Ford has discontinued the Harley-Davidson edition of its popular F-150 pickup truck, a company executive told Automotive News.
“We don’t have plans for one at the moment. We’ve got 10 models including a brand-new Limited Model, which was new for 2013. We feel like we’ve got the market really well covered,” said Doug Scott, Ford‘s truck marketing manager.
Scott said the Harley-Davidson model typically made up only 1 to 2 percent of the F-150 total sales. On the other hand, sales of the range-topping Platinum version of the F-150 have exceeded expectations, consequently, the Harley-Davidson edition was dropped.
Introduced in 1999 as a high-end version of the F-150, the Harley-Davidson special edition continued through the 2012 model year.
Beau Smith, chairman of the Ford National Dealer Council and co-owner of Sill-TerHar Motors, a company that operates Ford and Lincoln franchises in Broomfield, Colorado, confirmed that the Harley-Davidson edition pickups made up only a small part of his volume.
“With the introduction of Platinum and Raptor it was not a high-volume or high-turn vehicle for us. It won’t be missed,” he told Autonews. Martin Gubbels, a Ford-Lincoln dealer from Torrington, Wyoming, said Ford’s decision to discontinue the F-150 Harley-Davidson was “a smart business move”, as the absence of the low-volume niche model will simplify the ordering system.
There has been no reaction so far on this issue from Harley-Davidson. So what do you think; is Ford’s decision to drop the F-150 Harley-Davidson a good idea or not?
By Dan Mihalascu
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