SVT/GT500 News

Beginning with this summer's introduction of the 2007 Shelby GT500, the
Ford brand will let all its dealers sell Special Vehicle Team vehicles.

Now, only a limited number of SVT-certified dealers can sell the
high-performance vehicles.

The change could help Ford sell more high-performance cars and trucks.
But some SVT dealers are crying foul.

Meanwhile, after a two-year product drought for the SVT brand, its
future is up in the air, sources say. It is not clear what, if any,
products are slated for SVT beyond the GT500, and Ford has declined to
talk about its plans.

Ford has about 600 full-line SVT dealerships; 700 others were certified
for the now-discontinued SVT Focus. Beginning with the GT500, Ford will
no longer limit the number of available certifications. Certification
requirements will be different for each product. The Ford brand had
3,777 U.S. dealerships on Jan. 1.

"This will further strengthen the Ford brand by providing us with a
greater opportunity to drive showroom traffic," wrote Darryl Hazel,
president of Ford's customer service division, in an e-mail to dealers.

Ford says it's not backing away from performance products. Some sources
say Ford is folding the SVT marketing team into the regular Ford brand
team. Some also expect SVT's engineering team may be diluted or tied
more closely to Ford's racing efforts.

That would be a remarkable about-face for SVT vehicles, which went on
sale in 1992. Just a year ago, Ford's product chief, Phil Martens, said
SVT was bigger and better-funded than ever before. Martens, who has
since left Ford, said SVT would eventually have up to five products.
Ford canceled the Adrenalin as part of its Way Forward turnaround plan.
Product canceled

One of the new products was to be the Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin in
2007. But Ford canceled the Adrenalin as part of its Way Forward
turnaround plan. Ford previously dropped plans for a next-generation
F-150 Lightning.

SVT products typically sell for higher profits and at lower volumes -
for instance, an average 7,260 units per model year for past SVT
Mustangs. Ford has sold 144,994 SVT vehicles since 1992.

Ford spokeswoman Whitney Drake said the SVT organization is working on
"several future projects that we aren't ready to talk about just yet."
She wouldn't say whether the SVT name will be carried forward beyond
the GT500.

The SVT name already is diminished on the GT500, where the logo appears
on the door sills. SVT is not included in the GT500 nameplate.

Ford is committed to performance, Drake said. Hau Thai-Tang, who had
been a protege of Martens, remains director of advanced product
creation and SVT.

Even though SVT dealers will get extra allocation of the GT500, some
are upset to lose exclusive access to the high-margin products.

"It's a terrible mistake," said Beau Boeckmann, vice president of
Galpin Motors Inc. in North Hills, Calif., which has had a full-line
SVT business.

"You had a group that was very focused. They really understood the
value of the product."

Making that product available to all dealers will dilute the power of
the SVT brand, Boeckmann said. He cited the SVT Focus, sold from 2001
to 2004, as an example. When it was made available to an extra 700
dealers, "people sold it off like it was just a common Focus."

But another full-line SVT dealer said Ford's move might boost the
automaker's overall performance business, increase volume and help the
brand. Tom Addis, chairman of the Ford national dealer council, said
opening SVT up to all dealers should allow Ford to market the products
better.

Addis, dealer principal at Lake City Ford in Couer d'Alene, Idaho,
said, "The concern has always been: If you have a product that most
dealers can't sell, you're limited in how you can advertise it
nationally."

Patrick

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Beginning with this summer's introduction of the 2007 Shelby GT500, the
> Ford brand will let all its dealers sell Special Vehicle Team vehicles.
>
> Now, only a limited number of SVT-certified dealers can sell the
> high-performance vehicles.
>
> The change could help Ford sell more high-performance cars and trucks.
> But some SVT dealers are crying foul.
>
> Meanwhile, after a two-year product drought for the SVT brand, its
> future is up in the air, sources say. It is not clear what, if any,
> products are slated for SVT beyond the GT500, and Ford has declined to
> talk about its plans.
>
> Ford has about 600 full-line SVT dealerships; 700 others were certified
> for the now-discontinued SVT Focus. Beginning with the GT500, Ford will
> no longer limit the number of available certifications. Certification
> requirements will be different for each product. The Ford brand had
> 3,777 U.S. dealerships on Jan. 1.
>
> "This will further strengthen the Ford brand by providing us with a
> greater opportunity to drive showroom traffic," wrote Darryl Hazel,
> president of Ford's customer service division, in an e-mail to dealers.
>
> Ford says it's not backing away from performance products. Some sources
> say Ford is folding the SVT marketing team into the regular Ford brand
> team. Some also expect SVT's engineering team may be diluted or tied
> more closely to Ford's racing efforts.
>
> That would be a remarkable about-face for SVT vehicles, which went on
> sale in 1992. Just a year ago, Ford's product chief, Phil Martens, said
> SVT was bigger and better-funded than ever before. Martens, who has
> since left Ford, said SVT would eventually have up to five products.
> Ford canceled the Adrenalin as part of its Way Forward turnaround plan.
> Product canceled
>
> One of the new products was to be the Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin in
> 2007. But Ford canceled the Adrenalin as part of its Way Forward
> turnaround plan. Ford previously dropped plans for a next-generation
> F-150 Lightning.
>
> SVT products typically sell for higher profits and at lower volumes -
> for instance, an average 7,260 units per model year for past SVT
> Mustangs. Ford has sold 144,994 SVT vehicles since 1992.
>
> Ford spokeswoman Whitney Drake said the SVT organization is working on
> "several future projects that we aren't ready to talk about just yet."
> She wouldn't say whether the SVT name will be carried forward beyond
> the GT500.
>
> The SVT name already is diminished on the GT500, where the logo appears
> on the door sills. SVT is not included in the GT500 nameplate.
>
> Ford is committed to performance, Drake said. Hau Thai-Tang, who had
> been a protege of Martens, remains director of advanced product
> creation and SVT.
>
> Even though SVT dealers will get extra allocation of the GT500, some
> are upset to lose exclusive access to the high-margin products.
>
> "It's a terrible mistake," said Beau Boeckmann, vice president of
> Galpin Motors Inc. in North Hills, Calif., which has had a full-line
> SVT business.
>
> "You had a group that was very focused. They really understood the
> value of the product."
>
> Making that product available to all dealers will dilute the power of
> the SVT brand, Boeckmann said. He cited the SVT Focus, sold from 2001
> to 2004, as an example. When it was made available to an extra 700
> dealers, "people sold it off like it was just a common Focus."
>
> But another full-line SVT dealer said Ford's move might boost the
> automaker's overall performance business, increase volume and help the
> brand. Tom Addis, chairman of the Ford national dealer council, said
> opening SVT up to all dealers should allow Ford to market the products
> better.
>
> Addis, dealer principal at Lake City Ford in Couer d'Alene, Idaho,
> said, "The concern has always been: If you have a product that most
> dealers can't sell, you're limited in how you can advertise it
> nationally."
>
> Patrick
>

Patrick, do you have a link for this?

"351CJ" > wrote:
>>
>
> Patrick, do you have a link for this?

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20060320/FREE/60320003/1041

--
Yeh, I'm a Krusty old Geezer, putting up with my 'smartass' is the price
you pay..DEAL with it!

"Backyard Mechanic" > wrote in message
...
> "351CJ" > wrote:
>>>
>>
>> Patrick, do you have a link for this?
>
> http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
> AID=/20060320/FREE/60320003/1041
>
> --
> Yeh, I'm a Krusty old Geezer, putting up with my 'smartass' is the price
> you pay..DEAL with it!

Thanks

In article .com>, wrote:
> Beginning with this summer's introduction of the 2007 Shelby GT500, the
> Ford brand will let all its dealers sell Special Vehicle Team vehicles.
>
> Now, only a limited number of SVT-certified dealers can sell the
> high-performance vehicles.


I don't know about this. On one hand it's good that special dealers won't
be able to corner the market, on the other hand it means each dealer will
likely have less allotment in number of cars meaning they'll be more
inclined to soak buyers.

(Brent P) wrote:

> In article .com>,
> wrote:
>> Beginning with this summer's introduction of the 2007 Shelby GT500,
>> the Ford brand will let all its dealers sell Special Vehicle Team
>> vehicles.
>>
>> Now, only a limited number of SVT-certified dealers can sell the
>> high-performance vehicles.
>
>
> I don't know about this. On one hand it's good that special dealers
> won't be able to corner the market, on the other hand it means each
> dealer will likely have less allotment in number of cars meaning
> they'll be more inclined to soak buyers.

Reading between the lines, they still have to "certify".

That implies a certain level of training and support overhead (and more
income for Ford Corp)

So dont expect every TV saturating, or small town, dealer to handle them.

--
Yeh, I'm a Krusty old Geezer, putting up with my 'smartass' is the price
you pay..DEAL with it!

Unfortunately with the limited availability and increased distribution each
dealer is going to try and reap as much profit as possible (as can be see on
ebay and other places where the GT500's are getting bids of 25K and up over
the as yet unreleased MSRP). Personally I feel that if Ford is going to
make the product more widely available then they need to up the production
numbers (Like the Corvette which is turned out in batches of about 30,000 a
year). With current market conditions and a lack of real competition the
demand for the GT500 far exceeds the supply leaving only those with
extremely deep wallets the ability to purchase one.

From what I have been reading on many message boards I think this is going
to come back to bite ford in the ass. Several people I know who have been
Ford diehards all their lives are extremely ****ed and actually looking to
move away from Ford and start buying other brands. What Ford marketing has
been saying (and what I was personally told when I called Ford) is that the
low volume maintains exclusivity and if I look around I should be able to
find one (obviously at an inflated price). This seems like an odd statement
to make if you are in the business of making money. I would think they
would want to produce as many GT500's as there was demand for (again like
the Corvette). However I have heard rumors that the actual cause for the
low production quote are issues with acquiring enough 6 speed transmissions.
If thats the case I would say they need to either find a new supplier or
make the GT500 available with a 5 speed and offer the 6 speed as an upgrade
option.

All I can say is I hope Ford gets its act together quick before the
competition takes advantage of the extremely high demand for high
performance Pony cars and Fords inability or unwillingness to produce them.
I did hear a rumor that Dodge has green lighted the Challenger and it might
actually be available in 2007 as a 2008 model. If that is true then the
GT500 and Mustang in general is going to be getting some competition sooner
than expected.

-DCH

In article rs.com>, DC Hunt wrote:

> If thats the case I would say they need to either find a new supplier or
> make the GT500 available with a 5 speed and offer the 6 speed as an upgrade
> option.

Sounds like BS to me since Ford is the last to offer the T56.

In article rs.com>, DC Hunt wrote:
> Unfortunately with the limited availability and increased distribution each
> dealer is going to try and reap as much profit as possible (as can be see on
> ebay and other places where the GT500's are getting bids of 25K and up over
> the as yet unreleased MSRP).

Just went to ebay to look. Dealers are hyping it as '2 years only' and 'our
only one'. Over MSRP amount due immediately and non-refundable.

My favorite stealership quote from ebay:

"This is a limited production car and has been sold for as much as
$600,000 at auction!"

I feel my interest in the GT500 slipping away very fast.

Zombywoof wrote:
> On Sat, 25 Mar 2006 10:38:12 -0500, "Michael Johnson, PE"
> > wrote:
>
>> Zombywoof wrote:
>>> On Sat, 25 Mar 2006 00:34:19 -0500, "Michael Johnson, PE"
>>> > wrote:
>>> <snip>
>>>> My big issue with Ford on the GT500 is all the hype they have generated
>>>> about bringing the car to market at the $40k-$45k level. They know a
>>>> low production run will hike the price well beyond $50k. If they do
>>>> limit production then I figure the '89 LX sitting in my garage will be
>>>> my last new Mustang. It really irritates me that they have made such an
>>>> issue about the price of the GT500 and if what is rumored comes to pass
>>>> they have shown their word means nothing. All I want from Ford is to
>>>> say what they will do and then do what they have said. Maybe that is
>>>> asking too much of them.
>>>>
>>> Hell I had a big enough issue with them over the GT to sit idlely by
>>> and watch them do the same damn thing with the GT500. It seems that
>>> the manufacturers have caught on to the fact that there are an awful
>>> lot of fools out there with more money then sense.
>> At least with the GT they stated a production number and an MSRP and for
>> the most part have held to those numbers. The dealers did what dealers
>> do and tried to maximize profits. Ford has made a huge issue since last
>> summer of bringing the GT500 in at $40k and making them in decent
>> quantity. The GT500 was to be the next incarnation of the Terminator
>> Cobra with a little extra by adding the Shelby name on the rear end.
>> They aren't saying this anymore. Now the car is some kind of special
>> limited production run targeted at collectors.
>>
>> I'm a patient man and will wait this out to see what really happens with
>> the pricing. If I can't get a GT500 then a garden variety GT will not
>> be what I am looking for. I have done the buildup routine and don't
>> want to take that path again. I want a monster from the factory that I
>> can drive and enjoy from day one and with a warranty. Funny but that is
>> what I thought Ford had now with the Cobra model. A high reasonably
>> priced, high performance Mustang for those of us wanting a more than a
>> GT could deliver. Maybe that isn't so anymore. Hell, I would have
>> settled for the current model with the '03-'04 Cobra drive train. I'm
>> not greedy and didn't need, or want, Shelby's name on the car.
>>
> Well I've stroked my Joe Consumer perspective letter off to Bill and
> that is about all I can really do other then cross my fingers & hope.
> Ford could have controlled their dealers if they wanted to, they just
> didn't want to and probably even privately condoned the markup
> practices.
>
> If I am not able to get what I want out of a next generation
> production muscle car from Ford I just need to sit back and wait until
> their exclusive control of the market is eroded by the reemergence of
> the Challenger & Camaro. Personally at this time I am probably
> leaning more towards a Challenger which will probably come in at an
> even better price point. All I got to do is wait. As opposed to Ford
> I'm not currently losing money by holding off on purchases.

Same here. I'm not in desperate need of any car. I also would like to
see what comes out of DC with the Charger/Challenger. A Challenger
convertible with a nice 400+ hp engine with no more than a $40k price
tag would do just fine. Especially if it looks anywhere near the
concept Challenger I saw at the DC Auto Show. Then again, a Z06
delivering 95% of the Ford GT performance for $70k is another option
that really gets my interest. In a way there are almost too many
choices. It is good times indeed for us horsepower addicted gear heads.