50% of Ford Dealers Going Electric 2024
Ford has conceded that almost 1,550 vendors, equating to half of the Ford dealerships across the country, have chosen not to offer e-cars by 2024.
Unlike Buick car merchants, who were instructed to dispense EVs or cease operations, with nearly half opting for the latter, Ford dealers who chose to forego investing in the essential facilities needed to market and upkeep EVs such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E will persist to offer ICE and hybrid cars.
“EV adoption rates vary across the country, and Ford’s belief is that their dealers are well-versed in their local markets,” said Marty Gunsberg, a spokesman for Ford, to the Detroit Free Press. “Based on their own assessments, Ford dealerships have enrolled for 2024 at just over 50%, meaning 86% of the population now has access to a Ford dealership that can both sell and service Ford EVs, within 20 miles of their location.”
The vast majority of car-buyers will still be a decent distance from being able to view an electric Ford in a dealership, but Ford has yet to state clearly which dealers will be allowed to go ahead with investing in EVs. California and other states that are environmentally friendly will likely possess the largest number of those who do so, whereas places such as the Dakotas have not definitively decided.
The truth is that electric vehicles continue to be somewhat pricey, whilst hybrids are still an appealing alternative. Car dealers are understandably cautious about having to expend over a million dollars installing DC quick-charging units and providing instruction as part of Ford’s certification plans when transactions of the F-150 Lightning have dipped in recent times.
Due to the rapid dip in demand for the F-150 Lightning, Ford has adjusted their production output for the coming year by reducing it to 1,600 units weekly from January 2024. This number falls drastically short of the initial expectation of 3,200 vehicles being produced per week.
A recent survey has revealed that Ford dealers no longer have faith in the brand, citing their “EV/future retailing strategy” as a potential threat to their profitability. An alarming 48% of those surveyed expressed fear that the alteration of the dealership model would have a detrimental effect on their value in the upcoming year.
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