A lot has changed for Ford and Lincoln dealers since the last National Automobile Dealers Association conference 14 months ago in New Orleans.
A new CEO, with a new organizational structure, took over in May. The president of North America was abruptly ousted in February over "inappropriate behavior," and replacing him produced a chain reaction that installed a new Ford Motor Credit Co. boss and new brand chief for Lincoln.
And if the executive upheaval wasn't enough, there's been a refocusing of the product portfolio and a new vision of the future, complete with driverless cars, smart cities and alternative models to vehicle ownership.
It's enough to raise a few eyebrows — and even more questions — among Ford's dealer network. But the company in recent weeks has worked to address concerns among some dealer groups and is expected to continue that offensive with those gathered this week in Las Vegas.
Focus on product
Most of the concerns focus on product.
"We've all been waiting patiently as they've spent money on autonomous cars and ride-sharing and bicycle companies," Jim Seavitt, owner of Village Ford in Dearborn, Mich., told Automotive News. "We've been very anxious to see what our product cadence would look like."
Late last month, Jim Farley, Ford's president of global markets, met with the company's top 100 dealers in California, where he stressed the automaker's commitment to getting good product to sell in the near term, according to people in the room. Ford followed that last week by announcing a product blitz focusing on trucks and hybrids that officials said will result in the freshest U.S. showrooms among full-line automakers.
The company gathered its dealer council at its Dearborn product development center the night before it publicly revealed its plans. The meeting went a long way to answer dealers' questions about where the company is headed under CEO Jim Hackett, a former office furniture executive who at times appears more comfortable talking about the far-off future than the here-and-now.
"I was one of those dealers looking for a sign of where we're going," Tim Hovik, owner of San Tan Ford in Gilbert, Ariz., said in an interview. "There's a long time between now and 10 years. As a dealer, obviously what's in my showroom right now is paramount to me. To have the opportunity to go in and look at some of this new product … it's pretty exciting."
Management changes
Ford showcased products coming in the next two years, including the Bronco off-road SUV, a compact off-road SUV and the Mustang Shelby GT500. Next week in New York, it plans to unveil the Lincoln Aviator crossover.
Natalie Tindol, owner of Tindol Ford in Gastonia, N.C., was not in Michigan for the product reveal, but hopes to hear more about it at the NADA Show.
Tindol said she wants to hear that Ford is committed to keeping "every model fresh and exciting."
"We can handle giving world-class customer service if they can give us world-class products at competitive prices," she said.
Hovik, a member of Ford's dealer council, said he's not as worried about the recent management changes because the company has filled those spots with mostly veteran executives.
"It seems like the transitions have been smooth," he said. "Any time there's change, you always look a little closer. But the great thing about the change, these are all tried and tested people. Hackett's been successful at everything he's ever done. It all seems to be in order."
Dealers are eager to hear more from Hackett himself, but they may have to wait.
Hackett is not expected to attend the NADA Show, a Ford spokeswoman said. But dealers have been told he plans to attend a May "elite group" gathering in Orlando of about 150 of the company's top Ford and Lincoln dealers.
‘In this together'
"We would like to see our leader more often and not feel like he's the wiz behind the curtain," Tindol said. "We are all in this together, and if dealers are to succeed at all-time record levels for Ford, it would be nice to know that our leader cares and is excited he's got the best leadership and the best dealers in the industry. We all hear he's a terrific and smart guy, so we want to know him better."
Many still remember former Boeing CEO Alan Mulally, who came to Dearborn and nearly instantly connected with dealers. In his early days, he held an introductory meeting inside Ford Field in Detroit and stayed afterward to snap photos with anyone who asked. He also wandered into Seavitt's Village Ford, minutes from the automaker's headquarters, and helped sell cars to unsuspecting customers.
"We were spoiled by Alan," Seavitt said. "Alan was a very dealer-centric guy. We were told Jim [Farley] and Joe [Hinrichs] will be in charge of the car business. We'd all like to see a CEO who's engaged, but Jim's a different guy."
