Ford Discusses Marketing Strategy For Upcoming EVsFord Discusses Marketing Strategy For Upcoming EVs

Marketing a vehicle is never an easy thing to do with success.  It takes advertising, campaigns, press releases and so on to successfully market any product, vehicles included.  Though marketing a new vehicle may be difficult, Ford has discovered that marketing an electric vehicle is a daunting task.
Ford is planning to release their 2011 Ford Focus EV later next year, but product planners are having difficulty organizing the marketing campaign.  According to Ford’s hybrid vehicle marketing manager Dave Finnegan,”Consumers interested in electric vehicles are a different breed.”  Finnegan is working hard on how to market around and ease “range anxiety” which drives buyers away from EVs.
Ford has conducted studies to determine many aspects about potential EV buyers.  They have concluded that most motorists drive less than 70 miles per day.  According to Finnegan, the Focus will exceed that mileage, but buyers need to be reassured that they won’t be stranded roadside due to depleted batteries.
The marketing rollout from Ford will address issue about the nation’s charging infrastructure and will also touch on the future of this nation charging abilities.  The will use the success of their hybrid vehicles to draw buyers into showrooms.  As Finnegan said, “Hybrids are still growing right now and as more and more people see and understand the technology, they see the value in it and consider moving into a hybrid vehicle.”  The hybrid’s success will make buyers aware of battery technology and hopefully venture towards fully electric vehicles.
Ford is also hoping that the Focus EV and upcoming Transit Connect EV will gain market share in the environmentally friendly state of California where domestic auto makers have had a difficult time gaining ground on foreign car sales in the state.
With the release of the Focus EV slightly more than a year away, the vehicle can has been spotted undergoing testing at Ford’s Dearborn Proving Grounds. 
Let’s hope Ford finds a way to successfully market their first EVs to a different breed of buyers.
Source:  Wards Auto  (Login required)

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