Ford NZ ends support for grey imports
Ford New Zealand says its decision to stop supporting parts requests for grey imports affects only a small volume of vehicles and comes as it seeks to put more focus on its “core customer base”.
A message has been sent to all Ford dealerships providing an update on the company’s support for vehicles that are out of service life or are grey imports.
“Ford NZ will not support parts requests for grey import vehicles. Dealers can source any grey import part direct from a dealer in North America, the United Kingdom or source market as required,” the memo says.
“It is important to reinforce that our priority is to service customers whose vehicles were imported by Ford NZ.
“We understand that the enforcement of this policy may create challenges in certain circumstances. However, on balance, please recognise that this will allow us to provide a more focused and better service for our core customer base.”
The message, which was sent in July, continues that the company will continue to carry parts where total national demand sits above 20 sales per annum.
It will also provide parts available in Australia but there is no right of return and dealers will be liable for air freight costs if they are not prepared to wait for ocean freight.
Simon Rutherford, managing director, explains the shift has been a non-issue, with no direct feedback from dealers since the change of policy.
He told Autofile Online that limited storage space was among the factors behind the decision and Ford NZ will still guide dealers in the right direction for finding parts.
“We’re not like a Japanese manufacturer with lots of used imports coming into the market and the volumes are relatively small, usually Transits and campervans,” says Rutherford, pictured.
“It’s not that we’re stopping support, what we’re saying is that as Ford New Zealand we will focus our capacity and structure on everything we have sold and our 10-year parts maintenance commitment.
“If we have a part with matching spec for vehicles that have come in then we will support them, but when it comes to the odd part for say a 10 or 15-year-old Explorer, we’re not going to dedicate space to deal with that.
“A dealer can source the part themselves and we’re happy to put dealers in touch with their counterparts in North America or Europe so they can import the necessary parts directly.
“Since the update went out in July we have not heard any feedback and it’s been a non-issue but, ultimately, we have to look at what makes sense for our core customer base.”
