Should Ford have a referral program like Tesla?

[Mathington]

I was recently thinking about the Tesla referral program and how it boosts overall sales by creating brand champions, it also provides a benefit for both the buyer and any person that helped the buyer to choose the Mach-E.

Since Ford already has tight integration with Electrify America and the plug& charge, why doesn't Ford try a form of referral program where someone can get some charging credits for a successful referral. Even if it's 100kW-250kW charging credit per sale, I think it would help foster the Ford EV community.

Am I out of my mind for thinking about this? Personally, I highly recommend the Mach-E to friends, family and even strangers that talk to me about it and that's without any type of personal benefit. Would this be taken advantage of by dealers since Ford can't do direct to consumer sales?

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[generaltso]

Didn't Tesla ditch their referral program? If Ford is already selling every MME they can produce, I don't see the ROI in creating an additional incentive.

 

[JoeDimwit]

why Would they do anything that would cost them money when they already have more demand than supply?

 

[macchiaz-o]

I feel like Tesla's referral program amplified their toxic culture. The Stan behavior of certain people on Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, etc is motivated by wanting to sell more Tesla.

 

[Mathington]

Didn't Tesla ditch their referral program? If Ford is already selling every MME they can produce, I don't see the ROI in creating an additional incentive.

I believe that supply is limited at the moment due to chip shortages, so it makes sense that they are selling every car they can make but I'm trying to think longer term. Given the competition of new EVs on the market, I don't know if that will be the case in 6, 12 or 24 months from now when the chip shortage is resolved and anyone can go buy whatever EV they want.

Now that great cars like the Ioniq 5, EV6 and even the ID.4 are available, we already see that Ford is being outsold in many markets due to this new competition. This is without even considering Tesla and the manufacturing monster they will be with Berlin and Texas Gigafactories coming online to effectively double their production.

Ford is making great changes towards electrification, but considering they have a more expensive car that doesn't come with the amount of free charging that their comparable, cheaper competitors do, it may not a bad idea to look at options that proved to be successful for Tesla and could help them stand out.

Maybe there is a better option out there but I wanted to throw this out and start a discussion.

 

[ridgebackpilot]

Tesla ended their referral program (except for solar) more than a year ago. They used it to stimulate demand for their cars early on, but after a while they didn't need it anymore.

When I bought my Model 3 in 2020, I took advantage of the referral program which gave both me and the referring owner 1,000 miles of free supercharging each. But sadly that program is long gone.

For the reasons others have pointed out, it seems unlikely that Ford needs to implement a referral program since demand for the MME is already sky-high thanks to rising gasoline prices.

 

[Mathington]

When I suggested the referral program, it wasn't necessarily just for Mach-E models, but for all Ford EVs. I understand that Ford is selling everything they can, but every car maker is right now. There is limited production due to chip shortages and this is mostly why.

If Ford can scale their production correctly next year and still sell every one then of course they don't need an option like this, but if that isn't the case and they are no longer selling then it's something to consider.

 

[AKgrampy]

I believe that supply is limited at the moment due to chip shortages, so it makes sense that they are selling every car they can make but I'm trying to think longer term. Given the competition of new EVs on the market, I don't know if that will be the case in 6, 12 or 24 months from now when the chip shortage is resolved and anyone can go buy whatever EV they want.

Now that great cars like the Ioniq 5, EV6 and even the ID.4 are available, we already see that Ford is being outsold in many markets due to this new competition. This is without even considering Tesla and the manufacturing monster they will be with Berlin and Texas Gigafactories coming online to effectively double their production.

Ford is making great changes towards electrification, but considering they have a more expensive car that doesn't come with the amount of free charging that their comparable, cheaper competitors do, it may not a bad idea to look at options that proved to be successful for Tesla and could help them stand out.

Maybe there is a better option out there but I wanted to throw this out and start a discussion.

At the moment delivery is delayed due to chip shortages while supply was always limited to the amount the factory could put out. Premium and CR1 sales are already closed for the model year. I believe is what Ford, and any manufacturer moving forward, will need to do is be nimble and understand what car buyers want and make changes on the fly when possible. I am an old coot and keep my cell phones, computers, etc until basically defunct. I feel newer generations may feel the same about their EV as many of their other tech items - need to have the latest and the greatest.

 

[Mathington]

At the moment delivery is delayed due to chip shortages while supply was always limited to the amount the factory could put out. Premium and CR1 sales are already closed for the model year. I believe is what Ford, and any manufacturer moving forward, will need to do is be nimble and understand what car buyers want and make changes on the fly when possible. I am an old coot and keep my cell phones, computers, etc until basically defunct. I feel newer generations may feel the same about their EV as many of their other tech items - need to have the latest and the greatest.

I completely agree about the need for Ford or any auto maker to be agile and able to adapt quickly to changes. This has worked well for Tesla and is what other EV makers will need to do in the future.

It's great that Ford is splitting off the EV side of the business into a separate division, to allow them become more agile and innovative without being held back by the older business structure.

 

[voxel]

As others have said... Tesla ditched their referral program (summer 2021).

Ford has X/A/B/D/C/E/F/G/H plan... whatever it is called that other carmakers do not have. Seems to encourage loyalty.

Speaking of which - Hyundai has a loyalty discount program. $500 is taken off when you buy another Hyundai.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I think a referral program is a great idea but there is no need to implement it until supply outpaces demand.

 

[Mathington]

As others have said... Tesla ditched their referral program (summer 2021).

Ford has X/A/B/D/C/E/F/G/H plan... whatever it is called that other carmakers do not have. Seems to encourage loyalty.

Speaking of which - Hyundai has a loyalty discount program. $500 is taken off when you buy another Hyundai.

I was aware that the program ended for Tesla, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be something Ford could look at.

The X plan is only available to employees of companies that have a relationship with Ford, not the general public. See here

Hyundai's discount is only valid if the buyer of the Hyundai currently owns a Hyundai with a valid registration. This is great for Hyundai customers but does nothing to encourage customers from another brand to switch.

The main idea that I liked about how Tesla did the referral is that there was mutual benefit for both the buyer and the person that referred them. This encouraged someone who didn't previously support that brand to switch and also gave current owners an incentive to share/market the brand for Ford.

 

[KyloRen]

Ford should be able to look to the future and see how they can keep their demand in tact and continue building on it. Fall 2022 will see so many new EVs from every manufacturer, and I am sure there will be fierce competition for market share/ mind share in the coming years. Mustang community is quite strong, and Ford should be looking at making that bond stronger and increasing!
Even a small gesture of keeping all the potential buyers updated on their $50k+ orders with good communication is a starting point!

 

[Maquis]

Ford currently has multiple buyers for every EV they can make today. Enticing more buyers has no benefit.

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