Tesla enjoys a spot on top of the electric vehicle list but Audi and MB owners would prefer German electric vehicles according to surveys. Many American auto buyers don’t see the value in Tesla cars and their super premium price tags. Even the cheapest Tesla is priced above the average car sold in the US.
So enter Ford. Dealerships everywhere. Service and parts support everywhere. And VW will be following soon.
Link below has FULL article:
A few weeks before Christmas, San Tan Ford, a dealership in the Phoenix area, invited car buyers to gawk at the Mustang Mach-E, a highly anticipated electric car that Ford Motor recently started selling.
The event drew some 200 people, many driving BMWs, Audis, Subarus and other brands San Tan rarely gets as trade-ins. Ten people put down deposits for a Mach-E — including three who arrived in Teslas.
“Just overwhelming, the level of excitement and enthusiasm,” San Tan’s owner, Tim Hovik, said. “When you drive this thing, the performance is, like, wow.”
While Ford and the world’s other big automakers are earning billions of dollars selling pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles powered by gasoline, they have not yet gained much ground in electric vehicles, the fast-growing segment of the auto business dominated by Tesla.
That could finally change this year. Ford, Volkswagen and other automakers will begin selling several models with greater driving range than an earlier round of Tesla challengers that failed to draw many buyers.
Ford in particular needs its latest foray into E.V.s to be a smash hit. With the exception of its best-selling pickup trucks, the company was struggling even before the pandemic sent auto sales tumbling. Many critics and car buyers have long considered its model lineup tired and uninspiring. And investors value Ford at around $38 billion, about half as much as General Motors and a far cry from Tesla’s $800 billion market capitalization.
A new chief executive, Jim Farley, who took over in October, has pledged to streamline its operations — the company recently said it was shutting down three factories in Brazil — and invest in electric and autonomous cars. The Mach-E will be Mr. Farley’s first big test.
The company is betting that the car will succeed where others have failed in part because, while it is called a Mustang, it is a roomy and high-riding S.U.V., which many American car buyers prefer over sedans. Most of Tesla’s sales come from its Model 3 compact sedan. Other automakers, including Volkswagen, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Hyundai, are also planning to introduce electric S.U.V.s in the coming months.
Several of the new entries are also priced attractively compared with Tesla models, and could lure buyers who are interested in electric vehicles but have balked at paying premiums prices.
So enter Ford. Dealerships everywhere. Service and parts support everywhere. And VW will be following soon.
Link below has FULL article:
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Tesla Might Finally Have Some Competition. From Ford.
New York TimesA few weeks before Christmas, San Tan Ford, a dealership in the Phoenix area, invited car buyers to gawk at the Mustang Mach-E, a highly anticipated electric car that Ford Motor recently started selling.
The event drew some 200 people, many driving BMWs, Audis, Subarus and other brands San Tan rarely gets as trade-ins. Ten people put down deposits for a Mach-E — including three who arrived in Teslas.
“Just overwhelming, the level of excitement and enthusiasm,” San Tan’s owner, Tim Hovik, said. “When you drive this thing, the performance is, like, wow.”
While Ford and the world’s other big automakers are earning billions of dollars selling pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles powered by gasoline, they have not yet gained much ground in electric vehicles, the fast-growing segment of the auto business dominated by Tesla.
That could finally change this year. Ford, Volkswagen and other automakers will begin selling several models with greater driving range than an earlier round of Tesla challengers that failed to draw many buyers.
Ford in particular needs its latest foray into E.V.s to be a smash hit. With the exception of its best-selling pickup trucks, the company was struggling even before the pandemic sent auto sales tumbling. Many critics and car buyers have long considered its model lineup tired and uninspiring. And investors value Ford at around $38 billion, about half as much as General Motors and a far cry from Tesla’s $800 billion market capitalization.
A new chief executive, Jim Farley, who took over in October, has pledged to streamline its operations — the company recently said it was shutting down three factories in Brazil — and invest in electric and autonomous cars. The Mach-E will be Mr. Farley’s first big test.
The company is betting that the car will succeed where others have failed in part because, while it is called a Mustang, it is a roomy and high-riding S.U.V., which many American car buyers prefer over sedans. Most of Tesla’s sales come from its Model 3 compact sedan. Other automakers, including Volkswagen, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Hyundai, are also planning to introduce electric S.U.V.s in the coming months.
Several of the new entries are also priced attractively compared with Tesla models, and could lure buyers who are interested in electric vehicles but have balked at paying premiums prices.