Ford’s crossover twins leading the way in sales

The first time I saw a new Ford Edge, I thought it looked like a clever copy of Nissan’s successful Murano. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that Ford outdid Nissan in the style department. This is one great looking vehicle.

It would appear that the consumers agree with me, as sales of the Edge and it’s upscale sibling the Lincoln MKX are soaring. In fact, in May new car buyers bought more of the Edge than any other crossover including the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander or the Nissan Murano! They are doing so well that sales are 20% ahead of Ford’s own predictions.

This news is pretty exciting for us here in The Garage, as on Friday we are picking up a new Ford Edge for a week long test drive courtesy of Ford of Canada. Watch for a full review of the Edge here in The Garage next week.

Todays proud Ford press release

DEARBORN, June 11, 2007 – They might not be Mustang-sized hits but the Ford Edge and its twin, the Lincoln MKX, are proving to be home runs for the Ford Motor Company.

Last month, the all-new Edge and MKX crossovers had their best sales month since launch, with sales up 39 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

Best of all, their sales have exceeded company projections by a solid margin.

“Our new crossovers are the right products for the right times,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas. “We now expect Ford Edge sales to reach 120,000 this year – 20 percent higher than our original forecast.”

Versus the competitors, the news is just as good.

In May, the Edge outsold every competitor in the medium-sized crossover market, including such well-established models such as the segment leader, the Honda Pilot, as well as the Toyota Highlander and Nissan Murano.

“We have a product that, in its first five months in the market, from a standing start as a new nameplate, with no previous owners, is already establishing itself as one of the leaders in this segment,” said Ford sales analyst George Pipas.

Lincoln has scored a hit with its luxury crossover, the Lincoln MKX. For more information, go to Lincoln.com.
May sales of the Lincoln MKX echoed the Edge with the MKX outselling the Acura RDX, the BMW X3 and the Cadillac SRX.

“It’s great when that happens. It validates the growing demand for our products. We’re delighted,” said Pipas.

Ford’s new crossover twins also scored high in the latest J.D. Power & Associates (JDPA) customer-based Initial Quality Survey (IQS).

The Lincoln MKX came in second in the mid-sized multi-activity vehicle category and the Edge also garnered high marks in the J.D. Power IQS, which is great news for brand-new vehicles in their first few months of production.

Neal Oddes, director of product research and analysis at JDPA, said Ford pulled off its performance by tightly managing an area of high risk: new vehicle launches, which are usually a bit rocky and can lower the scores of even the best vehicles.

“Ford had some excellent launches,” Oddes said, emphasizing that the new Lincoln MKX turned in an above-average kickoff.

In addition, the Edge and the MKX were recognized this spring as a “Top Safety Pick” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The Power Information Network also lists the Lincoln MKX as a “Hot Off the Lot” choice, leading its key competitors with the lowest number of days on dealer lots before purchase by customers.

So far, in a comparison between sales performance during their launch periods, the Edge has been outperforming the Ford Fusion, which had a very strong start in 2006 and continues to sell strongly now.

The Edge has also been doing well in conquest sales – selling a vehicle to someone who previously drove another make. Those sales have been running about 40 percent, which is also above Ford’s original expectations.