Ford dealers pushing Mulally about turnaround plan
2/6/07, 10:18 AM
#1
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Ford dealers pushing Mulally about turnaround plan
This article is an interesting read. Some significant quotes:
Mulally promised that Ford executives would listen to dealers and would maintain a "confident but not arrogant" attitude.
When one dealer suggested that Mulally come to his business and sell some cars, Mulally responded: "Done." Mulally said after the meeting that he will make a visit as soon as his schedule allows.
At the same time, Mulally draw several rounds of applause, including one standing ovation after he promised "a lot less arrogance at Ford Motor Co.," according to one dealer
2/6/07, 12:25 PM
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2/6/07, 12:26 PM
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Saturn corporate officials said they are aware that some dealers are charging premiums on the Sky, although they frown on the practice.
"Retailers are free to set their own prices, but we always highly encourage our retailers not to sell above the MSRP," Saturn's general manager, Jill Lajdziak, said in a statement. "We feel that MSRP represents real value in the marketplace. We are confident in the integrity of our retail network and their respect for the Saturn pricing philosophy."
"Retailers are free to set their own prices, but we always highly encourage our retailers not to sell above the MSRP," Saturn's general manager, Jill Lajdziak, said in a statement. "We feel that MSRP represents real value in the marketplace. We are confident in the integrity of our retail network and their respect for the Saturn pricing philosophy."
They also restrict manufacturers from selling directly to the consumer. Care to guess who's behind these laws? If you guess the dealership associations, you'd be right.
2/6/07, 12:35 PM
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what about VW?
no vw will ever be sold for more than msrp. NONE
but i'll tell you this, i dont care who says what, the horrible sales experience going on at ford dealers is also helping in the driving down of sales. mine was fine because i had one of those magical x plan pins and a check for my car. the dealer never even ran my credit.
no vw will ever be sold for more than msrp. NONE
but i'll tell you this, i dont care who says what, the horrible sales experience going on at ford dealers is also helping in the driving down of sales. mine was fine because i had one of those magical x plan pins and a check for my car. the dealer never even ran my credit.
2/6/07, 01:19 PM
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what about VW?
no vw will ever be sold for more than msrp. NONE
but i'll tell you this, i dont care who says what, the horrible sales experience going on at ford dealers is also helping in the driving down of sales. mine was fine because i had one of those magical x plan pins and a check for my car. the dealer never even ran my credit.
no vw will ever be sold for more than msrp. NONE
but i'll tell you this, i dont care who says what, the horrible sales experience going on at ford dealers is also helping in the driving down of sales. mine was fine because i had one of those magical x plan pins and a check for my car. the dealer never even ran my credit.
This is a quote form a Ward's auto article:
In recent times, many dealers have been more tempted than usual to jack up the prices on high-demand vehicles. Chevrolet's Corvette, Mazda's Miata, Volkswagen's new Beetle, Plymouth's Prowler, Audi's TT, Lexus' Sport Coupe convertible and Chrysler's PT Cruiser presented retailers with the delicate balance between customer satisfaction and getting what the market will bear for a hot commodity.
When Beetle hit the showrooms in March of 1998, its sticker price was $16,000, yet some dealers were getting as much as $30,000 for the '60s throwback.
When Beetle hit the showrooms in March of 1998, its sticker price was $16,000, yet some dealers were getting as much as $30,000 for the '60s throwback.
2/6/07, 01:52 PM
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well when i was in the market for my car, i took a look at a 2006 GTI, and the dealer i was speaking with (one of the worst in the area) said that VW does not allow them to sell for more than sticker.
even with other things. service departments are becoming nightmares, and most of the sales people are only doing it to make a quick buck, there is no motivation behind their sales then getting their manager off their back. all of this and none of the dealers are giving anything up for the customer, i wasnt even offered a free first oil change on my new car purchase. and the guy i bought the car from couldnt get it out of his head that i knew more about the car than he did. he smelled, and would never get me the information that i asked for during my 3.5 month wait. the business officers i dealt with were very nice people however. and the manger was a pretty nice guy
even with other things. service departments are becoming nightmares, and most of the sales people are only doing it to make a quick buck, there is no motivation behind their sales then getting their manager off their back. all of this and none of the dealers are giving anything up for the customer, i wasnt even offered a free first oil change on my new car purchase. and the guy i bought the car from couldnt get it out of his head that i knew more about the car than he did. he smelled, and would never get me the information that i asked for during my 3.5 month wait. the business officers i dealt with were very nice people however. and the manger was a pretty nice guy
2/6/07, 02:06 PM
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There's no doubt that there are some awful dealerships out there. There's one where I live that I avoid like the plague (sad part is that in addition to being a Ford dealer, they also own the only Mazda dealership in a hundred mile radius). How they stay in business is beyond me.
2/6/07, 09:37 PM
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Why doesn't Mulally push the dealers about the turnaround plan? I pretty much refuse to support/buy from the local Ford dealers because they simply esS, yoU, Cee, Kay!
2/7/07, 10:53 AM
#10
Still all joking aside, I don't blame Ford for this I have 2 dealers in my area. I bought my 06 from the one I liked best and sales wise they were great, now the service department was
. Now granted the one I bought from sold the franchise. The other has very nice sales people and a great service center, but they turn down x-plan PIN's whenever they feel like it, so I only go to them for service. When I spoke to one of them just in passing, told them about my accident they said "hey want me to sell you a new GT?" I said "sure, but I am using an x-plan and I also want to buy a new Edge on x-plan" his responce "oh I see......" I drove an hour out of state and went to a better dealer. I could not be more happy with Yocum Ford and Jeff 
, which proves my point some dealerships just like some people suck.
2/7/07, 10:57 AM
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Still all joking aside, I don't blame Ford for this I have 2 dealers in my area. I bought my 06 from the one I liked best and sales wise they were great, now the service department was
. Now granted the one I bought from sold the franchise. The other has very nice sales people and a great service center, but they turn down x-plan PIN's whenever they feel like it, so I only go to them for service. When I spoke to one of them just in passing, told them about my accident they said "hey want me to sell you a new GT?" I said "sure, but I am using an x-plan and I also want to buy a new Edge on x-plan" his responce "oh I see......" I drove an hour out of state and went to a better dealer. I could not be more happy with Yocum Ford and Jeff , which proves my point some dealerships just like some people suck.
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