Ford dealers have until the end of October to decide if they want to keep selling electric vehicles. And they'll have to agree to some new conditions if they do, including transparent, set pricing, available online, according to a new report at Inside EVs.
We've known for some time that Ford was looking to shake up the way people buy its EVs in the US, moving all its EVs into a new business unit called Model e, with another called Ford Blue that will be responsible for internal combustion vehicles and hybrids. In June, CEO Jim Farley said: "We've got to go non-negotiated price. We've got to go 100 percent online. There's no inventory, it all goes directly to the customer. And 100 percent remote pickup and delivery," during a presentation to investors.
Farley's not going to get all those wishes, but this week the automaker gave dealers a look at the future during an annual dealer conference. If a dealer wants to sell Model e EVs, they'll have to agree to invest in regular training, install charging infrastructure, improve their physical and digital sales experiences, and perhaps most importantly, publish non-negotiable pricing online. You should be able to buy a Ford EV without ever setting foot in a dealership, but due to state laws the sales will continue to be facilitated through dealerships, not directly from Ford.
However, according to Inside EVs, dealerships will still be able to set their own prices, so this probably isn't the end of markups for EVs. But Ford thinks that as long as prices are online, customers can cross-shop to find the cheapest options. And once a price has been agreed online it can't be changed.
