Ford Keeps It Simple
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is following General Motors back into the incentive fray with its own year-end sales blitz called “Keep It Simple.”
Ford announced the plan Wednesday. It’s a move back toward the one-price selling that appealed to car buyers during last summer’s employee-pricing blowout.
The automaker will print new window stickers for most of its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand vehicles. The stickers will show the MSRP, the Simple Plan price, cash incentives and the bottom-line price.
Ford wouldn’t say whether its new prices are comparable to GM’s new Red Tag Sale discount. GM’s price is slightly higher than the price someone getting the supplier discount would pay.
Keep It Simple “represents a very good deal, but I’m not going to get into discussing plan pricing levels,” Ford spokesman Jim Cain said.
Ford did provide some examples, though. A 2006 Ford Escape that stickers at $20,685 would cost $17,294 under the program. A 2006 Lincoln Navigator with a sticker price of $53,175 would have a new bottom-line price, including $2,500 in cash rebates, of $46,747.
Ford’s new program runs from Wednesday through Jan. 3, 2006. All 2005 and 2006 models are included except for the Ford Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Mercury Milan, Ford Mustang and Ford GT.
Ford, Keep It Simple Sale