Quote of the Day: Out on a Limb Edition
Published: September 3rd, 2009
Share
As of now, I’d say Ford has momentum and will outsell GM in the U.S. next year–and maybe even for one month this year.
Jerry Flint wonders (via Forbes) when, not if, Ford will overtake GM. Why?
GM, with its larger lineup, outsells Ford easily in cars, but the overall difference after seven months is only a 197,637-vehicle lead for GM (GM: 1,135,674 vs. Ford at 938,037). And some 172,000 of this lead are GM models to be sold or discontinued, such as Pontiac.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Comments
Join the conversation
Loser - Agreed, overtaking GM might not be as huge an accomplishment as it once was, but it is a great stepping stone on the road to overtaking Toyota in US sales and then Toyota and VW in worldwide sales.
I can see Ford passing GM in the US but they have a looooong way to go to pass Toyota and VW in worldwide sales. Ford just isn't strong enough in China and other emerging markets, where GM (China may keep the "new" company afloat) and VW are strong.
It's improbable that Ford would surpass GM and VW worldwide, but it's quite likely that Ford will outsell GM in North America, and soon. (Disclaimer: was a Mopar fanboy, then became a Toyota fanboy, but we do now own a Ford product, along with a Toyota and GMC) While GM has very publicly gone about bankruptcy and reorganization, Ford has gone about their business in a much more quiet manner. Ford has jettisoned many dealers, eliminated plenty of redundant jobs and streamlined operations all without the self-serving fanfare of GM. IMO Ford has positioned itself with a much improved product line (while Ford isn't the leader in every category, they have incrementally improved in almost every segment, and have developed some benchmark vehicles), and seem to have changed the corporate culture in Dearborn. Slow and steady gains, including raising transaction prices and a constant upgrading of product, along with exciting new cars from the European division has put Ford in a position to reap the benefits of an improving economy. If Ford can tough it out until this time next year the returns on all of this change should be impressive. Of course, there are still treacherous waters to navigate, but the upside is starting to look more possible with every passing month of increased sales. Ford will have turned the corner when sales are up over the same period in 2006 as opposed to the carpocolypse 2007 and 2008 years.