Ford Dealership Count to Reach 3,000

Last year, two of the biggest carmakers in the US, GM and Chrysler, severely cut their dealership networks in an attempt to cut cost and avoid what they called the imminent and irreversible collapse of an industry which supports hundreds of thousands of workers.

The dealership network of the third big American manufacturer, Ford, was left by comparison nearly untouched. It is only now, about a year after GM and Chrysler finished what they had to finish, that Ford dealers are beginning to feel the heat again. We say again because Ford has been for the last years constantly trying to reduce the number of dealerships through which it sells its cars.

A heat caused, primarily, by the discontinuation of the Mercury brand, expected to take place by the end of the year. Ford had at the end of 2009 a dealership count of 3,553 dealers, 276 of which are stand-alone Lincoln Mercury stores.

According to Jim Farley, Ford group vice president for global marketing, sales and service, the carmaker aims to have a dealership count of about 3,000 stores in the near future.

"The dealers are full partners in every decision the company makes," Farley was quoted as saying by Freep. "When you are trying to consolidate your network from 6,000 down to 3,000, the dealers are on your side, and they will help you participate in the consolidation."

The carmaker is expected to bring the dealers up to date with future plans at a special meeting which will be held at the Dearborn headquarters on October 4.