Why Isn't The Mondeo Selling ?????? - Page 2

allanv6gt · 07-05-2010, 07:53 PM

Mazda salesman did know his product much better, and was someone you would like to deal a deal with. Ford guy was somewhat non-committal, and another one never rang back when new stock arrived in town (I found them in the dealers yard).
The attitude of the sales people is a big part of selling cars - need to keep the customer interested. You can't expect anyone to commit to $40K+ expenditure on their first look at something.
And I would agree with earlier comments about market positioning, and woeful advertising campaign.

4Vman · 07-05-2010, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allanv6gt

drove an XR5 and then Mazda 6 (diesel) 10 mins later.
My vote goes to the XR5 (instruments aside).

Just 'felt' more luxurious inside, rode better, steered better, similar on-road $$$, better equipment list. Unfortunately, one Ford salesman had to check the brochure when we were discussing colours.

If you could blind fold people and get them to drive and buy the car before seeing a 6 im sure the Mondeo would sell allot better, ive got no doubt its an outstanding car in every way.. but when you look at it beside a 6... Well...
If Mazda ever make an auto diesel 6 they'll dominate the market...

Fenno70 · 07-05-2010, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noddy

My sister being a non car person asked me to come and look at cars in her price range and requirements last december. First car i said to go look at was a mondeo wagon which she liked, thought it was nice inside and out. It drove ok. She has been driving a honda crv for five years. Then we went to vw which was a big step up in fit and finish but so were the $$$$. Lastly we stopped at mazda and they had a diesel wagon there. Drove it and loved it to bits, did a deal there and then. I think it was around 38k with some extras.

She has had it 3mths now and is very happy with it. It is her first diesel which she would never had looked at if i hadn't pushed her. As 4vman said there is a big gap between the two.

Yep great if you like driving a manual! I really liked the Mazda6 as well but went for the Mondeo diesel as it was an auto. Am loving the car, couldn't give a ******** about it's reputation, what people think etc I like it and that's all the counts. And boo hoo about resale, all cars lose money. Cars with good resale are overpriced in the first place.

The Mondeo is in the same predicament as the Vectra...they've got a mid-sized car that is more expensive than their large car. Vectra was a damn good car and so is the Mondeo - in terms of product range they are trying to fit square pegs in round holes. They'd be better off doing away with that bland piece of bread called a Falcon. You go to a dealer and say I've $35k what do you think they will sell you...an XR6 of course or a G6E. They've got a million of them ready to move and with local manufacturing incentives.

There's more to this than simple advertising.

Lord Viykor · 07-05-2010, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe5619

In my opinion, it does not sell because of a crap interior.. I considered an XR5T Mondeo in Dec09 vs a Falcon XR6T. I took one look through the window & saw that interior & it was off the list straight away. I did not want any more information about the car, it was out of the running straight away!!. People say the Commodore has a bad interior, but get me a Commodore interior over the current Mondeo any day.

Just my opinion!!

I'm the opposite looked at the XR6 and XR5T, l liked the exterior and interior of the Mondeo more.

Lord Viykor · 07-05-2010, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpsol

Also Ford have not marketed it very well at all, for fear of taking sales away from Falcon based products and thirdly, Ford dealers/sales persons don't really know anything about the cars or how to sell them to the public, they really only know how to sell Territory's and Falcons which have higher gross margins. (There was also a supply problem earlier on, when the MA was first released in Oz)

I agree totally with everything you've posted, when we got our we knew more than the salesperson did. I was telling them about the autolock feature and how to get it working.

obione980 · 07-05-2010, 09:10 PM

After considerable research I narrowed my field down to 3 cars. Mazda 6 - NO GO - diesel was available in manual only.

Honda Accord - I could wear a good petrol car! So test drove them back to back - TDCI Mondeo hatch - and Honda Accord Special. We went home and slept on it - then choose the Mondeo.

The Accord salesman pointed out - and was certainly correct - the re-sale value of the Honda would be much better.

The Mondeo was bigger, better equipped (true!), quieter, better fuel economy - and diesel. It also just plainly drove better.

We're - 6 months on - happy with our choice.

It's all in the marketing! Get 'punters' to test drive the Mondeo - and it's hard to beat!

Joe5619 · 07-05-2010, 09:13 PM

I just read this one in another topic

"The Fiesta has been the biggest improver, up 35.7 percent year-to-date to 3861 units, while the Territory (3588 vs 2801) and Mondeo (1654 vs 1297) have also enjoyed increases of over 25 percent."

So my question is, why are we discussing "why isn't the Mondeo Selling" when it has grown 27.5 % from this time last year? Any time you get a 27.5% grownth on a prior year is a good year if you ask me!!

SteveH · 07-05-2010, 09:31 PM

Eighteen months ago I was looking for a new mid size car. Looked at the Mondeo XR5, Mazda 6 and Honda Accord Euro. To me, the 6 isn't that special (I used to own a 2003 model) and is let down by the interior and features that you don't get. I test drove two different Mondeo XR5's and found the second one to feel a bit 'loose' as if it hadn't been put together well. That was the only reason I didn't get one. I ended up with the Accord Euro, but whenever I see an XR5 on the road now, I probably wish I had got one of those instead, especially with the interior upgrade on the MB model.

csv8 · 07-05-2010, 09:43 PM

Wasn't there an article last year where FORD said the Mondeo had to sell 500 a month to break even? It isn't coming close to 500 a month in sales???

piquetcon · 07-05-2010, 11:08 PM

When I was looking to buy, the experience in the VW, Mazda and Honda dealership were all superior to the Ford dealership. Have never been a Ford fan but really liked the XR5 and for me to consider buying a Ford the Mondeo had to be not just as good, but considerably better than Mazda6, Euro and Passat. The XR5 is a great car both interior, drivetrain and exterior, but don't think I will buy a Ford again as the dealer experience is that poor. As mentioned by Lord Viykor, the dealer knowledge was hopeless and I was often explaining the features to salespeople who really knew nothing about thier cars. This combined with poor marketing consigns some great Ford cars (Fiesta/Focus/Mondeo) to only modest sales compared to world markets.

RicOz · 08-05-2010, 09:35 AM

I'm personally not worried about the Mondeo not selling well. Why would you want a car that everyone else has? I have a Mondeo Zetec wagon and love it. Only seen a couple around my area, as opposed to Madza6 and new Liberty's you see everywhere.

Looks are a personal thing. If the Mondeo is so ugly according to some people's responses on here, then why is the Mazda3 hatch such a good seller? It looks awful! Also can say the same for the new Subaru Liberty which looks like a bog standard American family car beaten by an ugly stick.

What Ford should have done if they didn't want to promote the Mondeo so much because it will hurt Falcon sales, is to have made a Falcon hatch and a new wagon.

mondo_broady · 08-05-2010, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveH

Eighteen months ago I was looking for a new mid size car. Looked at the Mondeo XR5, Mazda 6 and Honda Accord Euro. To me, the 6 isn't that special (I used to own a 2003 model) and is let down by the interior and features that you don't get. I test drove two different Mondeo XR5's and found the second one to feel a bit 'loose' as if it hadn't been put together well. That was the only reason I didn't get one. I ended up with the Accord Euro, but whenever I see an XR5 on the road now, I probably wish I had got one of those instead, especially with the interior upgrade on the MB model.

we too looked at the euro. nice car, but seriously underpowered imho... also thought it looked a little angular in shape compared to the previous model. we actually had decided on buying a VW Passat CC and were on our way to the dealership to sign up when on a whim we stopped off at the ford dealer next door to check out the mondeo and satisfy ourselves we'd looked at every option... sat in the titanium mondeo and then test drove both that and an XR5. never made it to the VW dealership...

have had our XR5 for a month now and still can't wipe the grin off my face!!

apstar · 08-05-2010, 10:29 AM

VW nice cars but what a rip off when it comes to options

apstar

obione980 · 08-05-2010, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Why would you want a car that everyone else has?

Because when it comes time to trade or sell - it'll bring more.

mondo_broady · 08-05-2010, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Why would you want a car that everyone else has?

Because when it comes time to trade or sell - it'll bring more.

who buys a car with that in mind?? i buy mine based on what they are like to drive.

Quote:

VW nice cars but what a rip off when it comes to options

the Passat was $12k more and had less equipment standard than the mondeo.

ian b · 08-05-2010, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piquetcon

the dealer knowledge was hopeless and I was often explaining the features to salespeople who really knew nothing about thier cars. This combined with poor marketing consigns some great Ford cars (Fiesta/Focus/Mondeo) to only modest sales compared to world markets.

Maybe Ford Australia should rebrand as "Falcon Australia" as this seems to be the only model they are serious about selling.

obione980 · 08-05-2010, 07:57 PM

Quote:

who buys a car with that in mind??

ME!! Plus it's gotta be nice to drive. There's not a lot between Honda Accord Euro, Mazda 6, and indeed the unmentioned thus far Skoda diesels - which are actually cheaper - VWs which lack the resale %!!

There are many savvy car buyers out there who consider all the 'financial implications' of every purchase!

allanv6gt · 08-05-2010, 08:26 PM

Bit of a mention above about Diesels being manual....so boguth Mondeo TDCI.
I have the opoosite problem, I DON"T want an auto (of any form). Only Mondeo manual is XR5 (yippee!!), Mazda 6 has petrol and diesel manuals.
Just that the M6 interior felt, on first impression, a bit cheap plasticky compared to the XR5 soft-touch interior.
Yes, I am a d-r-i-v-e-r of my cars, not just a passenger in behind the wheel.
Bring on more euro things......in manual pls.
Zoom zoom.... (ooops, apologies, wrong brand)

Bucknaked · 08-05-2010, 08:39 PM

Time people actually started to think for themselves. Get in it, drive it and make your own decsions rather than listening to what is written in a magazine, on a forum or amongst the diehards on top of the mountain. Contrary to popular belief FWD is not the end of the world. The Mondeo deserves a chance. Ford Australia think so, otherwise they would never have bought it here.

obione980 · 08-05-2010, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Get in it, drive it

Well Said! AND spot on. The Mondeo drives beautifully!

mondo_broady · 09-05-2010, 12:37 AM

that's pretty much what i said in my 2 posts too... i can't be happier about my purchase...

NZ XR6 · 10-05-2010, 03:36 AM

The NZ perspective: it does sell well here - it was the 2nd best selling mid-size car in the NZ market last year at 1454 vs 1515 for the Mazda 6. Given that Ford don't sell the Mondeo into rental fleets, it's doing very well in the market. (Total Falcon sales were 2242)

I think that the issue is pricing. It is competitively priced in NZ; in fact the retail is lower than the Falcon. I'm sure that Ford Oz would sell more if they did the same, but they would obviously prefer to sell a Falcon rather than a Mondeo.

I drove a Falcon XR6 rental last weekend. A very nice car to drive and a brilliant drivetrain. But it doesn't ride or handle as well as my Mondeo, and with the driver's seat adjusted for a tall driver, there was very little legroom for a passenger in the back. The fuel consumption is impressive though for a big, heavy car - I averaged 9.7 l/100 km.

wusyc · 10-05-2010, 08:32 AM

My dad had a Mondeo back in 1996 and I drove his Mondeo more than my Corolla at the time. I loved the Mondeo back then. Glad to see Ford bringing it back to AU.

Pricing/Feature set is a problem with the base LX model in AU. Ford needs to make the LX model more appealing to make it become a credible alternatives to Mazda6 or even Camry.

The advertising also doesn't help. The advert in AU portrait a young female driving having fun with voice control with her dog in the car. That ad should have been for a Fiesta or Focus. Not Mondeo. I don't want to offend any if my fellow Mondeo owners here but I think that the most likely Mondeo owners would be those that are a bit more matured (30+) and considered in their thoughts when comes to buying a car.

I would think that Taiwan's Mondeo ad is a lot more targeted to the right demographic:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFdW4ee3bHg
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu1RSIwPp34

They are in Chinese but the general idea is: the guy in the ad has a lot of responsibilities. He has to sacrifice a lot to provide for the family, etc. Can't just resign because he has a really bad day at work. In the end, he still has a car that he can drive around and enjoy.

That's probably the type of ad we need here.

Dusty1 · 10-05-2010, 12:05 PM

Good ads, and better than a dog barking.

XR5-Boy · 10-05-2010, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty1

Good ads, and better than a dog barking.

Whoever came up with the ads for our market needs to be shot.

I drove dad's XR5 Mondeo yesterday for the first time. It's a great cruiser and the interior is well appointed. I can't say much for the Mazda6 as i haven't driven it.

After this, i jumped back in my XR5 Focus, and all memories of the Mondeo were destroyed from the growl coming from my engine bay

csv8 · 10-05-2010, 07:24 PM

Can we get Fords Taiwan marketing to do our ads ?????

Joe5619 · 10-05-2010, 07:47 PM

Each to the own I guess, but personally I think those Twian adds are crap.. The Aust dog one is 100000% better..

Katoomba · 10-05-2010, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ian b

Maybe Ford Australia should rebrand as "Falcon Australia" as this seems to be the only model they are serious about selling.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Falcon gets dropped altogether in the not too distant future and the Mondeo is marketed to take its place.

csv8 · 10-05-2010, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katoomba

I wouldn't be surprised if the Falcon gets dropped altogether in the not too distant future and the Mondeo is marketed to take its place.

The new Taurus will replace the Falcon, IF the Falcon goes. New Taurus is brilliant !!

apstar · 11-05-2010, 12:26 AM

Look at the upgrade thread new lineup for 3rd qtr 2010 and prices and models

apstar