FORD’S COMMITMENT TO CANADA AND THE CHANGING FACE OF AUTO RETAILING
Canadian auto dealer traveled to Ford Motor Company of Canada’s headquarters in Oakville, Ont. for a one-on-one interview with the President and CEO, Dianne Craig. Here’s part of the conversation with our columnist and automotive journalist Petrina Gentile. You can watch the full interview at www.canadianautomotivevideo.com.
PG: “2013 marked a record year for Ford — one of your best years ever. In Canada, sales were up almost three per cent. Are you on track to beat that record for 2014?”
DC: “We certainly intend to. It was a great year for our industry. To break a record was really exciting. To be the market leader now four years in an industry that’s breaking records we’re really proud of that. We had a record year for Fusion, Escape and F-Series. It was just a great year. We’re really excited about 2014 to build our momentum.”
PG: “Another important vehicle in your line-up is the Ford Edge. Let’s talk about its global aspirations in relation to the Oakville Assembly plant.”
DC: “We made the big announcement in September that we were going to have a global platform in Oakville. It will be one of nine around the globe. And to think we’re going to have one of those global platforms in Canada is pretty special. It’s very special for the 2800 people who work at Oakville Assembly. When we made that announcement it was a big deal, a big commitment to be here in Canada. It speaks to the fact that we think Canadian manufacturing can be competitive.”
PG: “In the most recent J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, Ford fell short when it came to quality. How do you improve on quality and get those numbers up?”
DC: “Quality has always been an absolute top priority for Ford. When you’re launching as many vehicles as we have — this year it’s going to be 23 launches around the globe and 16 here in North America — the team has to be absolutely focused. The good thing is that here at Ford, we have full transparency to make sure that when we do have an issue we address it. We listen to our customers and if we stub our toe we need to recognize that we have a problem and fix it right away.”
PG: “Has social media helped improve brand awareness for Ford?”
DC: “We think it has. We think it’s contributed to our market leadership. The world is changing. The way you deliver your message is so different than it was five years ago. How many people really engage in television ads anymore? When you have that opportunity to have a dialogue with a customer its even more powerful. But at Ford we know we have to make sure we’re ready to have that conversation. You can’t jump into that space until you are absolutely ready to make sure you’re having that two-way dialogue. That’s what consumers are looking for today.”
PG: “Do dealerships need to step up their game when it comes to dealing with more educated consumers?”
DC: “Yes. Absolutely. Just like we’ve had to change how we go to market and where we put our resources. The dealers are doing the same. Great product is really important, but it’s the people that matter most. They are the face of Ford in their communities. We’re really proud of the fact that 80 per cent of our dealers have invested in their facilities. But within that it comes down to technologies and how they’re engaging their customers so it isn’t just about brick and mortar. It’s about having some real structural change in the dealership. It’s a competitive advantage for us and I’d like to think we’re a little ahead of the curve in this space.”
PG: “What will the dealership of the future look like?”
DC: “I think there will always be a physical place to go buy cars. I believe that customers will always want to test drive a vehicle. Obviously they’re going to have to service a vehicle. But it’s how they engage with dealers that I see changing. We have to deliver an exceptional consumer experience — that is what will really differentiate Ford.”
PG: “What’s the biggest challenge for Ford moving forward?”
DC: “It’s a very competitive industry. What we have to do is continue to innovate. What I’m so optimistic, confident and excited about our future is that even during the depths of the recession we continued to invest billions into our product programs and we continue to do that. I get questions a lot about how did you do it? How did you not get into some of the trouble that other competitors got into? It was a laser focus on the One Ford Plan and it starts with making sure that we accelerate the product development, give customers what they want and value — that’s our greatest opportunity. I don’t see it as a challenge — I see it as an opportunity. Our dealers are key to this. We’ve got to deliver this exceptional consumer experience and I know we’ve got the right dealer network to do it.”
