As part of Ford’s plan to pivot toward an all-electric future, the automaker effectively split itself into two separate divisions: Ford Blue, which will continue to focus on gasoline powered vehicles, and Ford Model e for electric vehicles. Dealers supporting The Blue Oval were asked to specialize in a certain areas by 2024. In the U.S., dealers that shift to an EV-focused outfit will sell battery electric models at fixed prices. So far, it’s been unclear if other global regions would adopt the same practice, but it seems that will not be the case, at least in Australia, according to a recent report by Drive.
Back in June, Ford Australia stated that it was apprehensive about the prospect of selling EVs at a fixed price, indicating that it had no plans to shift to online-only or fixed-price sales models. While the practice of selling vehicles at fixed prices would theoretically prevent individual Ford dealers from charging borderline obscene markups for highly sought-after models, it could also prevent customers from negotiating vehicle prices.
Executives at Ford Australia said that they believe that the current trend of certain dealers, and oftentimes customers, making a fast profit on vehicles with extended waiting periods will soon change as vehicle supply improves. As such, they did not see the need for a fixed-price model for the sale of EVs. In fact, many other automakers have opted out of fixed-price models, as data indicates that customers value the ability to negotiate.
Additionally, Ford Australia said that it is not interested in moving to an online-only business model, as it believes Ford dealers are crucial to the health of the brand in the country.
Interestingly, Ford dealers in Australia have been charging for well over MSRP for vehicles such as the Ford Ranger by as much as $1,200 to $6,000. Ford, however, has expressed displeasure at similar practices in the past.
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Comments
Its not the dealer’s you need to worry about at the moment, a buyer just picked up his new 2023/4 Ranger Raptor put 300klms (186 miles) on the clock and now has it up for sale with a $40,000 ($26000US) mark up.
is it time to have those sellers either dealers or owners who are overcharging and charge those people with wartime profiteering (covid is war as far as i am concerned as it was an act of war by China). We need to stand up and say prices are to high… Why should the average US car price be arouund 48K? It’s because workers want too much money to build them, auto makers want too much profit. If we stand up we can effect change. Depend that prices drop to perhaps the 1950 levels…. Why should any car that is new cost more then $1000. Where is the Ford Model T that costs less then $1000. I say even a Bently shouuld only be $900
Solid analysis bro. Might even gain traction if we learn you are working for 1000$/yr.
Are you ignorant, insane or just trolling?
Ford raising prices above MSRP? Ford determines what MSRP is. You act like this is some great violation.
86k IRS hires are not even a net number. A great number are to replace attrition as well as to backfill positions underfunded by the GOP’s attempt to wreck the Service. IRS had been so weakened that it was auditing mostly middle class as it didn’t have the responses to go after complex high net worth tax cheats and offshored corporations. These new hires are to be focused on going after those scofflaws and to help close the tax gap by bringing them back into legal compliance.
What the big oil oligopoly is doing, even more boldly now, is called gouging and it racks up windfall profits. The taxes proposed to act in the absence of real competition and to remove the incentive for gouging are called Windfall Profit Taxes.
The only mess is your understanding of how things are, how they work, who they benefit and how your arguments serve the limited group of sociopaths who seek to maximize and personally capture profits at all cost.
Maybe if you look at yourself in the mirror and say that with passion you will see how childishly silly you appear.