Earlier in the month, after Ford Motor Company delicately broke the news to some 6,000 people that either they had not been selected to purchase the new Ford GT supercar or they had been placed on a waitlist, the automaker published an interview with its very own CTO/Executive VP of Product Development Raj Nair to shed some light on the selection process.
Mr. Nair said: “We were very humbled to receive over 6,500 applications for an order bank of only 500 Ford GTs, reflecting the excitement and passion around this all-new Ford supercar… With production limited to 250 units per year, the Ford GT will be one of the rarest Ford products ever, and we tried to be as gracious as we could to our loyal Ford customers. As a gesture of our appreciation for Ford enthusiasts, 87% of the selected applicants are existing Ford vehicle owners and 69% own a previous generation Ford GT.”
Mr. Nair went on to say that Ford “created a distribution strategy in an effort to be as fair as possible and [is] working on a plan that will allow us to make even more deserving applicants happy.” The interview took place shortly before the automaker’s announcement that Ford GT production will be extended by another two years, through 2019. The initial round of applications covered only the first two years – 500 units – of production, but those that have been waitlisted will have a chance at securing one of the 250 supercars being produced in the third year.
Opening up about the Ford GT buyer-selection process was a good move, but we harbor doubt as to whether it really lessens the sting of having gotten a rejection letter. Ultimately, when a major, mainstream automaker like Ford starts employing a Ferrari-like approach to restricting who can and can’t buy its wares, people are bound to feel spurned.
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