AN ICONIC car brand has closed its doors for over 50 dealerships across the nation in a huge shake-up to “better align with evolving needs”.
The former number one carmaker in terms of sales has been around since the beginning of the last century.
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Ford was one of the first brands to offer practical and affordable vehicles to customers.
Ford has confirmed that all but three of the UK dealers have retained their authorised repairer status.
Just over four years ago, the firm revealed its plans to reduce its network of sales outlets.
Back in 2020, the 395 car dealers were located across the nation.
Hoping to halve these within five years, Ford was set to reduce this number to around 210.
In the late 1990s, the American automobile manufacturer was a pioneer of Customer Marketing Areas.
It was during this decade that the company hit number one in terms of car sales.
To improve their profitability, Ford has set out plans to focus on a tighter network with fewer dealers.
This could see a higher number of cars going through shops with larger market areas.
Following some investment in other market areas, Ford has grasped a formidable network of Transit Centres.
A Ford spokesperson said: “We have been actively restructuring the dealer network over the past several years to better align with the evolving needs of our business and deliver enhanced service.
“It is also worth noting that all but three of the dealerships impacted have retained their Ford Authorised Service section, so they are still operating just without a retail arm.”
It comes after the limited edition Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 was spotted headed for auction.
Earlier this month, the vehicle which has been finished in a signature Diamond White looked to go on sale from £55,000.
It was the first car to use the ground-breaking viscous-coupling LSD, revolutionising front wheel drive handling.
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