Photo: Ford
Last week, Ford kicked off what it calls the most comprehensive SUV advertising initiative ever, aimed directly at promoting the newest additions to the carmaker's lineup, the new Ford Expedition and the newcomer to the American market, the EcoBoost.
The ad campaign is meant to support increased customer demand for SUVs in the U.S. Just like in Europe, this segment of the market posted increased sales in the last years, making automakers decide in favor of more investments in both production of existing models and the addition of new ones.
On Monday, Ford announced a new $25 million investment at the Kentucky Truck Plant to support the increase of manufacturing line speed. Upgrades include 400 new robots, enhanced data analytics to help the plant operate more efficiently and a new 3D printer that is meant to produce parts and tools cheaper and faster.
The models to be supported by the investment are the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition. For the former, the average time spent in dealerships before they are sold is just seven days, while for the latter retail sales were up nearly 57 percent, also spending seven days on the lot.
Ford says that most of the customers buying a Navigator are trading in Land Rover and Mercedes vehicles and go for the high-end Black Label and Reserve models.
As for the Expedition, the SUV arrived in dealerships at the end of last year, selling from $51,695 for the Expedition XLT. The two other trim levels, the XLT Max and the Platinum Max retail for $54,385 and $57,400, respectively.
“The response from customers regarding our new full-size SUVs has been exceptional,” Joe Hinrichs, president, Global Operations said in a statement.
“Using a combination of Ford’s advanced manufacturing and American hard work and ingenuity, we’ll deliver more high-quality Lincoln Navigators and Ford Expeditions to customers than originally planned.”
On Monday, Ford announced a new $25 million investment at the Kentucky Truck Plant to support the increase of manufacturing line speed. Upgrades include 400 new robots, enhanced data analytics to help the plant operate more efficiently and a new 3D printer that is meant to produce parts and tools cheaper and faster.
The models to be supported by the investment are the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition. For the former, the average time spent in dealerships before they are sold is just seven days, while for the latter retail sales were up nearly 57 percent, also spending seven days on the lot.
Ford says that most of the customers buying a Navigator are trading in Land Rover and Mercedes vehicles and go for the high-end Black Label and Reserve models.
As for the Expedition, the SUV arrived in dealerships at the end of last year, selling from $51,695 for the Expedition XLT. The two other trim levels, the XLT Max and the Platinum Max retail for $54,385 and $57,400, respectively.
“The response from customers regarding our new full-size SUVs has been exceptional,” Joe Hinrichs, president, Global Operations said in a statement.
“Using a combination of Ford’s advanced manufacturing and American hard work and ingenuity, we’ll deliver more high-quality Lincoln Navigators and Ford Expeditions to customers than originally planned.”
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