Ford Edge Flies Off Dealer Lots

It seems customers’ fondness for the Ford Edge never diminished despite their long wait. As a fact, some customers have to drive through a blizzard just to make a purchase. Now that the Ford Edge is pretty much ready to take a plunge into dealers’ lots, customers are thrilled even more.

In the month of January, Ford recorded 5,586 sales of the Edge effortlessly eclipsing the first month sales of the famous Fusion sedan. The automaker recorded 4,078 sales of the Ford Fusion in October 2005.

Sales consultant Susan Blue said that she is still amazed by that customer who braved 18 inches of snow and blocked roads to pick up his new Ford Edge a few weeks ago. One prospect who had talked with Blue in the week said he would come by - to purchase the Ford Edge. "It was bad out," said Blue, who works at Don Seelye Ford in Kalamazoo, Mich. "There was a snow advisory and a snow alert, and I couldn't even see the used car lot from the office window."

Nevertheless, after 45 minutes on the road in what should have been a 15-minute ride, the purchaser pulled up in Blue’s trade-in. The customer is driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT with only 11,000 miles on the odometer. "He saw the Edge ad on TV, but he seemed nonchalant when I talked to him earlier, so I was surprised when he called that day," said Blue. "He was bound and determined to get an Edge."

The purchase transaction was easily done. How quick was the transaction made? It was as quick as opening windows through the use of Ford window motor. After the swift transaction, the customer was instantly rewarded. On his way home, he was riding on a new all-wheel-drive Ford Edge. Since then, the customer called Blue twice and written a letter to say how pleased he is with his new vehicle. And Blue has sold two units more since then. "It's a hot, hot product," she said.

Sheehy Ford in Gaithersburg, Md., also reported an Edge sale involving the trade-in of an upscale foreign model - BMW's luxury crossover, the X5. Sheehy's customer liked their BMW but decided to test drive an Edge after seeing a persuading advertisement of Ford’s crossover. After the test drive, the customers opted not to buy another BMW in favor of the new Ford Edge. The customers said they are considering buying a second Edge when their lease on a BMW 7 series luxury sedan expires later this year.

At the Grand Ford dealership in East Liverpool, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania and West Virginia border, sales manager Rob Migliore thanked the Internet for their first Ford Edge sale. The dealership received its first Edge on a Monday morning and eventually sold it that afternoon to a customer who drove an hour and a half from Uniontown, Ohio - just to purchase the vehicle.

The said customer had been online at the interactive Edge site. With a few clicks on the mouse, they learned that the closest store selling the Ford Edge vehicle is Grand Ford. "We were the ones with the car they wanted so they drove here right away to get it before someone else did," said Migliore.

Sales rep Bob Montgomery relayed a similar story from Jerry Taylor Ford in Grove City, Pa. The dealership got its first Edge equipped with a Vista Roof on a Friday. By Monday morning, Montgomery had sold it to a customer who had driven by the dealership that weekend and spotted the vehicle. "He said it was beautiful, and I went for a test drive, and he said he'd be back in a few minutes. Well, I've heard that one before," said Montgomery.

Montgomery added, “All he says now is how great that Edge rides, even better than the (Toyota) Camry he has at his Florida home." There was an additional benefit in that sale, too. "Every week, he stops by with tomatoes and produce from his greenhouse. I think I've made as much on produce as I did on the commission. (The Edge) is a great vehicle to sell. I just need to sell some more of them," chuckles Montgomery.

By: Katie Jones