Ford is not happy with some “Dealers” due to their behaviors like selling high demand vehicles at a premium out from under the actual people who have ordered them.
The recently released full sized Broncos are an example; some unscrupulous dealers have sold a preordered vehicle to essentially the highest bidder once it hits the lot. Likewise, other dealers will not honor the A-Plan, X-Plan , or Z-Plan pricing for eligible Ford Employees, Friends & Family, or Ford Retirees.
Ford may likely expand the on-line ordering process where you build your vehicle to your specs, and will come with a locked in price quote. Dealers will still get a stipend for taking delivery, prep, customer tutorial on vehicle operation/on-board programming, fueling for the customer, and potential up-selling for Dealer installed options, but the digital age will ultimately change the way we purchase vehicles as well.
Mega Dealer lots with enormous overhead in showrooms may soon be a memory.
The customer will be the primary beneficiary due to this paradigm shift with secondary benefit of a greater percentage of profits retained within the Manufacturer’s bottom line.