Ford to make Toyota no.1 - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

RATT · 02-03-2003, 00:50

link: http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...256CBE000C1463

Sales pitch: Toyota Australia president Ken Asano (left) is looking to Ford counterpart Geoff Polites (right) to help Toyota take market leadership.

Ford boss tells his troops to make Toyota number one

By BRUCE NEWTON 31 January 2003
FORD Australia boss Geoff Polites has charged his team with what he calls a "sacred duty" - help Toyota wrest market leadership from Holden.

It is not that Mr Polites is playing double agent, just that what helps Toyota in 2003 also helps Ford - and that's selling more Falcons.

Toyota Australia is determined to regain the top spot this year and a better sales performance by the Ford Falcon is a key part of that strategy.

It is something Toyota Australia president Ken Asano has already reminded Mr Polites of - more than once.

"Ken Asano regularly says to me when he sees me 'Geoff, you must do a better job'," said Mr Polites.

"He says 'when you do a better job I will be market leader' and he is banking on us doing that this year.

"He does the sums the same way we do. Every Falcon extra we sell is one less Commodore, every one less Commodore is one closer he is to market leadership.

"Ken is quite frank about it and he is quite right, to be honest. I tell our people it's their sacred duty to help Toyota be market leader this year."

* Ford is aiming for a 36.5 per cent share of the large passenger segment for Falcon in 2003, compared to 29.0 per cent in 2002. If the segment runs at 190,000 sales, that equals 69,350 BA sedans and wagons, compared to 54,629 predominantly AUIIIs sold in 2002.

* Mr Polites is confident of boosting Ford's overall market share, which at 13.2 per cent in 2002 was the lowest for the brand since the introduction of the Falcon - at least. Ford is estimating a shrinking 810,000 total market, which means even a 14 per cent share would only grow it from 2002's 109,194 to 113,400.

* Ford's 2003 sales campaign has not been helped by a price rise for the new Focus small car range on January 1, while a price rise is also expected for Falcon on February 1.

Ford4Eva · 02-03-2003, 01:46

How about FOA sell two extra falcons, therefore 1 less commo and one less toyota on the road??? I think that's a much better strategy. :-)

Cobra · 02-03-2003, 03:08

That's stupid. Ford will sell more Falcons and reduce Holdens overall marketshare, but It won't mean that Toyota make any more profit. Isn't the point of a business to make profit? I think Mr Asano is just looking out for himself.

snavy · 02-03-2003, 03:49

i dont know what to say from that artical.

BIGBADAU · 02-03-2003, 03:53

Cobra i think the whole idea is to CUT down Commodore sales and give Toyota the edge, because i cant ever see FORD becoming NO.1 with the small cars and large 4wd's they are trying to sell here.

Beefchief · 02-03-2003, 04:28

Market leader = publicity = sales = profit.

How many times have we read articles that say "Holden retains largest market share with **% because they sold ***** of model x and ***** of model y. This is probably because model x has blah blah blah... etc.

If you can't win awards, statistics are probably the next best thing to put on your ads.

marine1 · 02-03-2003, 15:48

I think Ford should concentrate on making Ford no. 1 and not Toyota.

Nipper · 02-04-2003, 00:36

Is this like :

If you can't win the game at least win the fight..

Seems like a defeatest attitude to me.

puts99 · 02-04-2003, 00:49

WTF??