The chairman of Ford of Britain, Tim Slatter, has been talking up the chances of Ford rolling out some form of the agency model of dealership in this country.
Speaking to Car Dealer mag, Slatter did not say when this would happen, but clarified that it is going to happen, not least because Ford wants to own the customer relationship.
It looks like the more Ford gets into EVs, the faster it will move towards the agency model.
Slatter is quoted as saying:
“When we move to fully electric vehicles it’s not just the powertrain in the vehicle which changes. One of the most important things for these connected vehicles is for us to have a much more direct and long-term relationship with our customers.
“And we’ll seek to do that through a go-to-market strategy (agency model) which will allow us to have such a direct relationship.
“That’s why we are putting so much effort into software capabilities – because it is clear that it is essential for a software defined vehicle – but that can only work if you have that direct relationship as well.”