Ford aims to give EV buyers a different shopping experience

DETROIT — Buying an F-150 Lightning from a Ford dealer in 2024 may look very different from buying an F-150 today.

Ford Motor Co. says it's bringing new shoppers into the fold with its latest electric vehicles and wants to cater to them with a unique retail model. EV dealers, CEO Jim Farley says, must get ready to "specialize" in those battery-powered products to better compete against direct-to-consumer startups that promise buyers a stress-free shopping experience.

That means going deeper than simply setting up a dedicated EV display in a showroom. Ford wants dealers who sell its EVs to reduce costs by carrying no inventory, eliminate markups through nonnegotiable pricing and focus even more on online sales. The automaker also is considering collaborating with its dealer council on an initiative called "Electric University," a multiday immersive experience for dealership salespeople and service techs that would serve as a boot camp on the finer points of electrification.

Some dealers understand the need for such changes.

"The customer coming in and ordering an F-150 Lightning or Mustang Mach-E is a different type of customer," Nick Anderson, general manager of Chuck Anderson Ford in Excelsior Springs, Mo., told Automotive News. "Ford's putting a different emphasis on the customer experience for buyers it hasn't sold to in the past."

The pivot in its sales strategy come as the automaker divides itself into distinct business units: Ford Blue for its traditional gasoline-powered vehicles and Ford Model e for EVs.

Company executives point to data from early orders of the Lightning as well as internal analysis of companies such as Tesla for needing to implement change.

Ford has continued to increase its planned investment in EVs — now up to $50 billion total through 2026 — with a goal of building more than 2 million EVs in that same time frame.

But it's ultimately waiting to hear from dealers — including this week at the NADA Show — before finalizing its plans.

"We'll be going on a listening tour," said Andrew Frick, general manager of sales, distribution and trucks for Ford Blue.

"We both own this; it's going to be a 50-50 partnership as we go forward."

Before Ford announced the split between its EV and combustion-vehicle operations this month, Tim Hovik, chairman of the Ford National Dealer Council, said the company was working with council members on a multiday EV training program for dealers.

While details haven't yet been settled, Hovik said it likely would include in-person classes about every aspect of selling and servicing EVs. The program is expected to take place near Ford's headquarters in Michigan and be open to dealership staff from around the country.

"We're going to be able to send our people and immerse them in the world of electrification," Hovik said. "This really is a transformative time in history. Everything we've ever done before ... this is a different world."

The idea was partly inspired by the early popularity of Ford's Bronco Off-Roadeos, four locations around the country where new Bronco owners can go to learn how to drive properly on various kinds of terrain. Before the programs opened to customers late last year, Ford hosted dealers at the Off-Roadeo outside Austin, Texas, so they could take turns behind the wheel.

Hovik said the company and council realized they needed something similar given Ford's lofty EV sales goals.

"We absolutely are going to have to do a phenomenal job to get all of our people up to speed to deliver the world-class experience we do," Hovik said. "We just need to get a little smarter when it comes to electric."