Ford’s requirement that its sellers make investments as much as $1.2 million of their companies to arrange to promote EVs just isn’t at situation — sellers perceive that investments are wanted to transition their companies to promote and restore EVs. What is problematic is the automaker’s plan to create tiers of dealerships: Model e Certified Elite, which might promote any Ford automobile, and Model e Certified, which might be restricted to simply 25 build-to-order retail gross sales per yr. That lesser class would haven’t any EV stock, no EV demo models accessible and no visibility on the automaker’s Tier 1 web site for its EVs.
Also at situation is Ford’s requirement that taking part sellers set up customer-facing quick charging at their dealerships, ostensibly to assist EV clients whereas third-party charging networks develop. While this requirement may please Wall Street analysts because it creates a corollary with Tesla’s charging community, it does so at supplier expense and with no monetary help from Dearborn. It additionally vastly overestimates shopper curiosity in spending time at a dealership when not shopping for a automobile or having it serviced.
Compare Ford with a few of its opponents.
Cadillac supplied buyouts to its sellers who did not see a return of their future from a transition to an all-electric lineup, whereas 99 % of Volkswagen’s U.S. sellers signed up when the model supplied to subsidize as much as half of the price of upgrades.
Ford executives could be clever to rethink their Model e technique, and maybe undertake some greatest practices on being good companions from opponents going through related transitions.
Source: www.autonews.com