Ford confirms price cuts
March 27th, 2010 by Richard Aucock
FORD is introducing lower priced models in a confirmation of a story Car Dealer Magazine ran last week.
Today, the blue oval has announced it is reducing list prices of the Mondeo, S-Max and Galaxy – with the MD ADMITTING that Ford’s approach up to now isn’t working!
Current promotions, which have cut up to 15 percent of the list prices of the cars, have now been made permanent. This has trimmed Ford list prices, which have come in for criticism in recent times for being expensive.
It means new entry level prices for the big car ranges, which are being aimed at company car drivers:
• Mondeo from £17,295
• S-Max from £20,645
• Galaxy from £22,945
Nigel Sharp, MD, Ford of Britain, said ‘Ford’s traditional high recommended list price, high discount approach was causing some confusion and incurred a disadvantage for company car drivers.
‘That formula served us well in the past,’ he added, ‘but today’s web-savvy consumer is better equipped to shop around and we have to make it absolutely clear that our own dealers are the best place to start for the keenest deals.’
The latest move sees Ford introduce its new value range – Blue Tag pricing. These will be cars with reduced list prices and reduced dealer discounts.
More Ford Blue Tag models will follow later in the year; an interim marketing offer running from April to June will match the value represented by Blue Tag.
Ford dealers, what do you think about your brand’s latest move?