46% of Ford dealers claim they have no trust in Ford’s direction

Ford takes the Number-1 spot in lack of trust with their dealerships. According to the Kerrigan Advisors survey, 46% of Ford dealers claim they have no trust in Ford’s direction. Clearly – that comes as a direct result of Ford’s EV ultimatums & failures. A little over a year ago…

Ford implemented their heavy-handed EV (Model E) requirements for dealerships.

And straight from Ford CEO Jim Farley’s mouth… he said the EV transition was going to be “brutal” for dealerships. “Brutal” was the word he used. Fords requirements for their dealership to be allowed to sell EVs, was nothing short of an ultimatum. Perhaps a more accurate word is extortion… as Ford’s intent was to use their dealership’s money, locations, & resources to build-out part of Ford’s nationwide EV charging network. For reference, you can (and should) look at the specific details of the ultimatum here. And also some updates here. Suffice it to say: Dealerships were pissed; trust was broken.

But the relationships were further severed as we moved into 2023 and…

Ford EVs were riddled with delays, recalls, and inflated prices. Additionally, consumer demand for EVs hit a ceiling. EVs began sitting unsold & unwanted at dealerships. And Tesla‘s strategic & continuous price cuts made Ford EVs nearly impossible to sell. In short, Ford’s Model E plan has not panned out, and has greatly strained Ford’s relationship with their dealers. But getting back to that survey…

Do you know who’s number-1 in satisfaction & trust with their dealers??

Toyota. Do you know who’s number two?? Lexus. It’s ironic that Toyota, the company who was criticized, ridiculed, denounced, and nearly canceled for not virtue-signaling to the EV agenda… has now come out on top in many, many ways. From the product line, to reliability, to value & resale value. And now number-1 in dealer trust as well. Akio Toyoda and Koji Sato have led Toyota with true leadership, wisdom, patience, and a genuine love for cars. They have not let an agenda or industry pressure cloud their vision and/or judgement when it comes to clearheaded thinking for the future.

With Ford, as with every other carmaker who recklessly rushed into EV production…

We’ve begun seeing the CEOs dance with setbacks & walk-backs. And it would all be much more understandable & forgivable… if they hadn’t forced EV propaganda on us through lies, deception, & misinformation. But they did, and therefore we won’t give ’em an inch. As fans, a lot of the car companies we once loved… have turned their backs on us over the last few years. But it’s also given us clarity to see who the real leaders with backbone are in this industry. When you make a new car purchase, you’re casting your vote for the future of the automotive industry. Vote for authenticity, leadership, and courage. And vote against manipulation, deception, and misinformation.

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