Every year, Ford hosts thousands of dealership reps from across the country in Las Vegas, Nevada, to give them a sneak preview of upcoming products and services. These meetings are part vacation and part work, and often give reps something new and exciting to talk about when they return to their hometowns.
But not this year. Despite Ford having two huge releases on the horizon, with an all-new Mustang and F-150 slated to debut in 2014, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Blue Oval is keeping dealers in the dark, not showing off either of the new designs to any of the company’s network of dealers.
So even though Ford made the dealers all sign confidentiality agreements before filing into the showroom at Caesars Palace, dealer reps left having only seen a single new vehicle, a 15-passenger version of the upcoming Ford Transit van. Dealers left mystified and dumbfounded, with some having flown in specifically to see either the new Mustang or F-150. It is “unheard of” for an automaker not to show off something big to their dealers, especially the company’s two marquee products which are due for major revisions for the next model year.
It raises a lot of questions, especially given that Ford is reportedly ready to reveal the Mustang as soon as December. You would think that with Ford trying to build up hype and excitement for the new Mustang, it would want to get the dealers pumped up for these all-new designs. And of course the lack of details regarding the new F-150, Ford’s best-selling vehicle by far, has also left dealers uneasy to say the least.
They’re just as deep in the dark as we are. Here’s hoping the final Mustang and F-150 designs are worth the wait and we hope to see them soon.