Consumers Log In to New Fusion on Website

[BMWDave]

 

Consumers Log In to New Fusion on Interactive Website


 

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By: Chris Kassab | Ford Communications Network


Months before the 2006 Ford Fusion arrives in dealer showrooms, the website forddirect.com is providing Ford Motor Company with valuable advance information about the colors, options and pricing customers are going to want on the car.  
DEARBORN, May 10, 2005 -- It may be the next best thing to a crystal ball.
Months before the 2006 Ford Fusion arrives in dealer showrooms, a clever, interactive website is providing Ford Motor Company with valuable advance information about the colors, options and pricing customers are going to want on the car.

"Potential car buyers are logging on to forddirect.com to 'Build a Fusion,'" said Daniel Geist, marketing manager for Fusion. "We are extracting that information and using it to pinpoint where the Fusion should be priced and what series and options should be available on the car when it goes on sale this fall."

Accurately predicting customer demand can be tricky. When Ford launched the new Mustang, the company underestimated the popularity of the interior upgrade package. Similarly, when the Five Hundred and Freestyle were launched, the number of people who wanted the cars in all-wheel drive came as a surprise.



Geist is hopeful that with Fusion, the information garnered from the website will help Ford better align supply with demand so that dealers ultimately end up with vehicles on their lots equipped with the options that people really want.

Using the Internet as a tool to gauge consumer opinion is fast becoming a huge area of interest for many businesses.

"Focus groups and surveys will always have their place," said Bill Stephenson, director of automotive business development for Intelliseek, Inc., a national group specializing in Internet marketing intelligence. "But the migration of consumers online and the number of consumers who shop online before they buy simply cannot be ignored."

Approximately 133 million people go online, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

"More and more companies are going to begin using companies like Intelliseek, Inc. as a way to gather serious marketing intelligence," said Stephenson. "The information is invaluable because it comes straight from the consumer. It's typically unsolicited, and it's happening in almost real time."

According to Geist, the "Build a Fusion" website has uncovered some surprising findings.

"You might think that heated seats would be a big option in terms of desire in the north and the east," said Geist. "But actually it's a pretty healthy demand as well for consumers who are building a Fusion in the south and the west as well."

Geist did some personal research of his own to find out why.

"Fifty degrees may be warm in the north, but it's cold in the south," he explained. "Also, women love heated seats, and they are an important part of the target market for Fusion. For those reasons, we're going to adjust our supplier network to ramp up so that we're able to offer heated seats at a higher level than what we were originally planning for launch."

Other options forecasting higher than expected consumer demand include the top-of-the-line SEL model, moonroof and leather seating.

This is not the first time Ford has offered customers the chance to build a vehicle online. However, Geist says that "Build a Fusion" is much more comprehensive than other sites the company has put forth in the past.

"We did do some of the initial testing of this type of website with F-Series, but it wasn't to this degree," he said. "We've taken it to the next level with Fusion, and it's anticipated that we'll take what we've learned and build on it for the next vehicle launch."

The interactive website also provides Ford with important demographic information about the people who are interested in Fusion. According to Geist, the target market for the car is turning out to be diverse.

"It's not quite like the Mustang where everyone over age 40 and under age 40 all want the car," he said. "But we are seeing a nice spread between male and female, income levels and geography. Fusion is proving to be a very desirable car and one that people are anticipating will be very affordable.

"Fusion is the new face of Ford cars," he added enthusiastically. "It fits logically between the Focus and Five Hundred, and eventually when pricing is formally announced, it'll be the sweet spot between those two vehicles."



 

[ifcar]

I built my Fusion a couple months ago. I believe it was a well-optioned midlevel version.

[BMWDave]

I built my Fusion a couple months ago. I believe it was a well-optioned midlevel version.

How much did it cost?

[ifcar]

I built my Fusion a couple months ago. I believe it was a well-optioned midlevel version.

How much did it cost?

Been awhile. Low $20Ks, I think.  

[BMWDave]

I built my Fusion a couple months ago. I believe it was a well-optioned midlevel version.

How much did it cost?

Been awhile. Low $20Ks, I think.

That a pretty good price.  Does that stack up well against similarly equipped Accords and Camrys?

[ifcar]

I built my Fusion a couple months ago. I believe it was a well-optioned midlevel version.

How much did it cost?

Been awhile. Low $20Ks, I think.

That a pretty good price.  Does that stack up well against similarly equipped Accords and Camrys?

Pretty nicely, even comparing Fusion sticker to Accord/Camry real-world pricing.  

[BMWDave]

I built my Fusion a couple months ago. I believe it was a well-optioned midlevel version.

How much did it cost?

Been awhile. Low $20Ks, I think.

That a pretty good price.  Does that stack up well against similarly equipped Accords and Camrys?

Pretty nicely, even comparing Fusion sticker to Accord/Camry real-world pricing.

It should be pretty successful then.  And theres no denying it looks better than the Accords and Camrys.

[SJ_GTI]

I did that when it first came out as well. I got pretty much all the options for around 25k.

My only dissappointment on the car was no manual for the V6 version. Hopefully they will do what GM is doing with the G6 and offer an optional 6-speed after initial launch.

[BMWDave]

I did that when it first came out as well. I got pretty much all the options for around 25k.

My only dissappointment on the car was no manual for the V6 version. Hopefully they will do what GM is doing with the G6 and offer an optional 6-speed after initial launch.

I think they might be doing that, and I have heard rumors but I dont know.  Ifcar, do you know if they will be offering a manual?

[ifcar]

I did that when it first came out as well. I got pretty much all the options for around 25k.

My only dissappointment on the car was no manual for the V6 version. Hopefully they will do what GM is doing with the G6 and offer an optional 6-speed after initial launch.

I think they might be doing that, and I have heard rumors but I dont know.  Ifcar, do you know if they will be offering a manual?

If they were planning to, I don't see why they wouldn't have done it at launch. It's already the Mazda6 powertrain, and it has a manual already.

I'd expect the manual to remain 4-cyl-only.  

[SJ_GTI]

I did that when it first came out as well. I got pretty much all the options for around 25k.

My only dissappointment on the car was no manual for the V6 version. Hopefully they will do what GM is doing with the G6 and offer an optional 6-speed after initial launch.

I think they might be doing that, and I have heard rumors but I dont know.  Ifcar, do you know if they will be offering a manual?

If they were planning to, I don't see why they wouldn't have done it at launch. It's already the Mazda6 powertrain, and it has a manual already.

I'd expect the manual to remain 4-cyl-only.

I am certain they would if/when they make an SVT version. It all depends on the market. So far the Fusion appears to be the "sportier" Ford sedan, so it would make sense.

[ifcar]

I did that when it first came out as well. I got pretty much all the options for around 25k.

My only dissappointment on the car was no manual for the V6 version. Hopefully they will do what GM is doing with the G6 and offer an optional 6-speed after initial launch.

I think they might be doing that, and I have heard rumors but I dont know.  Ifcar, do you know if they will be offering a manual?

If they were planning to, I don't see why they wouldn't have done it at launch. It's already the Mazda6 powertrain, and it has a manual already.

I'd expect the manual to remain 4-cyl-only.

I am certain they would if/when they make an SVT version. It all depends on the market. So far the Fusion appears to be the "sportier" Ford sedan, so it would make sense.

If they do an SVT Fusion, I'd definitely expect a manual. But it doesn't look like standard V6 versions will be getting one.  

[dave998]

I did that when it first came out as well. I got pretty much all the options for around 25k.

My only dissappointment on the car was no manual for the V6 version. Hopefully they will do what GM is doing with the G6 and offer an optional 6-speed after initial launch.

I think they might be doing that, and I have heard rumors but I dont know.  Ifcar, do you know if they will be offering a manual?

If they were planning to, I don't see why they wouldn't have done it at launch. It's already the Mazda6 powertrain, and it has a manual already.

I'd expect the manual to remain 4-cyl-only.

I am certain they would if/when they make an SVT version. It all depends on the market. So far the Fusion appears to be the "sportier" Ford sedan, so it would make sense.

I know there is an ST version, but nobody will tell me if an SVT version is coming out, though my sixth sense is telling me it is. The ST version will feature 270HP and is codenamed the ST270(similiar to the GT500). The ST version will feature the 3.5L duratec thats coming out and will be avaliable 2007 possibly 2007 Model year.  

[BMWDave]

I did that when it first came out as well. I got pretty much all the options for around 25k.

My only dissappointment on the car was no manual for the V6 version. Hopefully they will do what GM is doing with the G6 and offer an optional 6-speed after initial launch.

I think they might be doing that, and I have heard rumors but I dont know.  Ifcar, do you know if they will be offering a manual?

If they were planning to, I don't see why they wouldn't have done it at launch. It's already the Mazda6 powertrain, and it has a manual already.

I'd expect the manual to remain 4-cyl-only.

I am certain they would if/when they make an SVT version. It all depends on the market. So far the Fusion appears to be the "sportier" Ford sedan, so it would make sense.

I know there is an ST version, but nobody will tell me if an SVT version is coming out, though my sixth sense is telling me it is. The ST version will feature 270HP and is codenamed the ST270(similiar to the GT500). The ST version will feature the 3.5L duratec thats coming out and will be avaliable 2007 possibly 2007 Model year.

Do you know if it will have a manual?