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Business Review 2006 from
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Good start for motors
Iain Carse
Ford
THE start of a new year for the motor industry is always a tense time. Will it be a good year or will it be tough?
We watch closely the first few months' sales trends to see what is likely to happen and try to judge if we have placed the right level of orders with our manufacturers.
I am sure that like many other industries there were concerns that sales would be affected by the introduction of Itis.
However, at Ford we can breathe a little more easily as we have had a strong start to the year. New car sales are well up on last year showing that confidence in the industry is growing. We cannot comment on other brands but it certainly appears that people are keen to deal with Ford. What is even more encouraging is the fact that we have a strong order bank, especially for commercial vehicles. On the used vehicle sales front for both cars and commercials it is the same story with a strong start to the year and we are well ahead of 2005.
If this continues we should have a good year after a number of lean years. We are particularly excited about 2006 as we have several new products being launched. By mid year we will see the very exciting S-Max which is closely followed by the all new Galaxy. We know that our competitors' new products in this sector will not appear for a further 12 months, so we will have a distinct advantage. Both of these products have a high level of new, improved and innovative technology with matching looks that are really outstanding.
Convertible
Later in the year the Focus coupÈ/convertible will be with us; what a car. Unlike many cars of this type it looks great with the roof up and with the roof down so we are very confident that it will sell well right from the start. Ford already has some of the best products on the road and is class leader in their segments; these new products will lift us even further. Ford has taken a major step forward and once again will reinforce why they are market leaders.
On the commercial front we will see the all new Transit. After many years at the top Transit, yet again, will prove why it is the product that all van manufacturers try to emulate.
Service, body-shop and parts have also seen a steady start to the year. This has been made possible for two key reasons. We have kept our labour rates at a sensible rate of £60 per hour and we have a wide range of parts for Ford cars so we are able to meet the demands of the customer.
If a part is required for any current Ford car there is a 90% chance that we will have the part in stock, if not, we will get the part within 24 hours - weather permitting. We believe that we have the best value for money and the best service levels on the Channel Islands of any manufacturer.
All in all we are excited about the year. The motor industry goes through highs and lows; there is no point in complaining about the lows, they are a fact of life. At these times we need to batten down the hatches and get on with life rather than complain about it.
When times are good we need to take advantage of the increased volumes and invest for the future. The key to our success is that we are manufacturer owned and able to focus on the long term, making sure that we get customer care and our charge-out rates right, which is the most important thing for a steady future.
Customers want to be treated well and deserve it, they also want value for money and low ownership costs. At Ford that is what we aim to provide and we believe that we do it better and more consistently that anyone else in the Channel Islands. 2006 is looking good for us and we hope that past, present and future customers will also enjoy a good year in 2006, it has started well.
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