dont see a lot of Taurus, because there are not a lot of new Taurus in fleets. I already know megebee's MO.

I seem to recall fleet sales of the Mont Carlo at around 58%.
Even higher for Impala and Malibu.

My statement stands that those are not GM's best products. Not by a long shot.
 
#17 ·
Great news.

As long as they don't flood them all as much as GM has been doing lately,
...just not with their newest, "All New" models.

also with many other models that don't speak as positively toward their product, like GM has been doing.
??? I'm not sure I understand what you mean here. Could you clarify.
 
#19 ·
Who?...................me?

Why I never let a tense remark pass through my typing fingers. Who ever could you mean?
Lets just say, not you. ;)
...just not with their newest, "All New" models.
How can you be so sure? I see more than my fair share of rented Solstices and Auras. I know this is purely anecdotal and hardly constitutes evidence of anything. But with GMs own admission on succumbing to the fleet sales temptation during August the drive to speculate is hard to resist. We will see fleet numbers soon enough though.
 
#23 ·
I wonder if AM should be praised for continuing his diligence in refraining from fleet sales, or criticized for it.


I suspect that this September report might loosen the fleet-strings a bit. Sometimes weening an automaker from the fleet-teet is a 2 steps forward, one back kind of thing. Ford stilll needs to keep the factories humming.
Fleet business is not, in itself, a bad thing. Over dependence though, is. It puts an automaker in the business of building brand new USED cars.
 
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