The Caravan Saloon in Wels is a permanent Ford location

Andreas Oberascher has been at Ford Austria for 20 years and has been managing director for three years. The 46-year-old manager is very pleased with the performance of the dealers in Upper Austria and the brand focuses on the commercial vehicle business.

How did business go at Ford in 2023?

ANDREAS OBERASCHER: We have shown that even the biggest restructuring in the company’s history cannot stop the company, even if the previous year was more challenging. We will make up for the slight decrease in numbers with our product fireworks in 2024. In general, extensive product changes are currently taking place, so it is normal for the numbers in the past to stagnate or decrease slightly.

But the charity is not as much as it used to be.

Now we have a lower version, and the cars are fully equipped for the old works. We won’t have a replacement for the Fiesta for a while.

How was the commercial vehicle business?

After the last three very successful years, we have had to give up our first place in commercial vehicles, but we see it in a sporting way and we are delighted with the double victory of winning two important international awards for commercial vehicles. . In 2023 we recorded a slight decrease in volume and a consequent loss of market share, but this is due to structural changes in the most important model, Custom. A correction and even an increase is expected in this part of 2024. In general, we see commercial vehicles as one of our core competencies.

How did Ford start 2024 with passenger cars?

What we hear from traders makes us very positive. We have seen significant growth compared to last year. The needs of Puma and Kuga are not broken, the now complete Tourneo family, namely the new Custom, Connect and the recently introduced Courier, are well received by customers. The numbers will look completely different than in 2023, when three important model series have been eliminated, also because of our many new products – such as the new Mustang but especially the new Explorer. The Explorer is expected to be Ford’s best-selling electric car in the medium term.

How did business and commercial vehicles fare this year?

Here too, we are confident: With the new, completely revised Transit series, we expect a significant increase in sales and a market share as high as it was in the early 1920s, i.e. around 20 percent again.

Last year was characterized by a reduction in the order bank in terms of new registrations; Key word: long delivery time. Will you see these effects this year too?

The order bank is stable and sustainable. Delivery restrictions are now a thing of the past and we are handling consistent order delays to keep delivery times as short as possible.

What? How is Upper Austria doing here – cars and commercial vehicles?

Overall, Upper Austria is the most successful federal state for Ford with the largest market share in Austria. All this is possible thanks to many dedicated dealers who have focused on customer satisfaction for decades. As a brand, we gained 5.3 percent market share in Upper Austria last year; You can also see a strong economy here.

What strategies does Ford use in terms of local presence – for example at trade shows, in shopping centers, downtown?

Basically, it’s the seller’s job to communicate with customers, we don’t have any strict guidelines because our colleagues on the site know very well what strategies make sense and where. We were present at major events such as the Vienna Electric Days or with our partner Harley Davidson in Lake Faak in 2023, the Caravan Salon in Wels is permanent and we also show models regularly at the E Mobility HUB Westfield Shopping City South, so just to highlight a few events.

And on the subject of e-mobility: How do you assess the progress of new registrations so far?

We are more than satisfied with the development, the Kuga PHEV is the best-selling plug-in hybrid in Europe, the Mustang Mach-E is the best-selling in Europe and this year we are also taking off with commercial vehicles: our Transit series. it comes completely renovated and also has electricity in the market.

Interview: Oliver Koch