From the Horses Mouth - George Pipas U.S. Sales Analyst Ford Motor Company
From the Horses Mouth - George Pipas U.S. Sales Analyst Ford Motor Company CLICK HERE to listen to a 45 minute candid conversation with George Pipas, Ford Motor Company,and Bob Gordon President and Co-publisher of The Auto Channel. Some of the conversation topics include: 25 years of F series dominance –Why? Why the off shore manufactures have not been able to repeat their success in the Pick-Up truck segment. What’s different at Ford now that a Ford’s in charge again? How does Ford really feel about its Dealer organization (Very Good!) What role did the Ford dealers play in the tire recall? Why Ford bought those Premiere Lines and what does it all mean? Future product distribution-any changes? It’s worth listening to! Bob Gordon F series Press Release Follows: F-SERIES CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY AS AMERICA'S BEST-SELLING TRUCK DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 26, 2001 – When it comes to silver anniversaries, people often think about weddings. But for Ford, a silver anniversary inspires thoughts of something else: trucks. Ford F-Series is celebrating its 25th anniversary as America's best-selling truck, and its 20th anniversary as America's best-selling vehicle – car or truck. Although the final 2001 sales results will not be released until Jan. 3, the gap between Ford F-Series and the next best-selling vehicle is equivalent to three months of sales. "This is an unprecedented milestone," said Jim O'Connor, Ford Division president. "F-Series is the foundation of the Ford franchise. Celebrating its silver anniversary of sales leadership is a testament to our Built Ford Tough truck heritage." Through November, Ford dealers delivered 827,319 F-Series trucks to U.S. customers, an increase of 1.6 percent compared with the same period a year ago. Last year, Ford F-Series set an all-time calendar-year truck sales record of 876,716. During the past 25 years, F-Series has received numerous product enhancements. In 1987, F-Series became the first truck with rear-wheel anti-lock brakes, and in 1994, driver's-side air bags were added. In 1996, Ford introduced a completely redesigned F-150 and F-250, and added a Super Cab option featuring a third door – a first in full-size pickup history. Four years later, in 2000, the F-150 SuperCrew was added to the F-Series lineup – another industry first – featuring four full-size doors and a full rear passenger compartment, further addressing customer needs. "No one could have predicted the success F-Series has achieved," said O'Connor. "I don't think anyone had any idea what kind of impact this vehicle would have." Ford's best-selling F-Series lineup includes F-150, Harley-Davidson F-150, King Ranch F-150, F-150 SuperCrew, F-150 SVT Lightning, and F-Series Super Duty – trucks that offer a broad array of configurations to meet customer needs. From the personal-use customer using F-Series for family transportation, to the commercial customer using an F-Series Super Duty on the construction site, F-Series has what it takes to get the job done. Ford Division has been America's best-selling automotive brand for 15 years running, and is the best-selling individual brand of cars, pickups, sport utility vehicles, and vans. In addition, Ford is home to the following best-selling nameplates: · Mustang: America's best-selling small specialty car for 16 years · Ranger: America's best-selling compact pickup 15 years · F-Series: America's best-selling pickup for 25 years, best-selling vehicle for 20 years · E-Series: America's best-selling full-size van for 23 years · Explorer: America's best-selling SUV for 11 years · Escape: America's best-selling small SUV in its first full year of sales "These sales milestones speak for themselves. Ford is clearly the proven leader in developing and delivering the cars, trucks and SUVs customers are looking for," said O'Connor.