Beginning on April 13th, Ford began a month long window for buyers to submit applications to purchase the all new limited edition Ford GT. In that time frame, 6,506 orders were received – far greater than the 500 GTs Ford will produce for the 2017 and 2018 model years. Dave Pericak, director of Global Ford Performance, said, “We’re excited by the amount of enthusiasm fans are showing for the new Ford GT.” However now the process begins of selecting the legitimate prospective owners for the $400,000+ supercar, powered by Ford’s twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. The move to power the car with an EcoBoost V6 aligns with Ford’s strategy to market the EcoBoost engines across their entire line of vehicles, notable with the 2.3L EcoBoost in the new Mustang. Preference for orders will be given to previous GT owners, last produced from 2004 to 2007.
Many may not understand the importance of the production of supercars by major automakers, or comprehend why these companies might pour millions of dollars into a design that they may not recuperate. Yet the purpose of the supercar is two fold: to win the hearts of customers and enthusiasts, and to showcase new technologies that may become more widespread in the future. One of these new technologies might be the Corona Ignition System, which I included in my journal here.
If I saw that car on the street one of the last things I would think of is Ford. $400k+ is not the price tag I would expect despite the slick design. In that range it’s competing with super cars from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, along with many other brands. I’m not really sure how Ford plans to enter this market, but I assume they are relying on brand loyalty to GT enthusiasts with a larger spending plan on cars.
It is interesting that Ford is marketing the EcoBoost V6 across its entire fleet, including supercars. Was this technology designed for higher end cars or is it being applied to super cars in order to showcase the new technology?
I distinctly remember Hau Thai-Tang telling us about how they don’t like to release technologies in only specific cars in their line; they instead release the technological advances in all of their cars. This explains why the GT uses eco boost like their other cars. I also think it’s interesting to see how much Ford’s image has needed to change since Henry Ford founded the company. They can no longer rely on just making all of their cars as affordable as possible.
While I can’t get into the mind of a car enthusiast, I highly doubt that brand loyalty and sentimental value towards a type of car would trump a 400k price tag. It is an interesting platform to show off new technologies, but I feel that this can be done in other ways.
I find that this type of car within Ford’s lineup of vehicles particularly interesting and intriguing because it differs so much as a luxury sports car (I don’t consider the Mustang this level) from it’s best sellers like the F-150, Mustang, or Explorer. Furthermore, going off what Sam said, I really like the consistency that Ford has tried to put into each of their cars by applying the Ecoboost, even to this vehicle that doesn’t necessarily seem like it needs it. However, I wonder how so many customers want this vehicle: “the differentiate it brings to the company, their loyalty, or simply their attraction the aesthetic design of the car”?
After reading this, I wonder how many applicants are actually prospective owners. Between the time of the application and when the car is ready for the consumer, a lot can change. Is there a penalty to applicants that must back out? If a different manufacturer releases a similar car for a lower price, how many applicants would withdraw?
Car’s like this are designed purely for people to look at Ford and say “Man they are doing something right.” These types of vehicles similiar to Raptors, Lightnings, or Terminator Cobras (if you don’t know what these are they are a limited production supercharged mustang produced in 2003-2004) don’t necessarily make Ford a lot of money. These vehicles are designed to show off what Ford is capable of and how Ford is pushing forward in the market. The all-important “halo effect” is extremely important in building a brand name so you can sell the Tauruses and Escapes. This is a similar to the idea back in the 60’s that when you won a race on Sunday, (NASCAR races are held on Sundays) you sell cars on Monday. Building a brand through outrageous competition is important.