Analysis of Ford Motor Company External Factors and Economic Environment 1) Market and Customers Between 22% and 23% (average over past five years) of Ford’s customers are defined as fleet customers as described above. The residual 77%to 78% of customers are private individuals who purchase Ford vehicles through licensed dealers. Ford customers come from all demographic strata given the diverse brand lineup and product mix, and Ford’s products are purchased and driven the world over. Argus Research estimates that the car market will decrease 3.8% in terms of units sold during 2003, and that light truck sales will increase 0.2%. The company predicts an decrease of 3.9% in car sales and an increase of 0.7% in light truck sales for the company during 2003. 2) Relevant Demographic and Social Trends Again, because Ford is so diversified across its product and brand base, it is rarely impacted by demographic and social trends. Nevertheless, some trends may impact Ford’s sales mix. For example, as gas prices continue to increase worldwide, consumers are switching from gas guzzling trucks and SUVs to more compact vehicles such as the Ford Focus, Mondeo and Export. And, as the American and European populations continue to age older consumers are buying more traditional models such as the Sabre and the Taurus. But because the company’s product mix is both broad and deep, the company can capture sales lost in one segment by increasing marketing and sales efforts in another. The flexibility of modern production lines also allows the company to rapidly switch from one model to another in order to quickly meet changing consumer demand patterns. 3) Impact of Innovation and Technical Change A November 2001 article in Bus... ... middle of paper ... ..., such advantages are reversed – demand for both cars and financing drops, and Ford Motor Credit is not able to generate increased profits off of its loan portfolio. When exchange rates increase, and more dollars are necessary to purchase foreign currency, the relative price of foreign goods drops and people will tend to purchase more imports. Abroad, American cars become more expensive. People abroad will therefore purchase fewer Ford vehicles. Ford theoretically suffers a double whammy – however, as in the case of the balance of payments above, it is difficult to assess the net effect on the company because it is so diversified globally. If the exchange rates decrease, the effects are reversed.
Until recently, the Ford Motor Company has been one of the most dynastic of American enterprises, a factor which has both benefited the company and has brought it to the brink of disaster. Today Ford is the second largest manufacturer of automobiles and trucks in the world, and it’s operations are well diversified, both operationally and geographically. The company operates the worlds second largest finance company in the world, and is a major producer of tractors, glass and steel. It is most prominent in the US, but also has plants in Canada, Britain and Germany, and facilities in over 100 countries.
This paper will focus on the future of the U.S. Automobile industry as the United States recovers from the worst recession we have experienced in the past 75 years. I will provide information on the following topics pertaining to the U.S. automobile industry:
Taming the wildest of these bucking broncos is not for the faint of heart as certain iterations of these freaks of nature pack more than the combined power of 500 of their animal name sakes. With such ridiculous levels of performance, clearly geared at a small percentage of owners capable of controlling such ferocity, Ford and Chevy are left with the daunting task of developing a marketing strategy that attracts a larger consumer base capable of profiting from an otherwise niche product. The strategies employed by both manufacturers encompass many similar aspects both of which ultimately convey a similar...
Ford has had some failures in the past. They have recently had to cut jobs in Russia, due to a declining automotive industry in Russia and tension caused by the Ukrainian conflict. (Reiter, 2014) The decline of the ruble, Russia’s currency, is also a contributing factor to Ford’s lack of success in the Russian market. When announcing the relocation of their main operating plant, which will cut close to one thousand jobs, Ford also stated that the Russian market had shifted towards SUVs rather than the compact cars that Ford was producing and marketing for the Russians. (Rosevear, 2014) Hopefully, this lack of success in Russia will provide Ford with feedback that will be necessary when operating in the Middle East.
Some of the bigger names in the automobile industry include Ford, GM, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, and Mazda all of which clearly state their diversity initiatives on their websites. These are all brands most commonly seen on the road. Ultimately, each brand has a unique twist on individualism and diversity. Ford for example feels that addressing diverse aspects such as individual thought, race, faith, perspective, and gender will ultimately keep Ford at the top of the industry. Ford CEO Alan Mulally says, “The only way to satisfy diverse customers is to include their perspectives inside the company. This is especially true for Ford because we probably have the most diverse set of customers in the world.” In other words Ford believes that having a diverse workforce will ultimately help their appeal to diverse customers. Ford believes that allowing their workforce to join in on design, arrangement, customs, allows for a better feel from the person interest...
Ford competes with other automobile industries on many factors such as price, quality, reliability, appearance, available features, and fuel economy just to name a few. Such intense competition within the automobile industry tends to put downwards pressure on prices, making it harder for Ford to put a price on vehicles that are similar to other cars produced by competitors. The challenging price environment puts pressure on Ford to increase value to customers while trying to dramatically reduce costs to achieve the similar pricing of competitors. Ford must be able to reasonably price vehicles so that customers still feel as if they are getting the best car for their money. Competitive pricing is a threat to Ford because it must increasingly rely on customer perceived value to differentiate its car quality from its competitors. Ford must be able to justify its pricing in an industry where resembling cars have similar pricing and nearly identical features. Ford’s pricing objectives must somehow be achieved as other competitors are cutting costs and improving their vehicles. Negative pricing pressure threatens Ford’s ability to provide outstanding value to its customers for smaller or comparable pricing within the competitive automobile
4) Leads (Interested Potential Customers) – There was a high conversion rate among the market segment of Age Group 21-34. There was a high demand for Test Drive and pre-orders soared up, greatly by the influence of Facebook and YouTube. Ford announced a global sales of 500,000 prior to the launch in USA. However, even with the prices soaring high year by year in the small-cars segment, Ford increased heavily in Sales volume.
So the discussion on internal and external analysis clearly defines that where the competitive advantage of Ford Motors is and where it is lacking. People who have durability as their first priority will go for Ford but they lack in some of their strategies which the management should consider and work on it. We also came to know that Ford is an innovative company from the very first and also serves local demands with the help of related and supporting industry. But in some points they have taken wrong decisions which compel them to sell some of their brands to others. The good news is they are doing hard job to maintain their performance regarding their star and cash cow products to remain in the competition.
Many economic factors exist that impact the development of Ford Motor Company's strategic plan and it’s no small task to project how some of these factors might change as the strategy is being realized. Consider the prospect of expansion into a new market like China or Mexico. Economic changes like currency devaluation will make Ford’s product more expensive to their target market potentially reducing overall sales revenue. Oil prices as we’ve seen in the U.S. economy can also play a big factor as large vehicles become less desirable and more fuel efficient compact cars gain market share.
The Ford Motor Company has around 181,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide using the automotive brands Ford and Lincoln (FMC Annual Report 2013, p.149). The company is broken down into the following segments. -Automotive Brand for Ford and For Lincoln * Customer Assistance -Financial Services * Ford Motor Credit Company -Customer Services * Service Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center.
Ford Motor Company current mission statement is “committed to provide personal mobility for people around the world”. With that in mind their vision is to become the world’s leading Consumer Company for automotive products and services. By improving everything they do, the company provide superior returns to their shareholders (Vision, Mission, Values).
Toyota’s uses both differentiation and low cost as generic strategies to try and gain a competitive advantage over their competitors in the automotive industry. The market scope that Toyota uses is a broad one that encompasses nearly every type of customer that is in the market to purchase an automobile. Toyota is able to target such a large market because they have something for everyone. Toyota has four wheel drive trucks and SUVs for the outdoor types or those who live in areas that face severe weather conditions, hybrid models like the Prius for the eco-friendly customers that are interested in saving the environment, along with the standard cars for general, everyday use. Additionally, Toyota provides vehicles for all price ranges.
Ford- focused differentiation, medium pricing, breadth of product line is high. A strength is their pick-up truck market share, a weakness is perceived reliability and styling on some of the lines.
Ford is forecasting that 2010 sales in industry will rise to between 11.5 million and 12.5 million vehicles, up considerably from last year’s 8.4 million. Boudette, and Dolan, 2010). Ford is about to launch its smaller vehicles; less than two years ago Ford Motor’s plant in Mexico was building big pick-up trucks. But Ford has retooled to produce Ford’s small Fiesta car, due to go on sale in America for the first time in June. Simon, 2010).Mulally is the architect of Ford’s remarkable recovery in its fortunes.
The decline in Profit margin in 2014 was because of their less revenue in the North American market where they make good margins with their larger vehicles as shown in Figure