Do you remember last year when Ford opened 88 dealerships in China in a span of just 24 hours, read here. Well, it turns out, Ford has bigger plans in Europe, as the company is expecting to open at least 500 new showrooms by the end of 2016 with the first 200 flagship ‘FordStores’ planned for this year.
According to Ford, the new flagship FordStores will offer customers a new way of discovering, buying and owning the full range of Ford products and services. This will include the all‑new Ford Mustang – the first Mustang to go on sale in Europe – performance vehicles such as the forthcoming Ford Focus RS, and the full line-up of Transit commercial vehicles and Ford SUVs.
Located primarily in metropolitan areas, the new FordStores will also include the new Vignale Lounge, a special area for customers of Ford’s new upscale product and personalised ownership experience. The new Ford Mondeo Vignale, the first vehicle in the Vignale line-up will also be on display at the FordStore.
Each FordStore will be divided into clearly visible zones, with easily understood names. The “hello” zone, with “ask me” signs is a welcoming reception area. Servicing enquires will be handled in the “care” zone, and an inviting “discover” zone will offer easily accessed information from tablet devices, brochures, samples and a 3D one-to-one video wall enabling customers to configure the Ford of their choice, and see it actual size. Dedicated areas for Transit and business customers will be integral to the FordStores as well.
Ford vehicles also will be displayed so that they are easy to find and compare. For example, Ford’s line-up of SUVs, Kuga, EcoSport, and the forthcoming all-new Edge, will be displayed alongside each other. Performance vehicles including the all-new Ford Focus RS, Focus ST, and Fiesta ST also will be displayed together.
