Some of these guys are commiting consumer level fraud with some of these mark ups. My advice to one is to always shop around the entire country, find a dealership not charging insane mark ups, guage their trustworthiness through communication, be willing to travel for the vehicle.
My gut (errrrr....hope) is that we are moving more towards a 'customized order' model, where dealerships are phased out. I think used car prices will fall off a cliff fairly soon, but new models will continue to hold weight, but pricing will definitely level out. The thought by many is that, where as before dealership inventory was so overflowing, you could always get in and out of a car as you pleased, but usually taking a HEAVY HIT each time doing so (the old adage of a car loses %15 of its value the moment you drive off the lot). Now, vehicles will be more expensive, but more customized, and have the ability to hold value more. The 'downside' is you can't just show up at a dealer and find the exact model, with the exact options, in the exact color you want, on the lot. The thought is that people should stay in their vehicles longer. That's Jim Farley's thoughts, anyway.
I live in Miami, and had to go all the way to north West Palm Beach (a solid hour and a half in normal traffic), bypassing many, many dealerships, to find one that wouldn't bait and switch me.
Yes part of the reason I wanted a bronco sport besides price was the notion it would offer customization options and continued support for that. Time will tell. But there is something truly satisfying about working on and adding to your own vehicle.
I agree. ICE-equipped F-150s and SUVs are already subsidizing sales of Ford's EVs. I believe the decision to cease production of sedans was driven primarily by Ford's foray into the EV market. It was already subsidizing sedan sales with it's truck and SUV sales; it knew it couldn't subsidize both sedans and EVs.
They need to, if they expect it to sell to those with average incomes.
I think it’s getting to the point where the people who’ve wanted an EV have or can get one they can afford. Meanwhile many other people are still buying ICE. Or as the person below me mentions, the premium for buying one still may be prohibitive. Obviously a combination of factors effecting this.
At least not at the prices as they stand. When they initially debuted at 40K for the base model, it didn't seem too outrageous. The rapid increase in price, as well as not allowing the base to be eligible for the extended range hurt their sales. I certainly decided I was priced out, and for a truck that I was excited to have to haul things and hop into dirty, the base seemed ideal with vinyl seats and rubber floors. An extended range would have relieved my range anxiety for using the truck for our annual beach trip. Having to step up to a nicer interior for 20K more than that initial 40K, and then add another 15K on top of it for the extended range? No longer interested.
Exactly. I think it would have made much more sense for them to have introduced an EV Maverick rather than F-150. The smaller truck would not have required as large a battery to get a decent range, and if it could have been priced lower, it would have had a broad appeal. Plenty of people who use their trucks for actual work have smaller trucks rather than the foreman monsters. A long bed option on the Maverick would also most likely sell well (I know that would mean creating a new platform, so not really feasible). But what I don't get is trying to compete against your best selling truck with an overpriced EV version if you are trying to sell in volume
I agree with this thinking. Especially for the moderately expensive cars. It seems like it is getting to the point where a moderately expensive used car is still too expensive for most of the used car buyers, and those that have the money to afford them are opting to buy new for nearly the same prices.
Agreed- but the weight of the battery packs is substantial and might not have worked with the Maverick's lightweight chassis. Consider the F150 Lightning tips the scales at over 8200lbs (!!!) and the 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCab F150 weighs in at just over 5K lbs. That's a ton and a half MORE for effectively the same sized vehicle. Imagine if Ford was still using steel instead of aluminum...
