KIA outsells Ford in May

[Vesper Martini]

Recalls are to fix things where previously dealerships of Australian built cars just told you they all do that...

[uranium_death]

15 years ago, majority of Ford sales were Territory and Falcon
For Holden, imports couldn't move as better offerings were everywhere else
Holden carked because once Commodore disappeared, they had nothing credible to sell.

Even now, Ford is selling almost purely due to the Ranger platform. Take that away, and there are little sales. Too many eggs in one basket for my liking. Where would Ford Australia be if Ranger didn't hit a sweet spot?

A brand like Toyota have strong sales in almost every single department. Brand image sort of does that. Marketing plays a role in cultivating that image, as does word of mouth

Ford need to almost reboot the Focus' image. It's tainted. It may be too good a vehicle to just let it flap in the breeze, and the market segment is too competitive to just sit back and expect it to sell itself.

I see nothing of the Escape, anywhere. People go to CX-5s in droves.

The SUV market accounts for 50% of national sales now, but Ford is too passive in this segment. Give people a reason to believe they want the vehicle, regardless of whether they need it or not

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

Ford need to almost reboot the Focus' image. It's tainted. It may be too good a vehicle to just let it flap in the breeze, and the market segment is too competitive to just sit back and expect it to sell itself.

At one point Focus was the best mass-market car in the world. To the point that there was a deal on the table to build them here.
Ford destroyed that with the PowerShart and refused to rectify it in a timely manner.
Then when they finally got it back on track, they decided the timing was ripe to market it as a "Premium" model

What I don't understand about Ford, is that they seem to have bought into the nonsense that "people aren't buying Passenger cars anymore." But if anything, people are buying more! Sure, the shape has changed, but so what, shapes have been changing since the Model-T. Your average modern "SUV" is a taller FWD wagon, usually built on exactly the same platform as their Hatchback predecessors. With The Territory going, I assumed that FoA would transition to imported "SUVs", built on passenger platforms like everyone else. But apart from the token smaller options (which they also screwed with PowerShart) we've seen nothing.

Obviously I'm no big fan of Korean or Thai cars, but if Kia and many others can make a quid flogging them, why can't Ford?

[bathurst77]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

"people aren't buying Passenger cars anymore." But if anything, people are buying more! Sure, the shape has changed, but so what, shapes have been changing since the Model-T.

ironically enough the shape has changed back to the model-t thru to 1940s shape. one big square box, vertical rear (often with external spare tyre) 4 doors ,, fairly vertical windscreen, smaller box out the front hiding an engine, with plenty of ground clearance.

The silhouette of your average suv isnt that different to many 1930s early 40s cars

the swoopy ponton or soap bar streamlined wedge, sedan or low slung hatch that started in the 50s and ruled for decades, has fallen away since 2010

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

ironically enough the shape has changed back to the model-t thru to 1940s shape. one big square box, vertical rear (often with external spare tyre) 4 doors ,, fairly vertical windscreen, smaller box out the front hiding an engine, with plenty of ground clearance.

The silhouette of your average suv isnt that different to many 1930s early 40s cars

the swoopy ponton or soap bar streamlined wedge, sedan or low slung hatch that started in the 50s and ruled for decades, has fallen away since 2010

That's quite astute.

Even seeing footage of FB/EK wagons taking on sand tracks at the beach got me thinking that small/medium SUVs have been here before

Yellow Festiva, interesting points as well. Ford could be on the nose in Oz not so much with anti-American sentiment, but on how they managed themselves here. Some of the decisions have been appalling. There's also the perception for many Aussies that any domestic manufacturers had a line into their wallets via subsidies, creating resentment.

In the US Ford's trucks dominate, the Focus in Europe does/did very well so there's that too. In Asia - do foreign brands get let in? In China I think they do? Japan? In Thailand I'd say Ranger sells pretty well and has the patriotic thing as it's built there.

[russellw]

The graphical stats for May 2021 are now uploaded to the Tech portal.

[DFB FGXR6]

I'm predicting that the remainder of the Focus range (ST-Line and ST) will be gone from Australia before years end. Fiesta ST too.

[MercuryT]

Ford have no cars worth buying.

It's no wonder KIA have gone ahead.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by MercuryT

Ford have no cars worth buying.

It's no wonder KIA have gone ahead.

Bit of a long bow to draw.
Not everyone has the same taste.

[MercuryT]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Bit of a long bow to draw.
Not everyone has the same taste.

Not really.

Sales speak for themselves.

[au2000]

Well sales numbers for individual models would indicate he is not far off.. unless you want a ranger of course..

Crazy Dazz made a good point. If the koreans can make a car and make money in the cheaper segments why cant ford?

Most of my friends when talking of looking for a new car dont even mention Ford.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by au2000

Well sales numbers for individual models would indicate he is not far off.. unless you want a ranger of course..

Crazy Dazz made a good point. If the koreans can make a car and make money in the cheaper segments why cant ford?

Most of my friends when talking of looking for a new car dont even mention Ford.

I'd buy a focus ST/Fiesta ST. Along with a mustang.
Ranger is of no interest
I get the point to a certain extent.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by DJM83

I'd buy a focus ST/Fiesta ST.

No doubt these are streets ahead of the low-cost competition, but Ford needs to use those Hero models, to sell more of the down-spec stuff out of Thailand.

Otherwise they don't get enough global volume and the models die off (like the Mondeo)
Seems to me that a lot of Fords marketing is still stuck in the last century.
The later Mondeos were bloody good cars. But Ford stuck to same old nonsense of trying to sell 3 different trim levels of essentially the same car.
To facilitate this, the base models were given deliberately horrible interiors and denied features that were standard on their competitors. And to get all the bells and whistles, you had to pay a ridiculous premium to get the Titanium.

I hate the idea of new Fords coming out of Thailand (and other e-cheapo production facilities), but that's the reality we've been saddled with, so why not make the most of it.

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

No doubt these are streets ahead of the low-cost competition, but Ford needs to use those Hero models, to sell more of the down-spec stuff out of Thailand.

Otherwise they don't get enough global volume and the models die off (like the Mondeo)
Seems to me that a lot of Fords marketing is still stuck in the last century.
The later Mondeos were bloody good cars. But Ford stuck to same old nonsense of trying to sell 3 different trim levels of essentially the same car.
To facilitate this, the base models were given deliberately horrible interiors and denied features that were standard on their competitors. And to get all the bells and whistles, you had to pay a ridiculous premium to get the Titanium.

I hate the idea of new Fords coming out of Thailand, but that's the reality we've been saddled with, so why not make the most of it.

What new fords apart from ranger and Everest come from
Thailand?

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by fiestaz

What new fords apart from ranger and Everest come from
Thailand?

In the context of getting volume sales, not enough.
At one point the Focus & Festiva were going to be built there, but at the moment they're only bringing them in from Germany, and they are overpriced. BY all means bring the hero models in from Europe, but they should be filling out the range with the Thai (or wherever) models.

And as for the rest, the Puma, Kuga, Zuma, Buma, etc, it's like the United-Nations, so Ford should have an even bigger advantage when it comes to competing.

[Hawkeye84]

Originally Posted by au2000

Well sales numbers for individual models would indicate he is not far off.. unless you want a ranger of course..

Crazy Dazz made a good point. If the koreans can make a car and make money in the cheaper segments why cant ford?

Most of my friends when talking of looking for a new car dont even mention Ford.

The logistic costs from Korea are way much cheaper than if it came out of European factories.

This is why Kia picks the Cerato over Ceed.

They would have the same problem ford would have if they sourced their cars from Europe..

If Ford wants to compete with cheaper cars, they'll have to source it from China/India...Will Australia be ready for that?? Globally for all auto makers, it looks like that's where the future is heading

[au2000]

Yeah it would be a mustang for me tbh, nothing else in the range gets my eye, for anything else, I’d look at the other makes tbh.

[jpd80]

An interesting question for Ford will be how to change
1. Everest so that it goes from 500/mth sales to Prado’s 2,000/mth
2. Escape hybrid to an affordable entry model that rivals RAV4 hybrid
3. Base Puma name to Puma Titanium and add a Trend model below it
4. Add the new mid-sized Mondeo replacement and call it “Fusion”

There are lots of opportunities to make progress but Ford also needs
to take responsibility for low sales and start giving buyers what they want.

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by jpd80

An interesting question for Ford will be how to change
1. Everest so that it goes from 500/mth sales to Prado’s 2,000/mth
2. Escape hybrid to an affordable entry model that rivals RAV4 hybrid
3. Base Puma name to Puma Titanium and add a Trend model below it
4. Add the new mid-sized Mondeo replacement and call it “Fusion”

There are lots of opportunities to make progress, but Ford also needs
to take responsibility for low sales and start giving buyers what they want.

I know we are all pseudo-CEO's of Ford Aust. (and I mean that with the greatest of positive respect) however does Ford Aust have the ability with what product it's going to be given be able to do this?
Even I went to a VW dealer to suss out a V6 Amarok to replace one of my vehicles today.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

I know we are all pseudo-CEO's of Ford Aust. (and I mean that with the greatest of positive respect) however does Ford Aust have the ability with what product it's going to be given be able to do this?
Even I went to a VW dealer to suss out a V6 Amarok to replace one of my vehicles today.

IMO, FoA has a big say on the NG Everest exactly because it was supposed
to be a Prado rival here and in other countries. From that stand point it has
to be Ford Asia’s (or whatever it’s called now) second most important
product after Ranger, so in its best interest to refine the target audience.

The next most important product in our region would be Escape hybrid,
both Australia and USA need to find a way to improve its standing against
the hybrid RAV4 which is selling gangbusters.

I have to admit that the last two, Puma and Mondeo are both sentimental
favourites that I would like given more of a chance in our region, especially
if Ford now recognises that it’s pricing policy was a bit extreme for buyers in
our market.

Rather than being dismissive, I choose to look at areas where improvement
is possible if the desire to do so still exists….

[bb_zetec]

Its a shame that they stopped making Wagons.

We have a VE Wagon that we recently sold because it was getting long in the tooth (203,000klms) and now are looking to replace it with a VF Series 2.

Ford Does not make anything that fits that car like vehicle that comfortably seats 5 with room in the back for everything.

Not everybody wants a big dual cab ute. I find the dual cab tray to be very small in comparison to a good wagon. you can fold the seats down and fit close to 2.4m timbers in without any issue. The VE/VF also fold down entirely in the back giving heaps of space.

What passenger cars to Ford even sell at the moment? All i think of when i hear Ford now is Ranger and Mustang...and thats what most people would think too id imagine.

The Kiayundai siblings seem to be making a killing in the small, medium and SUV market. Perhaps marketing and value for money have something to do with it. Ford and Marketing really have never gone together well.

[Poetic Justice]

Originally Posted by bb_zetec

What passenger cars to Ford even sell at the moment? All i think of when i hear Ford now is Ranger and Mustang...and thats what most people would think too id imagine.

Well, yeah, that's pretty well the case.

[BAWITHLOT]

Originally Posted by csv8

"Kia has overtaken Ford, Mitsubishi and its sister brand Hyundai in a major upset that catapulted the brand to third place in the new-car sales race in May 2021.

It is the first time Kia has outsold Ford in a monthly sales race, the second time it has ranked in third place, and the third time it has beaten Hyundai.

Kia reported a record 7124 vehicles as sold in May 2021, a year-on-year increase of 158 per cent in a market that lifted by 67.5 per cent following sharp slowdowns this time last year.

Significantly, Kia has also overtaken Ford in the year-to-date sales tally for the first five months of 2020."
https://www.caradvice.com.au/957862/...ock-shortages/

If you have reliable cars available for sale, you would outsell any brand!

Maybe Ford should try having cars available and a bit cheaper instead of pushing up the price due to hype and unavailability!?

[Syndrome]

Oh the days when Ford dominated the new car market and sold in 1 in 4 vehicles (1980s).

[Sprintey]

I just want an AWD (full time) wagon that has great ride/handling with petrol I6 and a normal gearbox, like my Territory. Maybe a Suby Outback, even though it's not the same mechanical spec I hear they've made the CVT into a faux 8 speed and have good full time AWD... Or an X5/FPace/RRS at 2x+ the price (the JLRs are introducing petrol and diesel I6s now)

Maybe the coming Mazda I6 CX5 will fit the bill at somewhere near the sensational value proposition the TX Territory AWD was from it's release.

Could you take a 2016 petrol RWD Territory and convert to AWD using the SYII subframe/bits?

[MercuryT]

The Ranger is OK, Raptor some love but if I wanted a slow truck I'd buy a Mack.

The rest of Ford's range is horrible. Mustang is cheap American crap but looks good no doubt - but will never be a high sales vehicle.

Kia are making great cars the market want.

Sure I'm not interested in any outside the Stinger (just) but credit where its due.

[DFB FGXR6]

Something that seems to be going on un-noticed is how Kia have been increasing their prices, making them less of the good-value budget option they once were.

Picanto was once a $14k proposition, it now starts at $16k.

Rio was a $16k starting point, now $19k.

Cerato was a long term $20-22k starter, now $26k.

Sportage started at $27K, a $29K-$31K option now.

Carnival is $47K proposition, likewise Sorrento.

It's the Rio and Cerato that have made the most noticeable jump. Remember the flaming Ford got for making the Focus a $25k entry point 5 years ago? Mazda, Toyota, Hyundai, VW, Honda and now Kia have followed Ford's lead, and yet Ford still cop flack for "premium" pricing.

I would still personally recommend people consider Kia's, they are decent cars for modest money. I really like what they have done with the Sorento's styling and admire their guts for committing to something like the niche market Stinger.

But I don't see them as a bargain, cheap option anymore.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Something that seems to be going on un-noticed is how Kia have been increasing their prices, making them less of the good-value budget option they once were.

Picanto was once a $14k proposition, it now starts at $16k.

Rio was a $16k starting point, now $19k.

Cerato was a long term $20-22k starter, now $26k.

Sportage started at $27K, a $29K-$31K option now.

Carnival is $47K proposition, likewise Sorrento.

It's the Rio and Cerato that have made the most noticeable jump. Remember the flaming Ford got for making the Focus a $25k entry point 5 years ago? Mazda, Toyota, Hyundai, VW, Honda and now Kia have followed Ford's lead, and yet Ford still cop flack for "premium" pricing.

I would still personally recommend people consider Kia's, they are decent cars for modest money. I really like what they have done with the Sorento's styling and admire their guts for committing to something like the niche market Stinger.

But I don't see them as a bargain, cheap option anymore.

I guess given Ford went upwards its created room to move for Kia, the market just got more expensive to enter.

My mid spec diesel Focus cost me $26K DA in 2011 as a run out model new on the shop floor.

Whats base model SA Focus these days, $32K + ORC?

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Something that seems to be going on un-noticed is how Kia have been increasing their prices, making them less of the good-value budget option

It's the Rio and Cerato that have made the most noticeable jump. Remember the flaming Ford got for making the Focus a $25k entry point 5 years ago? Mazda, Toyota, Hyundai, VW, Honda and now Kia have followed Ford's lead, and yet Ford still cop flack for "premium" pricing.

I guess the difference is Kia didnt up their pricing of Cerato off the back of a class action, asking a premium for Focus considering its tarnished image is taking the ****.

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by MercuryT

The Ranger is OK, Raptor some love but if I wanted a slow truck I'd buy a Mack.

The rest of Ford's range is horrible. Mustang is cheap American crap but looks good no doubt - but will never be a high sales vehicle.

Kia are making great cars the market want.

Sure I'm not interested in any outside the Stinger (just) but credit where its due.

None of that is really true. Fords get rated well in all reviews. Really there is no bad car in the range.

And don’t throw the sales numbers argument in, because sales mean nothing in terms of whether a car is good or not.