Or, as the FoMoCo PR types put it, “F-Series Drives Ford To Higher Market Share For Third Straight Month.” And, to be fair, this is the first time since 2001 that the company’s Fourth Quarter market share was higher than a year ago. As usual though, the real story comes in the final sentence of Ford’s press release, which reveals that “for the full year of 2008, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury’s market share is estimated at 14.2 percent, down 0.4 points versus a year ago.” On the bright side though, “this marks the company’s smallest decline in market share this decade.” Party!
By brand, Volvo is down the most, posting a 47 percent drop, with Ford and Mercury posting drops in the 30 percent range and Lincoln finishing strong with only a ten percent drop. SUVs are down over 50 percent for the Ford, Mercury and Lincoln brands, with other vehicle categories down about 30 percent.
Individual model sales reveal a few interesting points. The Taurus sold only 453 more units than did the venerable Crown Victoria. Mustang was down over 50 percent this December, selling only 4,027 units. Edge (5,937) is down 56.7 percent, selling at nearly half the rate of the Escape (10,967) and twice that of the Flex (2,685). Taurus X dove over 79 percent, moving only 971 vehicles. Fusion and Focus fell more softly, selling 10,274 and 11,671 units respectively. Expedition and Explorer sales were cut in half compared to last December, although Ford did sell 41,580 F-series trucks, down only 24.5 percent from last year.
Lincoln’s numbers are more than a bit misleading. Navigator and Mark LT lead the losses with roughly 50 percent losses, while MKX dropped 45.2 percent and MKZ dropped 34.2 percent. But Lincoln’s “only” ten percent drop as a brand since last year is the result of the new MKS, and a mysterious 605 percent increase in Town Car sales. Ford doesn’t even tout this Lazarus act in its PR copy, only noting that “fleet sales were down 42 percent (including a 57 percent decline in daily rental sales), consistent with Ford’s plans.”
On planet Mercury, the Mariner is up 41 percent, but overall sales are down 29.8 percent. Can you even name all the Mercury models which dragged that number down? We doubt it.
Volvo’s S80 is up 30 percent and C30 is down only ten percent, but S60 (-81.9 percent), S40 (-62.7 percent) and XC90 (-50.9 percent) drag overall Volvo sales to under 5k units, a 47 percent loss. That can’t go on for much longer.
Very interesting numbers. A lot of models got killed. Mustang, Taurus, Edge, Expedition, and Explorer all down more than 45%. It’s weird to me how Ford is the golden child of the D2.8 now. The Focus and Taurus are both bottom of the barrel offerings in very high volume segments. Previous high volume vehicles like the Explorer now do almost nothing. Considering those 2 facts alone, it is amazing to see them hanging in there.
Farley and Mullaly are in a good situation when you think about it (well except for the teetering on the edge of bankruptcy thing). It would be very easy to improve Lincoln and bring them closer to Cadillac, improve the Focus, and improve the Taurus. Those 3 obvious moves would improve sales +25% or more even assuming a static market.
“Retail sales to individual customers were down 27 percent, and fleet sales were down 42 percent.”
Hopefully Ford’s production figures have been scaled back enough to meet current demand.
The Focus and Taurus are both bottom of the barrel offerings in very high volume segments.
I’d say “middling” in regards to the Focus and “decent” for the Taurus. I have no idea why Ford’s D-Platform cars don’t sell well; they’re much better general-purpose cars than the Amanti, Azera, GM W-Bodies or the LX Chryslers. You could make an argument for the Taurus versus the Maxima, even.
Other than Avalon (which is better in every way) the Taurus is pretty much at the top.
Last year, I was driving home in really bad snow and some soccer mom passed me at about 50 mph in a SUV. I tried to keep up with her for a while, knowing that I was going to see a pretty cool crash, but she quickly left my view. About 5 minutes later, there was an SUV facing the wrong way of the interstate up against the railing – of course it was the same soccer mom.
This is kinda of how I feel today. I know the conditions were horrible in December and the people behind the wheel of GM and Chrysler can’t drive, but I still can’t wait to see the wreck.
psarhjinian – I’m just going by most comparisons that I’ve seen and subjectively throwing in my own bias in regards to their styling (which I really don’t like). Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be too hard to improve upon “middling” and “decent”.
I personally like the Edge and give Ford a lot of credit for sticking their neck out there with the Flex. The Mustang is a good role player that gets the job done for what it is designed to do. Their truck business is solid and I even give them some credit in the way they do fleet business. I like the idea of fleet only vehicles like the Crown Vic that make some cash but don’t kill the brand.
I’m just saying – I’m not a hater against Ford, but you gotta admit that the Focus and Taurus are the 2 vehicles really holding Ford back right now.
I think the Town Car number is because Ford shut down production for awhile, to switch plants from Wixom to St. Thomas.
Funny thing how perception works about product. The dealership worked a deal the other day on a new ’08 Taurus. The customer wanted to trade ’05 Avalon w/ 68-k on the odometer.Even though the car was Taurus was brand new with no mileage, the customer’s told us they felt they were trading down.They passed on the purchase. Go figure.
The 500/Taurus/Freestyle/Montego/Sable/Taurus X has been a disaster for Ford. They are good cars, but very plain, and somehow unappealing. I think the revamp due next year will solve the problem. I hope so, because the current iteration has cost Ford billions.
Quoting Bunter1 from the “Toyota down 32%” post below:
Many got worked up over Toyota’s -32% last month-but the market was down 37%.
They beat the average, gained share.
In this market that’s a win, a show of relative strength with the remaining customers.
Works for Ford too, I think, then.
Alcibiades: Thanks for the heads-up. Any idea when they’re gonna take the old girl out back with a shotgun?
Props to the Town Car – the only real Lincoln left. If Ford budgeted more than 52 cents in the last decade to keep that platform competitive, who knows how many they would sell with a competitive drivetrain.
Instead we get “me too” tarted up Euroboxes and Mexican built Mazdas as Lincolns.
Just kill the brand if that is the solution.
YEs Ford is down, EVERYONE IS DOWN…
But the key is, Ford has been doing the best of the Detroit 3 and is also doing better than some foreign models too.
I’m actually suprised how well Ford is doing. As someone pointed out, the current 500, Montego, Taurus are plain and boring but the new cars based on the MKS will definitely be hotter.
The MKS, MKX, 2010 MKZ, Edge, and a bunch of Ford’s other models are really good cars.
Boston:
It would be very easy to improve Lincoln and bring them closer to Cadillac,
Maybe. But even if it is possible, do they want to be closer to Cadillac? Cadillac’s sales suck.
Ford may well be in the best shape of the big 3 but the year end volumes are truly scary. They used to sell several hundred thousand Explorers and Expeditions a year. They used to sell 1M F series. Those are 100% profit sales. They’re down by nearly 2/3 over the last 5 years. Ford has not shrunk that much that fast. And they are still hemorraging money and haven’t got a legitimate hit in their lineup. And their most recent releases, the Flex and MKS are disasters with only around 14K sales for the year. Being the best of this bunch isn’t saying much.
I hear that the Panther platform will finally be put down in 2011, when the plan is to shut down the St. Thomas assembly plant, which currently manufactures the Crown Vic, the Grand Marquis, and the Town Car. That is subject to change of course.
Alcibiades : I think the Town Car number is because Ford shut down production for awhile, to switch plants from Wixom to St. Thomas.
I’m pretty sure the switch happened in the past, in 2007. Odds are the spigot for the Town Car was turned off while and they made CVPIs and Grandma Marquis. Whatever, it goes to show that fleets buy RWD Fords for a variety of reasons, and the retail market doesn’t give two NSFW’s about their Volvo-based big sedans.
If the market picks up, I still don’t think the redesigned 2010 Taurus and Ecoboot MKS will do much, but maybe I’m wrong. The original Taurus’ market should have never been split into the Fusion and 500/Taurus.
Ford loaned money ahead of time and Mullaly is the best of the people running the Little 3. Likely the real reason Ford did not take bailout money was the Ford family. Would the government hand over billions and still allow the family to control the company while only owning a small amount of stock? Not likely.
Ford’s chances are likely no better than the Detroit Lions while the spoiled great grandson of old Henry continues to have such a large say in the operation of the company.(and the Lions)
To be fair, the 2009 Mustang is a “nothing new” model waiting for the February debut of the 2010 face lift. Lots of hype for the 2010 will chill sales for the “Oh so last month” 2009.
Well Justin – I was just thinking in terms of realism. Caddy still has Lincoln by 40k ish units and I’m sure they have a higher transaction price. Also, the CTS is a legit competitor to other luxury brands. The chances of Lincoln competing with BMW, MB, and Lexus are nill right now, so better to start somewhere for the first gen, and then set the bar a little higher for the next go round.
If the new Fusion Hybrid can get the 40+ mpg and oil prices spike I think ford will have an out of the ballpark hit. Will they be able to build them in mass quanitity is another story.
While the Taurus might be better than a W-body GM, nobody likes the “fat VW” styling of it. I also don’t like the Taurus name going on a “large” car. Why they had to come up with a new name (Fusion) for that segment is beyond me.
Kill the panther platform already. While their fans are truly die-hard they don’t buy those things to make Ford money. At least Mustang fans buy quantities to keep the line profitable…maybe.
And fix the Focus, i.e. give us what the euro version is. With that you’d have a solid Ford lineup in the small, mid, large & sports car segment. Keep the F-series and Edge and be done with it. Everything else gets the axe.
Props to the Town Car – the only real Lincoln left.
That’s like saying the coelecanth is the only fish of it’s type left: that would be because evolution walked right on by, whistling as it went.
The Town Car is like the Jeep Wrangler: it fills a specialized niche that appeals to a small, but loyal and consistent group of buyers. Sort of like what Saab wishes it still had.
The original Taurus’ market should have never been split into the Fusion and 500/Taurus.
I’m not sure about this. The old split was Escort/Tempo-Contour/Taurus. The Fusion more or less takes over from the Tempo/Countour, not the Taurus. It made no less sense than Corolla/Camry/Cressida-Avalon, or Sentra/Stanza-Altima/Maxima. Only Honda balks at this formula, and only because they sell the Legend as an Acura.
Of course, with the Fiesta coming over and the Focus getting bigger, it gets tighter. But Toyota still does well enough selling the Yaris, Corolla, Camry and Avalon.
I’m just going by most comparisons that I’ve seen and subjectively throwing in my own bias in regards to their styling (which I really don’t like).
That’s the Taurus/Five Hundred’s real problem: it’s not sort-of exciting, like the 300 or Maxima, or cheap as dirt like the Impala, Amanti or Azera. It certainly doesn’t have the Avalon’s rep.
It’s dull, capable car under the Five Hundred name; it’s a less dull but more ugly car as the Taurus. If the MKS is any hint, the new one should be much nicer.
Ford loaned money ahead of time and Mullaly is the best of the people running the Little 3. Likely the real reason Ford did not take bailout money was the Ford family. Would the government hand over billions and still allow the family to control the company while only owning a small amount of stock? Not likely.
Why not? They handed Chrysler a bunch and they’re a private company with exactly zero accountability to the public.
Perhaps it would be different if Ford’s management and stakeholders was as rife with former politicos as Cerberus is.
This shows you how stupid Ford’s management has been with their product line. The Lincoln Town Car is everything a luxury car should be with the exception of its engine. A more powerful engine would have this car trouncing every offering from Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus. Nothing rides like a Town Car.
– Max
p.s. Ford never should have discontinued the 302/351 engine series. It could have competed favourably against the GM LS engine.
That’s like saying the coelecanth is the only fish of it’s type left: that would be because evolution walked right on by, whistling as it went.
That’s funny, because it assumes the automobile ever “evolved” in the first place.
Sajeev, I am pretty sure the Town Car figure is driven by the plant switch. First, the monthly sales figure for December, 2007 was 194, which never would have happened in a normal month of sales (the monthly average for 2007 was 2,228). Second, Wikipedia reports that Town Car production was switched to STAP in “late 2007.” I know Wikipedia is error-prone, but I have found that it is reasonably reliable when it does not delve into political matters. Plus, the article cites a supporting article from SperoNews, whatever that is.
Regarding Volvo’s sales drop: Some of this is to be expected given higher gas prices (sales of big SUVs like the XC90 have tanked), staleness of product (the new S60 is due out later this year but long overdue), and poor timing (the XC60 is waaay late to the CUV game).
Of course, poor price/performance doesn’t help either. The V70/XC70, while more upscale than the Legacy/Outback really aren’t worth the premium.
Mustang was down over 50 percent this December
I guess that explains the new 2008 Mustang Bullitt advertised for $23k and the incentives for all Mustangs except the Shelby GT500.
Can you even name all the Mercury models which dragged that number down?
I can’t name any current Mercury cars with any certainty.
Volvo’s S80 is up 30 percent and C30 is down only ten percent, but S60 (-81.9 percent), S40 (-62.7 percent) and XC90 (-50.9 percent) drag overall Volvo sales to under 5k units, a 47 percent loss. That can’t go on for much longer.
How can you have an 81.9% decline in sales of a model? Wow! No kidding it can’t go on much longer, pretty soon Ferrari and Lamborghini will be outselling Volvo at this rate.
Would the government hand over billions and still allow the family to control the company while only owning a small amount of stock? Not likely.
Why not? They gave Cerbrus a bunch of money with no oversite or transparency despite all of the money they have in other holdings outside of Chrysler and GMAC.
I am surprised that Ford is not any more down. With such lackluster products, it is amazing they have any sales.
That’s funny, because it assumes the automobile ever “evolved” in the first place.
Are you saying it didn’t?
Here is a fact for you to chew on…the Panthers are the most dependable, mo0st reliable, and most durable vehicles Ford has ever and will ever produce.
None of Ford’s current crop of automotive blandness can accomplish what the Panthers do every day.
It is funny that Ford really struggles to get 24MPG out of a 4000+ bread box…but the 4000+ Panthers with their evil V8 and RWD will get 30MPG on the highway all day long…and you will be comfortable.
Ford is incapable of making another Panther ever again. The FWD cracker boxes will never be as good.
Alcibiades: that makes sense, I bet you are right.
200k-min : Kill the panther platform already. While their fans are truly die-hard they don’t buy those things to make Ford money.
Got any proof of that? Because it sure looks like they sell a $20,000 car ($30,000 for CVPIs and more for Town Cars) that costs them $10,000-15,000 to make. The engine alone is significantly less complicated than its brother in the Mustang GT.
psarhjinian : I’m not sure about this. The old split was Escort/Tempo-Contour/Taurus. The Fusion more or less takes over from the Tempo/Countour, not the Taurus.
The market for the Contour/Tempo was far from strong enough to justify a unique vehicle, much less one on a unique platform. Ford’s inability to stick with a winner (small, mid-size, or large car) and constantly refine it has been going on for a long time…but…nothing, absolutely nothing, has been as big of a money pit as the D3 chassis. Maybe its the styling but a large chunk of it is that Ford’s multiple sedans have gotten larger and the market won’t support it.
Fact is, its been 3+ years and the Panther still sells about as well as the big FWD Ford, and who knows how much more product overlap is to come if the Fiesta comes to play.
It made no less sense than Corolla/Camry/Cressida-Avalon, or Sentra/Stanza-Altima/Maxima. Only Honda balks at this formula, and only because they sell the Legend as an Acura.
Not a valid comparo: the Avalon and Maxima are based on their cheaper counterparts, they aren’t split between two different chassis from unique blueprints. Those two are not the colossal money pit of the Ford. (Fusion = Mazda and Taurus = Volvo)
Here is a fact for you to chew on…the Panthers are the most dependable, mo0st reliable, and most durable vehicles Ford has ever and will ever produce.
Yes, but outside it’s niche no one cares. Panthers are uncomfortable, slow, thirsty, cramped and not at all fun to drive. And yes, I know you can modify them to address some of these problems—something that normal people never do—but then you get something that’s faster, thirstier and rides like a cop car, which isn’t exactly appealing to the mainstream. Saying “it still sells” is like saying milk still sells, or electricity still sells. Ford could crank the car out, in its current form, for another decade and it’d still sell because it meets the needs of it’s small, but not shrinking, customer base.
Again, it does not mean it’s a good car for most people, or even a better car than the Taurus. If given the choice between a Crown Vic and Fusion or Taurus, most anyone would take the latter because, unless you perform PIT maneuvers, hop curbs or drive a cab, they’re better cars. Hell, they’re even more reliable and cheaper to own if you’re not doing your own work.
If Ford dropped the Taurus and kept the Crown Vic, they still wouldn’t sell any at retail because they’re not at all good mainstream cars, which was the reason they dropped them from the retail sales channel in the first place.
Now, I like the Taurus. I liked the Five Hundred. Most reviewers did. Consumer Reports did. Ford utterly failed to advertise it. The one D-Platform car they did advertise (the Flex) launched right into the maw of a gas hike and subsequent recession. I don’t think the problem is the platform: Ford, like GM, seems to have an almost criminally inept marketing department.
Fact is, its been 3+ years and the Panther still sells about as well as the big FWD Ford, and who knows how much more product overlap is to come if the Fiesta comes to play.
I agree with most of your points, but the Panter platform cars, as above, are not overlapping with the Taurus. No one buys Panters retail, so saying they outsell the Taurus is a bit of a red herring.
Not a valid comparo: the Avalon and Maxima are based on their cheaper counterparts, they aren’t split between two different chassis from unique blueprints.
Point one: the older Maximas and Cressidas were on a different platform.
Point two: Technically, neither are the Fusion (6, Edge, MKX, CX-7, CX-9, MKZ) and Taurus (MKS, Flex, older S80). Leveraging across brands is just as valid—if not moreso—than doing so within a showroom. Sales of the Maxima and Avalon suffer as much or more from the presence of the Altima and Camry as the Taurus does from the Fusion.
I do think that, with the Fiesta, something has to give. Perhaps dropping the Taurus and Edge (and keeping the Flex) and upsizing the Fusion? I don’t know, but there’s a need to do something.
psarhjinian : I agree with most of your points, but the Panter platform cars, as above, are not overlapping with the Taurus. No one buys Panters retail, so saying they outsell the Taurus is a bit of a red herring.
That was by design, not by customer choice. Since 2005, Ford did their best to squeeze the Panther out and the D3 in. They even promoted the 500 as having a trunk that’s better than the CV. The writing on the wall was there, but it didn’t work.
FoMoCo ceded the full-size Ford market to the competition, because the 500/Taurus isn’t exactly an appealing vehicle, even if it is perfectly good. Ford lost its unique selling point (RWD, great ride, whatever) and their EuroAsian-inspired sedan won’t keep the buyers from leaving the dealers.
Point one: the older Maximas and Cressidas were on a different platform.
Which is precisely why Ford needs to ditch the Volvo platform.
Point two: Technically, neither are the Fusion (6, Edge, MKX, CX-7, CX-9, MKZ) and Taurus (MKS, Flex, older S80). Leveraging across brands is just as valid—if not moreso—than doing so within a showroom. Sales of the Maxima and Avalon suffer as much or more from the presence of the Altima and Camry as the Taurus does from the Fusion.
Ok, if we consider other Ford brands it becomes pretty clear that the Mazda ones move the metal and the Volvos are total duds. We like to slam the old school Ford sedans and SUVs, but judging by the sales, it would have been much, much smarter to plowback the D3 budget into the Panthers and Explorer R&D and let the CD3 do its thing for all the people who hate Town Cars and Explorers. (which would keep the vast majority of people here pretty darn happy)
I do think that, with the Fiesta, something has to give. Perhaps dropping the Taurus and Edge (and keeping the Flex) and upsizing the Fusion? I don’t know, but there’s a need to do something.
Keep the Fusion/Edge/Escape, lose anything with the word D3, and focus (no pun intended) on making Ford a value/performance brand with no aspirations of a $35,000+ CUV like the Flex. Nobody’s buying premium optioned Fords (unless its a truck) and at some point they gotta stop the bleeding.
Yes, but outside it’s niche no one cares. Panthers are uncomfortable, slow, thirsty, cramped and not at all fun to drive.
They are actually very comfortable cars., yes they are slow…but the police don’t seem to have a problem with them. And they ARE NOT thirsty. They get 30 on the highway. How is that thirsty for a full size, V8 sedan? Cramped?? No.
And they are a blast to drive. Especially in the winter!
Are you saying it didn’t?
Here is a fact for you to chew on…the Panthers are the most dependable, mo0st reliable, and most durable vehicles Ford has ever and will ever produce.
You misread my, my fellow CrownVic.net member. I love the Ford Panther cars because they are far superior to any other vehicle offered on the market. I was criticising another comment for discrediting the vehicle for not “evolving” because the automobile (cars, plural, not the crown victoria) has not substantially evolved since the 1930s. Yes, some changes and tweaks have been made here or there to automobiles to either increase their performance, fuel efficiency, or both but minor tuning aside cars are fundamentally similar to machines produced more than half a century ago. Even equipment that is considered “high tech” by those who know nothing about automobiles – multiple valves per cylinder, overhead cams, electric ignition, hemispherical/pentroof combustion chambers – all of that crap is nearly a century old. Of course, these people who believe such engineering tricks to be cutting edge and judge cars on their presence of lack thereof without actually evaluating a car’s ability need to get a life, get educated, and judge the automobile on its own merits. Then they will discover how well the Panther platform performs and regret buying their Jap crap chitbox.
If Ford dropped the Taurus and kept the Crown Vic, they still wouldn’t sell any at retail because they’re not at all good mainstream cars, which was the reason they dropped them from the retail sales channel in the first place.
BS. The Ford Crown Victoria is a better car than anything offered by Toyota, Honda, Nissan, or Chevrolet. It’s safer, bigger, more comfortable, and longer lived than its competitors.
P71_CrownVic :
January 6th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
They are actually very comfortable cars., yes they are slow…but the police don’t seem to have a problem with them. And they ARE NOT thirsty. They get 30 on the highway. How is that thirsty for a full size, V8 sedan? Cramped?? No.
My parents have had Crown Victorias consistenly for the last 20 years; I know the last two (an ’02 and an ’06) have never seen 30 mpg. The EPA registers them at 17/23 (and only 17/25 under the previous guidelines.) They drive like grandparents (because they are!) and get around 26 at best.
I agree that they aren’t cramped, except when you consider that they are 212 inches (almost 18 feet)long.