Positive results in Canada
Upon taking the reins of Ford Canada, in November 2005, Mr. Osborne was surprised by the diversity of our market. "Since 80 percent of Canadians live at 100 miles or less from the border, I assumed that there would be
many similarities with the United States. As I quickly found out, there are more differences...," he told.
In fact, the differences were such that Mr. Osborne had the pleasure to report an 8 percent increase in yearly sales. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Ford saw its sales volumes drop 8 percent over the last year.
Likewise, while Ford's SUV and truck sales have dropped 14 percent in the U.S. in 2006, they jumped 1.7 percent in Canada. That's remarkable considering the ping-pong gas prices.
Mr. Osborne explains: "Canadians are less sensitive than Americans to rising gas prices because they've been used to a fairly higher price for a number of years. Also, they buy trucks for commercial purposes more than private use. Sometimes, they don't have the financial means to buy a truck."
The "Edge" challenge
In 2007, Ford will find out if it was a good idea to abandon the minivan (the days of the Freestar are numbered) and to focus on crossover vehicles, such as the Ford Edge. The first deliveries have just begun: "We delivered 55 new Edges in December. They sell pretty quickly," says Mr. Osborne.
In case you didn't know, deliveries of the Edge had to be delayed a few weeks. The automaker said it wanted to make sure the operations were running in order at the Oakville plant, in Ontario. "We didn't have any particular quality issues. We just wanted to perform additional tests and to have our suppliers confirm that they could keep up with the demand."
The president of Ford Canada believes that the Ford Edge will enjoy great success in Canada: "It combines the features and the versatility that people expect from an SUV, including a 1,588-kilo towing capacity. It also offers good fuel economy, many standard safety features and a class-exclusive Vista sunroof. Besides, the Edge is competitively priced and attractively styled. Truly, that's no ordinary crossover."
Upon taking the reins of Ford Canada, in November 2005, Mr. Osborne was surprised by the diversity of our market. "Since 80 percent of Canadians live at 100 miles or less from the border, I assumed that there would be
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| Ford F-150 |
In fact, the differences were such that Mr. Osborne had the pleasure to report an 8 percent increase in yearly sales. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Ford saw its sales volumes drop 8 percent over the last year.
Likewise, while Ford's SUV and truck sales have dropped 14 percent in the U.S. in 2006, they jumped 1.7 percent in Canada. That's remarkable considering the ping-pong gas prices.
Mr. Osborne explains: "Canadians are less sensitive than Americans to rising gas prices because they've been used to a fairly higher price for a number of years. Also, they buy trucks for commercial purposes more than private use. Sometimes, they don't have the financial means to buy a truck."
The "Edge" challenge
In 2007, Ford will find out if it was a good idea to abandon the minivan (the days of the Freestar are numbered) and to focus on crossover vehicles, such as the Ford Edge. The first deliveries have just begun: "We delivered 55 new Edges in December. They sell pretty quickly," says Mr. Osborne.
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| Ford Edge |
The president of Ford Canada believes that the Ford Edge will enjoy great success in Canada: "It combines the features and the versatility that people expect from an SUV, including a 1,588-kilo towing capacity. It also offers good fuel economy, many standard safety features and a class-exclusive Vista sunroof. Besides, the Edge is competitively priced and attractively styled. Truly, that's no ordinary crossover."
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