Some Ford dealers are still uninformed on Mach-E charging; hampering EV adoption

Raymondjram

Well-Known Member
First Name
Raymond
Joined
Jun 28, 2020
Threads
19
Messages
581
Reaction score
624
Location
Bayamon
Vehicles
2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid LE sedan
Occupation
Retired Engineer
Country flag
I agree

There is a systemic problem. Why Ford corporate has embraced electrification, Mass Ford dealers have not. I’m not surprised this even includes EV-Certified dealers.
I also agree. This is why I have to talk to the manager of my dealer and ask if they are ready or will be ready to sell the Mach-E here. That will affect my future decision to buy one.

I did one step ahead by ordering a Mach-E brochure online. I will take it to the manager and show it when we talk.
Sponsored

 

buzznwood

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2019
Threads
3
Messages
1,113
Reaction score
1,328
Location
california
Vehicles
focus st & GTPE
Country flag
Nothing was cherry picked. Both times we’ve done this, every single call was showcased.

Locations were not cherry picked either we simply called every opened EV certified dealer around us, sorted by distance.
You may want to change some of your stock dealer forecourt images, I was expecting some euro dealers in the calls seeing as one of the stock images has a lovely white mk2 focus rs in it.

Other than that not really surprised by the results as most people purchasing a brand new vehicle model know more about it than most dealer staff be that BEV or ICE so it is nothing new and I doubt that will change anytime soon :(
 

jhalkias

Well-Known Member
First Name
John
Joined
Mar 3, 2020
Threads
122
Messages
2,482
Reaction score
4,953
Location
Ohio
Vehicles
'21 RR ME FE, '22 Corsair GT, '22 Lightning Lariat
Occupation
Benefit Fund Administrator
Country flag
I am willing to be my Dealer’s MME specialist. Pay me to call back customers on the weekends or evenings, and just give me that Ford Dealer employee discount on my MME instead of the X plan. I’ll be happy to call people back and answer questions and also point them to this forum and other resources.
 

JCHLi

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2020
Threads
22
Messages
1,497
Reaction score
2,310
Location
Michigan
Vehicles
2021 Mustang Mach-E First Edition
Country flag
This extends beyond cars to basically anything being sold. I did a brief stint working in commissioned sales and although I tried to be helpful to all customers and there were coworkers who also know their stuff, most of the "best" sales people would either outright lie to get a sale or rely on hard sell tactics without really having to know what they were selling.

Unfortunately I learned that being good at sales and knowing about what you are selling are not correlated.
 

dbsb3233

Well-Known Member
First Name
TimCO
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Threads
54
Messages
9,298
Reaction score
10,812
Location
Colorado, USA
Vehicles
2021 Mustang Mach-E FE, 2023 Bronco Sport OB
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
That's true for all of us currently because the Mach-e is a special order vehicle that we're stuck waiting months for no matter how we purchase it. There's really no advantage to us to have it go through a dealership.

But in 3 years when there's 20 of them sitting on the lot at your local dealership, it's a little different matter for many buyers. Being able to drive one off the lot same day rather than waiting 2 months for order-to-delivery would make the dealership more valuable to many buyers (as it does today for an Escape or Explorer or F-150).
 


dbsb3233

Well-Known Member
First Name
TimCO
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Threads
54
Messages
9,298
Reaction score
10,812
Location
Colorado, USA
Vehicles
2021 Mustang Mach-E FE, 2023 Bronco Sport OB
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
You're an exception to most US car buyers. Most buy from inventory (sometimes that inventory involves a swap with another dealership in the city though).

And it's usually not "settling". Someone can always choose to special order if they want to wait that long. But there's usually pretty good inventory in most cities to find what you actually want in stock.
 

Njia

Well-Known Member
First Name
Scott
Joined
Jun 29, 2020
Threads
2
Messages
154
Reaction score
276
Location
Michigan
Vehicles
Escape Hybrid, Mach-E Prem/AWD/Standard Battery
Country flag
All sales people, regardless of the product they're selling, are incentivized for sell what they have in their bags. MME isn't yet, and deposits don't count. Moreover, there's not a single Ford dealer, individually or as a business, that is going to make quota (nor feed their families) selling MMEs. So, I have no doubt that these guys don't have the level of expertise those of us who are fanboys might expect; neither does it surprise me in the slightest that this site contains more information about the MME than a local dealer.

For that matter, go into any store selling Apple products, even the Apple Store itself, and plaster them with questions about the upcoming 5G-capable iPhone. You'll get the same kind of responses.
 

Njia

Well-Known Member
First Name
Scott
Joined
Jun 29, 2020
Threads
2
Messages
154
Reaction score
276
Location
Michigan
Vehicles
Escape Hybrid, Mach-E Prem/AWD/Standard Battery
Country flag
You're an exception to most US car buyers. Most buy from inventory (sometimes that inventory involves a swap with another dealership in the city though).

And it's usually not "settling". Someone can always choose to special order if they want to wait that long. But there's usually pretty good inventory in most cities to find what you actually want in stock.
This is exactly right. American buyers are conditioned to want instant gratification, and sales people (not to mention decades of research into buyer behavior) know that their odds of making the sale decrease with time.

I have worked with three different OEMs sales and marketing and supply chain/operations teams. They'd all love to reduce dealer inventories, and adopt more of a European model that relies on a combination of inventory pools and factory orders. Radically simplifying the number of build combinations and maintaining low inventory is a first step most are taking in low-margin vehicles (like MME). But in hugely profitable vehicles such as the F-150 and Bronco, the option choices are both endless AND dealers have incentive to keep as many of the most popular ones in stock for immediate delivery.
 

jhalkias

Well-Known Member
First Name
John
Joined
Mar 3, 2020
Threads
122
Messages
2,482
Reaction score
4,953
Location
Ohio
Vehicles
'21 RR ME FE, '22 Corsair GT, '22 Lightning Lariat
Occupation
Benefit Fund Administrator
Country flag
For that matter, go into any store selling Apple products, even the Apple Store itself, and plaster them with questions about the upcoming 5G-capable iPhone. You'll get the same kind of responses.
That's not a real good analogy, and I will tell you why . . . the minute Apple launches the new iPhone and makes public the specs and allows ordering, you can bet those people at the Apple store will know how to sell it. Right now the "next" iPhone is just a rumor without anything official from Apple.

There is a LOT of official information directly from Ford out there about the Mach E. I get all the other points. However, dealers that know it is going to be the future ARE getting a person on staff up to speed and knowledgeable. It may be their own internal "fanboy" or girl.

I am cutting them some slack right now. What is inexcusable though is misinformation. Don't tell a customer they can install a DCFC in their home. Don't tell them you can use a SuperCharger. Better to say "I don't know" and I will have someone get back to you. Misinformation is the WORST possible PR for Ford and its dealer network.
 

JamieGeek

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2019
Threads
82
Messages
3,556
Reaction score
6,746
Location
Southeastern Michigan
Website
spareelectrons.wordpress.com
Vehicles
Mach-E, old: Bolt, C-Max Energi, Focus Electric
Country flag
Most dealers inventories are online now (have been for quite some time) which means you don't have to settle.

I've done that before: In 2008 we were looking for a new truck I simply browsed all the local dealers inventories until I found one that matched what I want. That weekend we drove to the lot and looked at the truck there (dealership was closed so we just walked around it). That Monday I called my salesperson at my local dealership with the VIN and what dealer it was at. I had the truck that week--no need to wait months for the vehicle I wanted.

Unless you want some option combination that is really exotic or popular or some special vehicle (GT, etc.) you really don't have to special order.
Sponsored

 
 




Top