Ford turns corner with flagship F-150 - The Detroit News
Ford appears to have finally found the right gear with its F-150 pickup, otherwise known as the moneymaker. After sales of the vehicle slipped every month from February through June, drivers snapped up 66,300 in July, 11,100 more than in June and a 4. 8 percent increase over July 2014. The company had struggled to roll out a thoroughly redesigned truck... In the 12 months ending in June, Ford’s share of the pickup market declined from 33 percent to 28 percent. Namely, Ford had to drastically retool its assembly line and hustle to produce the new truck as quickly as the old one, both of which took longer than planned, according to Ford. Meanwhile, those keen to buy the new pickup were left waiting for it, leaving Ford in the same situation Apple grapples within the weeks leading up to a new iPhone reveal. “As our inventories continue to improve, we are seeing sales follow,” Ford Vice President Mark LaNeve said on a conference call this morning. He added that Ford’s pickup workers are getting “very good at squeezing additional production now when we need it. ”. It’s difficult to overstate how critical this truck is to Ford and the size of the shadow it casts on the auto business at large. Source: www.detroitnews.com
