Ford Motor Co. begins a $50 million advertising campaign this weekend designed to convince you that your next vehicle really ought to be an SUV.
As gasoline prices have climbed throughout the first three months of 2005, SUV sales have sharply declined. Explorer sales in the United States dropped by 25.1 percent in the first three months of 2005 over the year-ago quarter. Expedition sales are down by 26.8 percent during the same period.
Ford executives concede that the sharp spike in gasoline prices was a surprise to the company. Marketing executives are now trying to clean up the mess and stem a steep slide in sales of the high-profit Explorer and Expedition.
The new commercials focus on SUV technology such as electronic stability control with rollover protection -- a feature that's now standard equipment on the Explorer. The Expedition spots highlight its 5.4-liter V-8 engine, which recently was updated to three-valve technology. The change produces more horsepower as well as better fuel economy.
The Explorer commercials will run until fall, when a campaign will begin for the re-engineered 2006 Explorer. That version will feature minor styling revisions, an updated 4.6-liter, three-valve V-8 and a six-speed automatic transmission.
The Expedition commercials will run into 2006. Ford plans to introduce a redesigned Expedition for the 2007 model year.
