2015 FFE Availability?

Okay, I just got back from my local Ford dealer where I picked up my now officially dead 03 Explorer (repair estimate exceeds what I am willing to spend on it) and then went over to the salesman I have been speaking to about an FFE. I know that we are long past the 2014 build cycles so I would have to order a 2015 which should be on the production line now or certainly imminently as the 15 models should be hitting dealers floors by no later than mid-October, at least for non-FFE models. According to the salesman the 2015 FFE will not be available until March of 2015 – some 7 months of wait time! This seems rather extreme to say the least! I certainly let the salesman know of my disappointment and expressed my opinion that the FFE is a very good car which would sell very well if Ford put any marketing effort into it. The dealership managers should be pushing Ford Corporate on this issue. It seems every one that is allocated locally is sold very quickly so the hard evidence is that a market exists and if salesmen were properly trained and the dealers promoted the FFE then it could be quite a sales success. Does anyone know any more about the actual 2015 FFE availability? I’d hate to have to go to Nissan for a Leaf which although more expensive than the FFE is, I think, technically inferior to the FFE and certainly far less attractive inside and out.

Thanks and Cheers

Carl

I think your salesman is correct: Ford has stated that the new 2015 ICE Focus will start selling later in the fall and the 2015 FFE won't be available until 2015.

Where are you located ?

I've seen FFE's arriving in the Pacific Northwest with August 2014 build dates on their door stickers. I leased mine last week and it was built July 9, 2014.

Ford sells about 200 a month, and I'm not sure how many they build per month. As I understand they didn't do a long shutdown at the Michigan Assembly Plant at Wayne this year.

My suspicion that "you will have to order a 2015 and wait seven months" really means "How about literally any other car that I have in stock right now ?"

Dealer told me first build date for 2015's is December 8.

I suppose it's possible that Ford will cease production of the FFE for 3 solid months while they build ICE versions at Michigan Assembly.

It's equally possible that both dealers were blowing sunshine. The last dealer who told me "we never get those and don't expect any" got two new ones the next week.

cpwl might be in Canada, so the supply chain and pricing issues might be significantly different there.

EDIT: I'm not arguing that 2015 FFEs will be available earlier, but I don't agree that we are "long past the 2014 build cycles" because I have proof that they were building FFEs under a month ago.

Kakkerlak said:

EDIT: I'm not arguing that 2015 FFEs will be available earlier, but I don't agree that we are "long past the 2014 build cycles" because I have proof that they were building FFEs under a month ago.

Click to expand...

There is a reputable dealer on here who posts from time to time, perhaps they can give some insight--if I remember correctly they said something like ordering 2014 FFE's closed last month.

So far I haven't seen any 2015 ICE Focuses in the parking lot at the plant...I still see 2014's (drove by there a few days ago).

Thanks for the feedback guys. Mar 15 availability of the ‘15 FFE is really disappointing and given the death of my Explorer may be too long a wait, assuming of course that I can afford a new replacement. Loosing out on the current employee discounted price makes affording a new FFE that much more of a “challenge”. (No I’m not intimating that I can replace the functionality of the Explorer with an FFE, just the daily driver status. Like most I rarely use the full capacity of the SUV, I just enjoy its comfort as a daily driver and still have my E150 for cargo and other large group outings.)

@Kakkerlak, my location is Ottawa, ON area so FFEs are really rare here. I know there are some as several sales staff have said they sell as soon as the allocation has been received but I have yet to see one on the road. I have seen more (3 of) Tesla MSs on the local roads.

Anyway a few more “wrinkles” to mull over and “calming” my wife who likes the Leaf and refused to come with me when I test drove an FFE a few months ago.

Thanks and Cheers

Carl

I could be wrong but I believe thru the end of Aug. if not Sept. They are still making 2014 FFE's. You just can't order one anymore. I got one of the last orders in toward the end of July and mine still hasn't come in yet. There is so little difference between 2014 and 2015 focus I wouldn't be surprised if they were able to build 2014 FFE's along side 2015 gas burners until they are ready to make the 2015 FFE's in December.

If you do some searching you should be able to find one that you want. You may have to truck it in from a few hundred miles away. If you don't want to go that route, get on craigslist and buy a $500 beater to get by till next march.... That's probably less than 2 months car payment and you'll have 7 months with no car payments.

New installment in the ongoing FFE investigation. After my posts from last week I had basically given up on any chance of an FFE until next spring. As a “last ditch effort” I called the other Electric and Hybrid certified Ford dealer in Ottawa, ON., where I got my test drive in late spring and asked them about FFE availability. They did the same dealer search as the first allegedly did and found a car on a lot in Quebec City which they committed themselves to investigate on my behalf. The next day that car was confirmed sold but of course they tried to solicit my interest in another car, really trying to push the hybrid and Energi models. Naturally I declined those options so again all seemed “done and dusted” until next spring. Bummer….

Yesterday however I got a call from the salesman who said his manager had come back with the option of ordering a 2014 for an approximate 8 week delivery. Humm…. Why didn’t the manager come up with this option last seek? I suspect he only pursued this when it became abundantly clear that I was ONLY interested in an FFE, nothing else. I had told the salesman that I was only interested in an FFE right from the beginning but it seems the only way to really confirm things with dealer sales staff is to physically (or in this case figuratively over the phone) leave the dealership. :roll: So, tonight after work I will go down and see what they are able to do for me and see if there really is a chance of a 2014 FFE. A glimmer of hope perhaps?

Thanks and Cheers

Carl

Good luck!

Any news on this? I'm a huge fan of being able to leave the dealership. Sure hope they gave you a good deal.

All,

Sorry it has taken so long to report back but things have been, to say the least, rather convoluted and drawn out. I did indeed attend the Ford dealership last Tuesday evening and went through the options. In the end I put in my order for a 2014 FFE, candy blue with leather interior. I also put in my application for Ford financing and left with a reasonable but not heart-stoppingly good deal. Ford doesn’t have the $6k rebate in Canada so all I got was the employee discount of just over $3k but there is the Quebec $8k provincial cash rebate and 50% EVSE and installation rebate so all in all I was, and still am, reasonably pleased.
I had expected confirmation of financing by last Thursday but come last Friday still nary a peep nor a word from them. I concluded that the lack of contact meant that I had been turned down for financing and they were simply in no rush to return my deposit. Monday of this week I called my salesman but he didn’t pick up so I left a voicemail. By Wednesday still no contact so I called the financing officer I saw and again left a voicemail. When he called back a few hours later there was good news and bad. Financing approval had been received on Tuesday (took a week!) but now despite their original assurances they didn’t know if they could get a 2014. The new car manager was looking into it and would get back to me in a day or two. So… yet again I await another call from dealership staff! Ugh….

So, Jamie, have you been by the plant recently and if so have you seen 2014’s still coming of the production line? @Triangles seems to think that 2014 production could continue until late Sept 14. I certainly hope that is the case but given the amount of “confusion” that the dealership staff have exhibited I have no confidence in anything they are telling me so I'm seeking this groups' knowledge, wisdom and/or experience. I’d be willing to compromise somewhat on colour if I had to take a “line-built car” (I won’t pay for the tri-colour platinum white but the rest of the colours are probably acceptable) but I’m not going to give up on the leather.

Anyway I’ll let everyone know when I hear anything more, one way or the other.


Thanks and Cheers

Carl

I drove by the plant about a week ago. In the front lot where they usually park the production cars awaiting transport (at least that is what it looks like) there were far fewer 2014's than there normally is--I'd say it looks like they are wrapping up any final 2014 production. This looked to be about a few dozen cars (no more than 50)(when the plant is running full out this lot is usually packed with several hundred cars).
The good news, such that it is, was that there was 1 FFE parked with those 2014s (a couple STs, and a C-Max or two as well).

Hmm "Employee discount" interesting: In the US the FFE does not qualify for A/Z or X plan pricing.

This past Tuesday I did follow a 2015 ICE Focus mule for a few miles in my neighborhood (it was one of the really ugly ones where each quarter panel was a different shade of black or grey, it still had the velcro all over it from the masking, etc.).

I may go by there tomorrow on my way to national plugin day....

I hope this works out for you. Looking at the bright side - if they can't get you the car you want, and they do find the platinum white, they probably won't charge you for it. Sometimes dealers want to make a sale and they will help you out with the color you don't want. You'll have to be persistent - or nicely persistent.

I agree on leather, don't compromise on that.

Good luck. Maybe they can find a car somewhere else that can be flat bed delivered to that dealer.

Another installment in the saga!!

Well my Ford dealership salesman has just called and relayed the information that I, and probably the rest of the group, expected. They cannot get a 2014 FFE in accordance with the deal signed last week. Apparently the local dealer sought the intervention of Ford Canada but in the end Ford Corporate Headquarters have refused to honour the order in spite of the dealer having information that the cut-off date for ordering 2014 FFEs was 1 Oct 14 and it was based on that information that the local dealer contacted me, sought my business and upon which I attended their dealership. Remember I had essentially given up any hope of an FFE until next March anyway and ceased my search. Apparently distribution allotments have been met and Ford will not allow my order to proceed despite the dealers explanations and requests for an FFE allotment.

Of course they then informed me that the earliest they can get a new production 2015 FFE is from the Jan 15 production start-up for delivery in late winter/early spring15 which we all know is expected to mean Mar 2015. My immediate response was to ask if they would honour the price and build options already determined for a 2015 car to which they agreed. Clearly this was the response they were seeking even though they did offer the alternative of a very low mileage used 2013 FFE which was immediately and summarily rejected, albeit politely. So, subject to the dealership sending a confirmation e-mail and seeing if the pricing is in fact honoured, it appears I am set up to receive a 2015 FFE, Candy Blue with leather sometime around Mar 2015. At least I have a lot of time to sort out my EVSE and do some work on my garage in the interim.

So getting my FFE is not going to happen as fast as I would like but in the end this might work out slightly to the better for me depending on what if any changes are incorporated into the 2015 FFEs.

Thanks and Cheers

Carl

Carl, You are a very patient man. I would be chomping at the bit so hard.

@EVA, no not patient at all, rather brutally pragmatic. The fact is that there is nothing that I can do to make a multi-billion dollar corporation sell me an FFE if they have other priorities or plans or if they just don't have any more current year production available. So I have no choice but to wait and try to take the best from it that I can. As I said, depending on what updates are incorporated into the ‘15 model this may well turn out to be in my favour.

Besides you know a thing or two about being patient having had to wait delivery for how many months after you ordered your Tesla Model S.

That being said, no matter what the weather is for the next 6 months or so it is going to be a very long long winter! 

I instant messaged with Ford manufacture and they said 2015's will be available January.

I've ordered a 2014 FFE in mid october and the dealer call me 2 week afer to told me thats going to be a 2015. I've spoke to the dealer this week and he gives me the VIN number of my new FFE2015, and told me that I'm gone have my car mid feb 2015. I've done search to find where i can track my car by the VIN and find this site. http://www.etis.ford.com/vehicleSelection.do The site told me build date nov 30 2014. Hope it will help you.

Sorry for my english not my first language. Im from Montreal Canada

2015 FFE Now Available...

Two are listed on cars.com

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/620923588/overview/
http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/619653586/overview/

Now has an 81 mile range...
Will they stock them nation wide is the ??
Lists $2,000 bonus cash...