Small, Medium and Large

Despite the skyrocketing fuel prices and the hefty tariff imposed by the Excise Tax, we Filipinos still dream of owning sport utility vehicles or SUVs. Maybe it’s our penchant for bringing the whole family in one trip or our need to traverse our less-than-perfect roads that become flooded during the rains and pot-holed after the downpour, that we desire the passenger and cargo capacity, the ground clearance and the go-anywhere capability of these SUVs.

Perhaps, more than the much-vaunted capabilities of these vehicles, people buy SUVs for the prestige of owning one. Large, expensive SUVs make a statement about their owners and as the notion goes, "Bigger is better". In the go-go eighties, the vehicle to have was the Mitsubishi Pajero while in the mid-nineties it was the Nissan Patrol Safari. The Ford Expedition dominated the local market at the turn of the millennium and became the new status symbol for the rich, the famous and the wannabes.

Fortunately for Ford Group Philippines, the glamour and prestige brought by the Expedition trickled down to its stable mates. The Ford blue oval became a symbol of wealth in the same vein as the BMW twin-kidney grill and the Mercedes-Benz tri-star and finally erased the poor image that haunted Ford when it left the country in 1986. Suddenly, people had a newfound respect for the brand and Ford enhanced its market performance further by introducing a mini-SUV, the Ford Escape and then later on a mid-sized entry, the Ford Everest. By some stroke of marketing genius, or a stroke of luck, Ford offered its customers the ability to choose their sport utility vehicle in sizes ranging from small, medium to large.

The Ford Escape started out as a 2.0-liter mini-SUV in 4x4 and 4x2 configurations geared to do battle with the class-leading Honda CR-V and Toyota’s RAV-4, both powered by 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines. When the new CR-V came out as a 10-seater 4x2 with a lower price, the muscular-looking Escape had to settle for a second-place fight with the RAV-4. Nissan joined the fray last year with its all-new X-Trail in 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter variants and relegated Ford and Toyota to fight for third and fourth place in the mini-SUV battle. Ford fought back by introducing a faster Escape (pardon the pun) with a 3.0-liter V-6 and fitted it with a moon-roof and leather seats.

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) place the market share of the Ford Escape at 17 percent, selling 978 units during the period of January to June 2004. Ford armed the Escape with more firepower last month when it introduced the Duratec 2.3-liter version that ultimately replaced the 2.0-liter. Boasting of more power (157PS@6000rpm) and more torque (203Nm@4500rpm), the Escape comes with a higher top speed of 168kph. Ford is confident that the Escape, in 3.0-liter V-6 XLT 4x4 and 2.3-liter XLS 4x2 guises, will outpace its competitors and eventually dominate the mini-SUV segment.

While the Escape is slugging it out in the mini-SUV segment, its bigger brother, the Ford Everest is cruising to victory. Since its introduction in October 2003, the 2.5-liter diesel-powered 5-speed manual transmission-equipped Everest in 4x2 XL and 4x4 XLT configurations has consistently ranked No.1 in its category, having captured 54 percent of the compact SUV segment during the period of January to June of this year. CAMPI and TMA figures show that the Everest led the growth in its class with 235 units sold in June, ahead of the Mitsubishi Pajero and the Toyota Prado.

Ford officials announced that over 1,500 customers bought the Everest since its launch and the motor company is confident that number will continue to grow with the launch of the latest variant, the Everest Automatic. With the heavy traffic of Metro Manila and the higher prices of gasoline, more buyers are predicted to gravitate towards the Everest Automatic, with its 4-speed automatic transmission and its 2.5-liter turbocharged and intercooled 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 110PS at 3,500rpm and 268Nm of torque at 2,000rpm. Besides having a powerful diesel engine and an automatic slush box, having a three-row seating arrangement for seven people and a tall and large SUV body likewise helps swing the fight in the Everest’s favor.

The biggest of the Ford SUVs, the 4.6-liter V8-powered Expedition 4x2 XLT is likewise having a field day in the full-size SUV category. It continues to enjoy 37 percent market share, selling 116 units from January to June and contributing to Ford’s dominance of the total SUV segment with the company’s sales of 2,159 units sold for the same period. The current Expedition, which was introduced in December 2002, still exudes luxury and power in a segment now being invaded by imports like the Hummer H2, Lincoln Navigator, Toyota Sequoia and Toyota Land Cruiser VXR.

But Ford saw it wise not to wait for the competition to catch up. It recently introduced the Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x4 with a new 5.4-liter Triton V8 engine that delivers 260hp and 475Nm of torque for more kick and added palatial comfort fit for a king or a head of state. It now has a PowerFold third-row seat which disappears into the floor at a touch of a button, and Dual-Zone Electronic Automatic Temperature Control (DEATC) system which enables the occupants to set the most comfortable temperature in the different zones in the cabin. With the luxury of leather seats, the smooth ride of the rear independent suspension, the security of 4-wheel disc brakes and 4WD and the numerous lists of comfort and performance amenities, this Expedition is one tough act to follow.

While it may be true that the current domination by Ford of the total SUV segment is its ability to field small, medium and large products, the other half of the equation is how its customer satisfaction index has grown over the years. With Ford’s increasing number of dealers and the company’s strict adherence to quality, customer satisfaction has played a vital role in Ford’s market renaissance.

After all, it is the satisfied customer who will always buy a company’s product, an SUV in this case, regardless of skyrocketing fuel prices or additional taxes. And even if the day comes when only the wealthiest among us can afford SUVs because of ultra-high prices, we can still dream of owning one, albeit a nice used one with a blue oval emblem.